Tottenham Hotspur announced on Wednesday that it has signed midfielder James Maddison (26) from relegated Leicester City on a five-year contract.
Spurs paid 40 million pounds ($50.54 million), according to British media reports for Maddison, who scored 55 goals and provided 41 assists in 203 appearances in all competitions during five seasons with Leicester.
Maddison also won the FA Cup in 2021.
The England international joins the seven departures Leicester announced earlier this month and becomes Spurs’ third signing since the appointment of Ange Postecoglou as manager.
The 26-year-old shot-stopper has committed to a contract until 2028 with the North London club.
Upon his arrival, Vicario will don the No. 13 shirt. The transfer deal is rumored to be valued at approximately £16.4 million.
Having made 71 appearances for Empoli across various competitions in the past two seasons, Vicario garnered attention for his impressive record of eight penalty saves.
While he has received a call-up to the Italy national team, he is yet to earn a senior international cap.
He is known for his ability at playing out from the back and should suit new boss Ange Postecoglou’s style.
Spurs were in the market for a long-term successor to captain Hugo Lloris, who is approaching the final 12 months of his deal and is keen for a new challenge.
Brentford No1 David Raya was their top choice but the Bees’ £40m valuation proved a stumbling block.
Vicario’s chances of earning a starting spot will depend on Lloris’ future, with Fraser Forster also signed up until the end of next season.
He is Postecoglou’s second signing after Dejan Kulusevski’s loan move was made permanent.
Tottenham are also believed to be closing in on a deal to bring James Maddison back to the Premier League following Leicester’s relegation.
And talisman Harry Kane is the subject of strong interest from Bayern Munich, although the German giants’ initial approach is thought to have come up well short of Daniel Levy’s asking price.
Spurs are looking to bounce back from a poor 2022-23 campaign, which saw them finish eighth in the Premier League and miss out on European football.
Son Heung Min has put an end to speculations surrounding a potential transfer toSaudi Arabia with a brief statement regarding his future.
The talented South Korean player did not perform at his peak for Spurs during the 2022/23 season, leading to discussions about the possibility of his departure from the Premier League.
ESPN reports had indicated that Son had caught the attention of clubs in Saudi Arabia, with Al-Ittihad being the most likely destination for the 30-year-old.
Al-Ittihad recently became the second Saudi Arabian club to secure a major signing after unveiling Karim Benzema, who signed for free after his Real Madrid contract ended.
Son’s stance on his future
Despite links to Saudi Arabia, Son clarified that he would not be leaving the Premier League anytime soon as he believes he has ‘unfinished business’.
“I have many things to do in the Premier League,” he said as quoted on The Sun.
“Money doesn’t matter to me now, and the pride of playing football, to play in my favourite league is important.
“I want to play more for Tottenham.”
The Middle East club, managed by former Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo, were reportedly willing to offer Tottenham £51m for Son’s services.
Which other stars could join Saudi?
Despite Son’s unwillingness to leave the Premier League, the Saudi Arabia league is still set to reap massively from other big names.
Chelsea stars N’golo Kante,Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly are all poised to leave London for the Middle East, with Kante set to become an Al Ittihad player.
Football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano also announced on Tuesday that Hakim Ziyech had verbally agreed with Al-Nassr, a club that Cristiano Ronaldo currently plays for.
European clubs call for Saudi investigations
Elsewhere, Sports Brief reported growing suspicion over the transfer dealings between Saudi Arabia clubs and Chelsea.
The Middle Eastern nation has become a good hunting ground for elite football players following Cristiano Ronaldo’s blockbuster move to Al-Nassr in January.
There are concerns that Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers are using the lofty offers from the Middle East nation to balance out their books.
In a hardly disguised jab at Tottenham, Antonio Conte stated that “some had decided to settle for less”, but he insisted that he hasn’t lost his “passion.”
After a 3-3 draw on March 18 against Southampton, the league’s worst team, Conte left Tottenham by mutual consent.
He gave a venomous post-game press conference after the tie, in which they lost a 3-1 lead, criticising club owner Daniel Levy, the players, and the club’s trophy collection.
However, he still seems to have much fury left in him as he took a veiled dig at the north-London club for not being ambitious enough.
“The last experience, like all of them really, had some things that were positive and some less so,” he stated at an awards ceremony in Arezzo on Tuesday. “The experience was wonderful, we did the maximum possible and gave all that we had.
When I arrived, the team was in eighth or ninth place, yet we qualified for the Champions League.
Then this season, with the side in fourth position, I decided we should part ways with Tottenham. Some had decided to settle for less.”
However, Conte, who is set to turn 60 in July, also insisted that he still has the fire in his belly to manage a top side and remains open for opportunities in Italy and abroad.
“I still have the desire to coach, that passion never goes,” he added. “If it did, I would have to look inside myself and think that it was no longer right to continue doing this profession. Having said that, I am also not spasmodically searching for a new job.
If something important and serious came along, that gave me motivation, then I would give it consideration, in Italy or abroad.”
Tottenham Hotspur have announced the appointment of Ange Postecoglou as our new First Team Head Coach.
Becoming the first Australian to manage in the Premier League, Ange will join the team on 1 July on a four-year contract.
Daniel Levy, Chairman: “Ange brings a positive mentality and a fast, attacking style of play. He has a strong track record of developing players and an understanding of the importance of the link from the academy – everything that is important to our Club. We are excited to have Ange join us as we prepare for the season ahead.”
A former Australia national team player, Ange managed at South Melbourne, winning the National Soccer League twice and the Oceania Club Championship.
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Ange Postecoglou as our new Head Coach on a four-year contract 🤍
He then led the Australian national Under-17s and Under 20s before moving on to managing in the A-League, winning the Premiership in 2011 and the Championship Grand Finals in 2011 and 2012 with Brisbane Roar, becoming the first coach to win consecutive A-League Championship titles.
He then became Australian senior national team manager from 2013 to 2017, taking the team to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, winning the AFC Asian Cup in 2015 and securing qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
He won the J1 League with Yokohama F. Marinos in 2019 and joins us from Celtic where he won the Scottish Premiership and Scottish League Cup in 2021/22 and delivered the treble, winning the Scottish Premiership, Scottish League Cup and Scottish Cup in 2022/23.
Tottenham are yet to confirm Ange’s coaching staff.
It can be argued that Tottenham, Spurs possessed a remarkable generation of players during this period, with the likes ofKyle Walker, Luka Modric , Dele Alli, Moussa Dembele, a prime Christian Eriksen, and the ever-reliable Son Heung-min forming an impressive team.
There is no denying that winning trophies is the ultimate measure of success in football, particularly for teams.
While individual achievements are certainly noteworthy, it is a club’s ability to secure silverware that sets them apart from their competitors.
Regrettably, Tottenham Hotspur has faced the harsh reality of a lackluster trophy record in recent years, which has hindered their overall ranking.
Yet with all these players at their disposal and with a world class manager in the form of Mauricio Pochettino in the team, Spurs somehow failed to clinch any silverware.
Spurs’ silverware jinx
It is not for the want of trying, however, as they have come close on several occasions, but trophies always seem to elude them. Is it a curse? We will never know.
In 2016, for example, Spurs were genuine title contenders in a campaign where the underdogs Leicester City prevailed.
They ended up with a second place finish in the league, behind The Foxes, who were helped by Spurs’ city rivals Chelsea.
Three years on and Spurs were in the Champions League final at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid where they came up against fellow English side Liverpool.
But despite knowing their opponents all too well, Spurs once again fell short, losing 2-0 as the likes of Harry Kane’s long wait for silverware raged on.
The last time Tottenham clinched silverware, according to TottenhamHotspur.com, was in 2008, when a Juande Ramos-led side edged Chelsea 2-1 at Wembley.
Since then, Spurs have had stars come in and out of the club, and a majority of the players who ended up leaving have won silverware since.
11. Adel Taarabt: Portuguese League, Portuguese Super Cup with Benfica
12. Kyle Walker: 5 PL titles, FA Cup, League Cup and 2 Community Shields with Man City
13. Luka Modric: 3 La Ligas, 5 Champions Leagues, 2 Spanish Cups, 4 Spanish Super Cups, 5 FIFA Club World Cups, 4 UEFA Super Cups with Rea Madrid
14. Gareth Bale: 5 Champions Leagues, 3 La Ligas, Spanish Cup, Spanish Super Cup (x2), FIFA Club World Cup (x3), UEFA Super Cup (x2), MLS Cup, Supporters Shield
15. Jermaine Defoe: Scottish Premiership with Rangers
16. Paulinho:LaLiga, Spanish Cup, Chinese League (x4), Chinese Cup, Chinese Super Cup (x2), AFC Champions League
17. Benjamin Stambouli: Ligue 1, French Cup, French League Cup, French Super Cup (x2) with PSG
18. Christian Eriksen: League Cup with Manchester United
Nagelsmann has been heavily linked with the post since his shock departure from Bayern Munich at the end of March.
The 35-year-old was in the running for the Spurs job in 2021 before Bayern swooped in at the time to secure the services of one of the most highly sought-after young coaches in world football.
When Antonio Conte left Tottenham soon after Nagelsmann’s dramatic exit from the Bundesliga champions, it was anticipated the German coach would again be in the mix for the vacancy at the Premier League club.
Speculation has rumbled on since but while Tottenham have great respect for Nagelsmann, they will not be meeting or interviewing him for the role and he is not a contender, PA understands.
Ryan Mason remains the current man in post on an acting head coach basis and earlier on Friday he backed Harry Kane’s recent rhetoric that Spurs have lost the values old boss Mauricio Pochettino had put in place.
Spurs travel to eighth-placed Aston Villa on Saturday knowing victory will virtually secure them a place in theEuropa Conference League next season with hopes of a top-four finish long gone.
It is a far cry from Tottenham’s best years under Pochettino when they were regularly in the Champions League and one of the best clubs in the country.
Kane has taken part in various interviews during the past week where he has spoken about how he is determined to restore a strong culture and environment despite uncertainty over his future with only one year left on his contract.
“Yep, absolutely I am fully with him on that 100 per cent,” Mason responded when quizzed on Kane’s comments.
“We can talk a lot about players but I think the environment, culture, it’s everyone, everything, the small details. We have to have many people driving that, not just one or two people. It has to be driven from within.
“I agree with him because I was part of probably the change in setting new standards and a new culture within this place.
“You can spend years trying to build something but at the same time it doesn’t take long to lose it.
“Thankfully for us we still have many, many good people within these walls who know and feel what good looks like and probably more importantly want that as well. It is something we absolutely strive for.
“It is important, it’s vital and it’s crucial that everyone who comes in here is pulling in the same direction and want the same things. I think that goes for every single football club as well.
“We need that. Every club needs that, we need that. I agree with him.
“I am happy that he has said it because he is one of the people I want to drive it because he is important to us, in terms of his stature at this football but also his understanding that there’s many people that can contribute as well.”
With speculation rife over Kane’s future, fans have taken comfort in his recent comments seemingly suggesting he would be at Tottenham next season.
Last month, chairman Daniel Levy revealed his hope for Kane to have a statue outside the stadium one day, but Mason admitted it was premature for now.
“I think that is probably a question to answer when he is not playing here because then you can recognise and appreciate the work he has done,” Mason stated ahead of the fourth game of his interim spell.
“Right now it is probably a bit premature because the reality is, Harry is still a Tottenham player and we are still focused on him achieving more great things for this football club. Hopefully he can do that.”
This summer, according to the PA news agency,Tottenham will complete the permanent signing of Dejan Kulusevski.
The Swedish forward joined Spurs on an initial 18-month loan from Juventus in January of last year, and he had a successful 2021–22 campaign.
This season, Kulusevski has struggled with his form, and last week, reports out of Italy claimed that there were concerns about his long-term future at Spurs.
When Kulusevski came from Juventus, a clause was added that required Spurs to make the transfer permanent for 35 million euros at the end of current season should Tottenham make the Champions League this year.
Tottenham’s difficult season means a top-four finish is no longer attainable, but the option to sign Kulusevski for 35million euros (£30m) remains and it is understood the club are still set to secure the services of the attacker on a long-term deal.
Spurs acting head coach Ryan Mason admitted he was not involved in any talks over what the future holds for Kulusevski but backed the 23-year-old to bounce back from a tough campaign.
A hamstring injury sidelined the former Atalanta player for a large chunk of the first half of the season but he has only scored twice in 34 appearances where he has been in and out of the starting line-up.
“I love Deki as a player. I think he’s got so much room to grow and be a top, top player, even though he already is a top, top player.
“At the same time when you play for a club like this, I feel it’s important that you feel you have to earn the shirt in every moment.
“Naturally when you play for a club like this there’s competition. At the moment, last week, you could see he was on the bench but he came on and helped the team get the result. That’s important.”
Kulusevski has scored seven goals and provided 15 assists in 54 appearances for Spurs overall.
After a fan was captured on camera making what looks to be a discriminatory gesture towards South Korean star Son Heung-min of Spurs,Crystal Palace committed to ban him on Sunday.
After Son was replaced in Saturday’s 1-0 victory for Spurs, the incident happened in the 89th minute.
The gesture was performed by one of the Palace supporters when the South Korean captain had to pass them as he was leaving the pitch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“We are aware of a video circulating online (as well as reports made directly to us) regarding an individual in the away end at Spurs yesterday, appearing to make racist gestures towards Heung-min Son,” said Palace in a statement.
“Evidence has been shared with the police, and when he is identified, he will face a club ban. We will not tolerate such behaviour in our club.”
Tottenham said they were working with Palace and the police to identify the individual.
“Discrimination of any kind is abhorrent and has no place in society, our game and at our club,” said Spurs.
Son was also racially abused during a match betweenChelsea and Tottenham at Stamford Bridge in August.
Chelsea banned a season-ticket holder indefinitely after footage emerged on social media of a fan in the home end making a racist gesture towards Son in the 2-2 draw.
“We will do everything in our powers to ensure that if found guilty, the individual will receive the strongest possible action — as was the case earlier this season when Son suffered similar racial abuse at Chelsea,” said Tottenham.
Tottenham battled back to tie 2-2 with Manchester United despite knowing there must be no recurrence of their “unacceptable” St James’ Park disgrace, according to Heung-min.
Spurs’ dreams of finishing in the top four of the Premier League were dashed on Sunday by a 6-1 thrashing at Newcastle.
After that humiliating loss on Tyneside, interim manager Cristian Stellini was removed of his duties, and Ryan Mason assumed control of the team until the end of the season.
Tottenham looked to be in danger of suffering another mauling when they trailed the Red Devils 2-0 following goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.
But they rallied in the second half to salvage a point at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday, Pedro Porro halving the deficit and Son equalising after being set up by Harry Kane.
Son said: “We wanted to give everything and that was the dressing room speech.
“We couldn’t let the game go. We were really angry about it, we didn’t deserve to be 2-0 down at half-time.
“The last week was unacceptable and we didn’t want to repeat that. We feel really, really sorry for the performance and result and we wanted to bring a good energy.
“We really appreciated [the fans’] support and they were fighting with us.”
In his first game in command after taking over for Cristian Stellini, Pedro Porro and Heung-Min Son’s goals allowed the interim manager to end the team’s losing streak.
Mason has experience in the Spurs managerial spotlight; two years ago, he served as caretaker after Jose Mourinho left the club and oversaw the Carabao Cup final.
Mason was ecstatic to see a response from his team following a 6-1 defeat to Newcastle in their previous match. This shows their drive.
He told BT Sport: “In football, you can win, lose or draw but the most important [thing] is that we react together. I have a team that’s willing to fight.
“I thought in the second half, we were outstanding [with] the character we showed after last Sunday. I hope the fans can see that we were a team today.
“Those players in there, I know I’ve got men who when they pull together, they’re a very strong team. That’s my job, to inspire them and make sure we act as a team.”
Goalscorer Son, who was supplied for his point-clinching finish by regular partner Harry Kane, suggested Spurs’ performance was born out of frustration over recent failings.
He said: “I thought we didn’t deserve to be 2-0 down in the first half. We played quite well, we had the chances to score. But we weren’t clinical enough.
“We didn’t want to let the fans down, we wanted to give everything and that was the dressing room speech. We couldn’t let the game go. We were really angry about it.
“Football is all about the fans.The last week was unacceptable, and we didn’t want to repeat that. With them, we really appreciated their support. They were fighting with us”.
Erik ten Hag has publicly for the terrible decisions he made during the April 27 match against Tottenham Hotspur.
In front of their own home supporters, Tottenham came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Manchester United.
Spurs supporters were expecting another humiliation after their surrender to Newcastle over the weekend, but Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford set United on their way.
After the break, though, January acquisition Pedro Porro drew one back, and Spurs missed a few good chances to either back level or even go ahead.
With United still leading, ten Hag surprised many by withdrawing Sancho and Cristian Eriksen just after the hour mark.
The two were one of the better performers of the night, with Fred and Anthony MArtial taking their place. 10 minutes later, the Dutch tactician followed it up with another dubious change, withdrawing Aaron Wan Bissaka for Tyrell Malacia.
Bissaka is one of the best 1 v 1 defenders in the world and the feeling would be, he needs to be on the pitch when you are protecting the lead.
His replacement, Malacia, was culpable for Spurs’ second goal as he allowed Harry Kane with enormous space to lay it out for Heung-min Son on a platter.
However, Ten Hag defended his ideas despite watching his side drop points again due to partly his changes.
“If you have seen the game, you have seen also in the period after half time we lose control in the game and I prepared the subs already before the 2-1 and you could see that goal coming.
“With Fred, you bring energy, one who can win the ball. On Sunday, he was brilliant. And with Martial, you bring one who can keep the ball and you can have Rashford, Antony and Bruno make runs behind and that was the idea.” as quoted by MEN.
The fans who traveled to Newcastle for Sunday’s 6-1 thrashing have been promised a ticket reimbursement by the Tottenham players.
Cristian Stellini, the temporary manager, was fired yesterday by chairman Daniel Levy due to a poor performance at St James’ Park.
Additionally, Tottenham, who will be overseen by Ryan Mason through the end of the current campaign, will pay for the match tickets for those who were there when the Tyneside stadium collapsed.
A statement released on Twitter said: “As a squad, we understand your frustration, your anger. It wasn’t good enough.
“We know words aren’t enough in situations like this but believe us, a defeat like this hurts.
“We appreciate your support, home and away, and with this in mind we would like to reimburse fans with the cost of their match tickets from St James’ Park.
“We know this does not change what happened on Sunday and we will give everything to put things right against Manchester United on Thursday evening when, again, your support will mean everything to us.
“Together — and only together — can we move things forward.”
United, who are presently holding down the final Champions League slot in the Premier League, are six points behind fifth-placed Spurs.
While Mason’s team made a kind gesture by paying for the tickets to the game on Sunday, it is unclear how the news would be received by the fans who would have paid a significant amount to travel.
The players, though, will hope the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium supporters support them when Erik ten Hag’s team visits since European qualifying is still up for grabs.
Cristian Stellini, Tottenham’s temporary manager, has left the team as a result of Sunday’s 6-1 humiliation at Newcastle.
Following Antonio Conte’s resignation last month, the Italian was appointed manager till the end of the current campaign, with Ryan Mason helping with first-team responsibilities.
However, Stellini, who served as Conte’s No. 2 until just four games ago, has already left his role. Mason, an ex-midfielder, is now in charge of the club’s six remaining Premier League games.
In a statement realeased on the club’s website, chairman Daniel Levy said: “Sunday’s performance against Newcastle was wholly unacceptable. It was devastating to see.
“We can look at many reasons why it happened and while myself, the board, the coaches and players must all take collective responsibility, ultimately the responsibility is mine.
“Cristian will leave his current role along with his coaching staff.
“Cristian stepped in at a difficult point in our season and I want to thank him for the professional manner in which he and his coaching staff have conducted themselves during such a challenging time.
“We wish him and his staff well. Ryan Mason will take over head coach duties with immediate effect. Ryan knows the club and the players well.
“We shall update further on his coaching staff in due course.
“I met with the player committee today — the squad is determined to pull together to ensure the strongest possible finish to the season.”
During Stellini’s short-lived reign, Spurs also drew 1-1 with Everton, beat Brighton and lost 3-2 to Bournemouth, leaving the North Londoners six points adrift in the top-four race.
Mason, 31, will hope to galvanise his troops for the visit of Manchester United on Thursday night, ahead of a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday.
Manchester United is prepared to step up its efforts to sign Harry Kane, the star player for Tottenham.
The Red Devils reportedly intend to launch a proposal for the England captain, who is entering the final year of his contract and is unlikely to sign a new one, according to The Telegraph.
When the club’s biggest asset’s contract expires at the end of the upcoming season, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will now have to decide whether to sell him or let him leave for free.
United wants to complete their business quickly because they are aware that they cannot afford a transfer controversy and run the danger of losing out on other targets, such as Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.
It has been suggested Spurs would be willing to listen to offers in the region of £80million from overseas for Kane, 29, but will demand at least £100m from fellow Premier League clubs.
A report in The Sun indicates United are willing to offer the striker a whopping £300,000-per-week contract to lure him to Old Trafford.
The Red Devils are confident of landing Kane if Spurs finish outside the top four and that is now looking increasingly likely after Sunday’s 6-1 humiliation at Newcastle.
Spurs host fourth-placed United on Thursday sitting six points adrift of them in the race for the final Champions League spot.
The North Londoners suffered a 5-0 defeat in the first half thanks to goals from Jacob Murphy and summer acquisition Alexander Isak just before Joelinton’s goal.
Following Harry Kane’s goal in the second half, a resounding victory was sealed when Calum Wilson, an English striker who had been on the bench, scored on his first touch.
Danny Rose shares a joke with former teammates Calum Wilson and Kieran Trippier. Photo by Stu Forster. Source: Getty Images
Former Tottenham full-back Danny Rose has been without a club since his contract was mutually terminated at Watford last September, according to Mirror UK.
He was in utter disbelief at the scoreline and berated his former club and some of his former colleagues for putting up such a mediocre performance.
Rose questions Tottenham players
The 32-year-old was on Spurs’ payroll for 14 years and spent a half-season on loan at Newcastle United in 2020. He was part of the Lilywhite’s squad that reached the 2019 UEFA Champions League final.
He bemoaned the many defensive mistakes from Cristian Stellini’s side and questioned how his former side is still viewed as a massive club with such a scandalous performance.
”All I’ve been thinking all first half is how am I unemployed?,” he told Sky Sports.
The Leeds United academy product admitted to not watching football in a long time, including the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, claiming he missed the atmosphere and is up for one more job.
The two-time PFA young player of the year was shipped out of Tottenham last January but was deemed surplus to requirements at Everton, who loaned him to Besiktas.
Besiktas fans booed Alli after he was substituted in the first half of a game, but the 26-year-old professed his love for football which he claimed saved his life.
After an impressive performance in Newcastle United’s annihilation of Tottenham that included one of the seasons best assists, Joe Willock was compared to Ronaldinho and Luka Modric.
The midfielder has been given the nickname “Willockinho” by his Newcastle teammate Bruno Guimaraes, and on Sunday, he more than lived up to it.
In a 6-1 victory, Willock—whom coach Eddie Howe is supporting for an England call-up—created what may have been the game’s most memorable play when he sent Alexander Isak away for the fourth of five goals in the opening twenty-one minutes with a magnificent outside-of-the-boot pass.
That was Willock’s fifth assist in the Premier League this season to go with three goals as one of the key men in a Newcastle team closing on Champions League qualification.
Only Kieran Trippier (five) and Guimaraes (four) created more than Willock’s three chances against Spurs, and the Brazil international was suitably impressed.
Guimaraes told reporters: “Willockinho, with his new hair today… he looked like Ronaldinho and played like him, too.
“An amazing through ball for [Isak’s] goal. What a pass. Only Modric can play a pass like that. It was amazing.”
Newcastle climbed back up to third with the win, now six points ahead of their fifth-placed opponents and still with a game in hand.
Fabio Paratici has resigned as Tottenham’s managing director of football.
The Italian, 50, exits after losing his appeal against a 30-month Italian Football Federation ban on certain football related activities, which FIFA extended worldwide.
A club statement said: “Yesterday, Fabio was unsuccessful with an appeal against his Italian Football Federation ban on certain football related activities.
A club statement said: “Yesterday, Fabio was unsuccessful with an appeal against his Italian Football Federation ban on certain football related activities.
“FIFA ruled to extend the ban worldwide and, while there continues to be a dispute as to the scope and extent of the ban, the current worldwide ban prevents Fabio from fulfilling his duties as our managing director of football.
“Fabio has consequently taken the decision to resign from his position at the club with immediate effect to focus on his legal position in respect of the FIGC and FIFA rulings.”
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy added: “This has been a stressful time for Fabio and his family.
“We wanted to ensure that we allowed for due process to be followed. Fabio is a man who lives and breathes football — we wish him well.
“As outlined in our year end results, we started several months ago to restructure our football operations and last week announced the appointment of Scott Munn as chief football officer to head up all the departments.
“We shall continue to strengthen our football functions over the coming months.”
The FIGC Court of Appeal sentenced Paratici, who had been employed by Tottenham since the summer of 2021, to a two-and-a-half-year absence from employment in Italy.
His involvement in charges of dishonest accounting at his former club Juventus, who received a 15-point deduction, led to the punishment being meted out.
Despite an appeal, FIFA extended Paratici’s global suspension, and on March 31, he took an immediate leave of absence from his job at Spurs.
On Wednesday, the Sports Guarantee Panel heard the appeal at the Italian National Olympic Committee.
Following the altercation on the touchline during their Premier League matchup earlier this month, Tottenham and Brighton have each been fined £100,000.
Both managers, Cristian Stellini and Roberto De Zerbi, were removed to the stands following the incident, which happened in the 58th minute of Spurs’ 2-1 victory over the Seagulls.
Temperaments erupted following a match in which Brighton lost to their opponents after having two goals and a penalty claim overturned by VAR reviews.
When asked about the incident after the game on April 8, Spurs interim head coach Stellini told Sky Sports: “I don’t like to be involved when there is a fight or something too aggressive. I’m quiet and focused on the game.
“I try to do my job. I want to speak only about my team and the game, not what happened between us and them on the bench.”
Fellow Italian De Zerbi responded to BBC Sport: “I am used to always respecting everyone and I want the same towards me.”
The FA charged both clubs for the “mass confrontation” and confirmed the fines on Wednesday, saying: “Both clubs admitted they failed to ensure that their benches conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and did not behave in a way which is improper during the 58th minute.”
As discussions for Lionel Messi’s new contract stagnate, French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain is reportedly interested in signing Tottenham striker Harry Kane this summer.
If Spurs don’t make the Champions League, the 29-year-old England captain, who only has one year remaining on his contract, may want to leave North London at the end of the current campaign.
Le Parisien says that the Ligue 1 champions would make the No. 10 their priority objective as they try to retool their team in preparation for the 2023–24 season.
Rumours have linked Messi with a sensational return to Barcelonaafter the Argentinian icon was forced out of the Camp Nou due to the club’s financial issues two years ago.
But Kane is considered by club chiefs to be the perfect partner for Kylian Mbappe, who is keen to win the Champions League with his hometown club.
The Three Lions ace has bagged 23 goals in the Premier League for Spurs this season despite their struggles under Antonio Conte.
Now managerless, the eight-time FA Cup winners sit three points off Newcastle in fourth and a loss to the Magpies on Sunday would all but kill their hopes of competing in Europe’s top competition next term.
Kane is said to be open to discussing a new contract at his boyhood club, but may choose to depart in search of silverware that would be almost guaranteed at PSG.
Tottenham began life withoutAntonio Conte on Monday by drawing 1-1 away to struggling Everton. Cristian Stellini lamented Tottenham’s lack of control.
The 68th-minute penalty from Harry Kane appeared to be enough for Spurs to win their first game under Stellini.
At Goodison Park, however, Michael Keane’s outstanding late long-range goal gave the Toffees a crucial point, frustrating their opponents.
Stellini was especially irritated by the result, particularly given Spurs’ man advantage for most of the second half after Abdoulaye Doucoure’s red card.
“My feeling now is that we have lost two points,” he told Sky Sports. “We had an [extra] man against them, we needed to control the game.
“We tried to do [that] but not in the way I expect. With 11 players, we have to do much better. You control the game with the ball, not without.”
Spurs were also reduced to 10 men in the final stages when Lucas Moura was dismissed for a late lunge on Keane before his equaliser.
Stellini, who was stood near Doucoure when he pushed Kane in the face to earn his red, believed both calls were fair from referee David Coote.
“I think Harry conceded a lot of tackles today before the red card,” he said. “Lucas, his tackle was too dangerous. Both of the red cards are clear for me.”
Their rivals have two games in hand each, but Stellini believes Spurs can draw on their experience from last season’s battle for Champions League qualification.
“It will be a tough race,” he conceded. “But one year ago, we had 51 points. We were fifth, and today, we are fourth.
“We are in the same position [as] last season. We have to be ready to fight. Now we think about the next game.”
Tottenham managing director Fabio Paratici has resigned from his position while the club awaits the resolution of his appeal against a global football ban.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) suspended Paratici for 30 months in January, and FIFA confirmed on Wednesday that the ban would apply to all football worldwide.
Because of the abrupt timing of the notification, Spurs released a statement stating that they were “urgently seeking further clarification from FIFA” regarding Paratici’s predicament.
The 50-year-appeal old’s will be heard on April 19, but Tottenham said on Friday that he will take a leave of absence from his duties until then.
“In view of FIFA’s decision, Fabio has agreed with the club that he will take an immediate leave of absence pending the outcome of his appeal,” a Spurs statement read.
Paratici was one of 11 individuals banned by the FIGC in January after Juventus were found guilty of alleged breaches in relation to historical transfer dealings.
Juve were docked 15 points in Serie A as part of the punishment, with Paratici and the club denying any wrongdoing and lodging an appeal to the Italian Olympic Committee.
Then-chairman Andrea Agnelli and former director Pavel Nedved were hit with 24 and eight month bans respectively, which they are also appealing in April.
Paratici’s leave of absence comes at a time when the club are on the lookout for a new head coach following the sacking of Antonio Conte last week.
Luis Enrique, a former coach for Spain and Barcelona, wants to work in England but appears to have ruled out taking over forAntonio Conte at Tottenham.
After La Roja was eliminated by Morocco in the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup, Enrique cut ties with Spain.
Luis de la Fuente, who was promoted from the Under-21s, took his place, leaving Enrique back on the market.
Since then, there have been numerous references to high-profile positions, but Spurs, who fired Conte on Sunday after a week of persistent rumours that his time with the team was up, are the team he seems to have been most associated with.
During his first significant interview of the year, Enrique was not specifically asked about the Spurs, but he did express a desire to work in the Premier League.
But the fact he does not expect to be working in England even as early as July suggests the Spurs job would be a non-starter.
“I would like to go to England to work,” he told Radio SER Gijon.
“But I don’t see myself in the Premier League in July because I would like to go to a team there that can do important things, and that is very difficult.
“I would not go to [just] any Premier League team.”
The 52-year-old has also been among the big names linked with the Brazil job, which Tite vacated following the Selecao’s unsuccessful Qatar 2022 campaign.
The coach confirmed he has received offers from national teams — Brazil not being one of them — but he seems less interested in returning to the international stage as things stand.
“I don’t see myself coaching Brazil,” he continued. “Another coach profile fits in there better than mine.
“They haven’t called me. I don’t know if my style fits the best with Brazil.
“I have had offers from national teams,but not from clubs. It would have to be a very important [national] team to take it, although it would be very difficult for me to face Spain. I don’t know if I would be ready.”
In January, Paratici received a 30-month suspension from participating in Italian Football Federation activities as part of an investigation into alleged financial mismanagement at Juventus, which resulted in the suspension of 11 other officials and a 15-point deduction for the team.
As a result of an investigation into alleged financial mismanagement at Juventus, which resulted in the suspension of 11 other officials and a 15-point deduction for the team, he was given a 30-month ban from participating in activities within the Italian Football Federation in January.
The Italian FA requested that these bans be extended globally, and FIFA confirmed to Sky Sports News that it granted this request, meaning that Paratici is now prohibited from participating in any football-related activities worldwide.
They said in a statement: “FIFA have confirmed that – following a request by the Italian FA (FIGC) – the Chairperson of FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided to extend the sanctions imposed by FIGC on several football officials to have worldwide effect.”
Sky Sports News has contacted Tottenham and the Football Association for further guidance on what this means for Paratici and his role at Spurs.
Sky Sports News understands Paratici cannot conduct any transfer market activity directly – he cannot talk to agents nor negotiate deals, which is a fundamental part of his job as managing director of football – but he can work internally at Spurs, including attending meetings.
However, Sky Sports Newsare awaiting for official clarification of this – such as whether he can be involved in Tottenham’s search for a new permanent manager following the departure of Antonio Conte.
Paratici, Juventus and the other officials involved have appealed the sanctions – with the result of the appeal expected later in April, potentially 19.
The ban is in effect even while this appeal to CONI (Italian Olympic committee) is going on.
Image:Paratici cannot conduct any transfer market activity directly
Paratici and 11 other former Juventus officials may also face a separate criminal case – with a preliminary hearing, due to take place yesterday, was postponed until May 10.
Juventus, and the 12 officials – including Paratici – deny any wrongdoing.
On Tuesday, in an extended interview on the club’s official website, Paratici described Conte’s exit as “the right decision” and called on everyone at the club to focus on a successful end to the season.
Fan group the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust on Wednesday afternoon called for clarity and reassurance from the club.
Responding to the Paratici ban, it tweeted: “This news adds further to the extremely concerning situation at the club. No manager, no director of football and uncertainty around our star player and our end of season finish.
“Fans deserve to hear a clear statement of strategy from THFC so they can be reassured by the board on their plan to bring success and stability to the club.”
The forward Heung-min Son said he was saddened by Conte’s departure and feels responsible.
“As a player, I am really sorry,” he said. “He’s a world-class coach, and we had a great journey together. I should have played better. I feel responsible for his departure, because I haven’t helped the club all that much.”
Emerson Royal will miss several crucial matches for Tottenham in the final stretch of the Premier League after undergoing surgery for a left knee injury.
The news of his setback came as the team entered their final 10 league games, making it unlikely that the Brazil international would play again this season.
With Emerson Royal out injured, Spurs have Pedro Porro at right-back and the Spaniard is expected to see time in the starting lineup.
The north London giants let Matt Doherty join Atletico Madrid on loan in January, so acting head coach Cristian Stellini will hope Porro stays fit.
Tottenham said in a statement: “We can confirm that Emerson Royal suffered a meniscus injury to his left knee while on international duty with Brazil last week.
“The defender will undergo surgery before beginning his rehabilitation with our medical staff.”
Emerson Royal has made 32 appearances for Tottenham this season, taking all competitions into account, including 23 starts.
He played in Brazil’s 2-1 friendly defeat to Morocco on Saturday, suffering the injury in the 90th minute after a challenge from Sofyan Amrabat.
We can confirm that Emerson Royal suffered a meniscus injury to his left knee while on international duty with Brazil last week.
The defender will undergo surgery before beginning his rehabilitation with our medical staff.
Dele Alli, a former Tottenham midfielder, dominated the Premier League after moving to Spurs from MK Dons in 2015. He won back-to-back PFA Young Player of the Year awards in his first two seasons in the top flight. His final significant international performance for his nation came with the Three Lions at the FIFA World Cup in Russia in 2018. He has played for England 37 times overall.
Alli’s career has fallen apart since he assisted the North London club in their run to the 2019 UEFA Champions League final, which they lost to Liverpool, another English club, in what many consider to be the most dull UCL final ever.
Alli banished from Besiktas squad
As reported by Sky Sports, Alli joined Everton in the winter window of 2022 and after failing to make an impact, he was shipped out on loan to Besiktas in July that year, with certain conditions to make the deal permanent.
He has also failed to make an impact in Turkey and will likely return to the Toffees in the summer. With the English club battling relegation, they now also need to find a solution for their investment gone wrong – a player they spent £40 million on. As reported by Turkish publication, Takvim, the 26-year-old has been banished from the club’s matchday squad and will be in the stands until the end of the season, at which point he will return to England.
This news brings to mind the advice given to the versatile midfielder by Jose Mourinho, who said in an interview that Alli would regret not demanding more of himself, reported by Marca. ”I don’t expect [Alli] to be the man of the match every game or to score in every game.
I just want to tell you that you will regret it. You should demand more of yourself, not me [demanding] more of you, not me. Not anyone. You. You have to demand more from yourself,” the Special One said at the time.
Manager disappointed with Alli
The banishment of Alli was a long time coming. In January, Sports Brief reported on Besiktas boss, Senol Gunes giving a worrying update on the player. At the time, the Turkish club boss admitted the England midfielder was no longer deserving of playing for the team due to his concerning lack of form.
Gunes was the seventh manager to have issues with Alli after coaches including Mauricio Pochettino, Ryan Mason, Antonio Conte, and Frank Lampard.
After watching his team lose to AC Milan in the Champions League semifinals, Antonio Conte says he is glad to continue leading Tottenham.
After a scoreless second leg in North London, Spurs lost 1-0 overall, and the Italian coach was booed by the home crowd as soon as the game ended.
In addition to losing to Championship team Sheffield United in the FA Cup last week, Spurs will have another trophyless season in 2022–23, and their top–four position is also quite vulnerable.
Although there has been growing talk about the 53-year-future, old’s there was no indication of an impending departure in his post-game press conference.
Conte said: “This is not the right day to talk about my future, but I have a contract with Tottenham.
“Tottenham know very well my thoughts. At the end of the season, we will meet and then we will make a decision.
“I think the situation is really clear. One year and three months since I started to be the coach of Tottenham and I always say the same thing — we need to have time and patience.
“At this time, we don’t have a solid foundation to be competitive and to win, in my opinion. W
“We try to work and understand who are the right players to create that foundation and improve the team. But at the moment, the club knows very well what are my thoughts.
“I have a great relationship with my chairman and Fabio Paratici. But it doesn’t mean I don’t tell them what is my vision.”
Incomparable exits
Antonio Conte believes Tottenham’s FA Cup and Champions League exits should not be compared
Though the former Chelsea boss confessed he was disappointed to exit Europe’s premier competition, he reaffirmed his belief that Spurs were heading in the right direction.
Conte also urged the club’s supporters to not compare the Milan loss with their embarrassing cup defeat to the Blades, which he said was considerably more frustrating.
He explained: “I think we’ve made a step forward from last season. Last season we ended up in the Conference League and lost games to teams like Vitesse and Pacos Ferreira.
“This year we made the Champions League knockouts and lost to a team who, we shouldn’t forget this, won Serie A last season.
“The FA Cup game was really bád, really really bad. The players know very well that we missed a big chance to fight for a trophy then.
“Today, I think in this type of game, there is a big difference in the opponent.
“We are talking about a big team with big history. A great team. We cannot do comparisons about these two defeats.
“It is not easy but at the same time, we have to continue to work. I’m really sorry to the fans but we cannot invent a win that in one day, a trophy goes into our training ground.
“We have to build. We have to have patience.
“I understand it for the fans, they don’t have patience because for a long time Tottenham is not winning but what I can promise is that we will work really hard for this club.”
Conte and Spurs must now bounce back quickly from this damaging defeat, with Nottingham Forest visiting North London in the Premier League this Saturday.
In the event that Antonio Conte’s team is eliminated from the Champions League, Manchester United reportedly believes they can lure Harry Kane away from Tottenham.
The prolific England captain, 30, is highly desired by the Red Devils, who are in the market for a star No9.
While United reportedly expects Spurs to lower their £100 million asking price if they do not place in the top four, The Sun reports that the North Londoners are frantically trying not to sell.
Tottenham would run the risk of losing their talisman for nothing if they allowed Kane to complete the remaining 12 months of his contract because his contract expires at the end of the upcoming season.
Conte’s side currently sit in the final Champions League spot but are coming under pressure from Liverpool, who hammered United 7-0 to continue their recent revival on Sunday.
That Anfield humiliation has highlighted the need for improvement at Old Trafford and spending is expected — especially if the Glazer family decide to sell the club.
Saliba has answered all Arsenal’s doubts – Arteta
Kane has 18 league goals this season — the ninth campaign in a row he has hit double figures in the top flight — and would offer a superstar option alongside Marcus Rashford, who is in the form of his life.
He was strongly tipped to move to Manchester City last summer and may see this as his final chance to make a career-defining move as he looks to break his trophy duck.
Napoli sensationVictor Osimhen is another United target but there will be aqueue of clubs fighting for the 24-year-old’s signature.
Graham Potter’s choice to leave at least four Chelsea players out of the matchday squad against Tottenham Hotspur is said to have disappointed them.
Chelsea’s first loss came by a score of 2-0 at their rival’s new home pitch, which made Potter’s issues even worse and made the possibility of missing out on playing in Europe next season a reality.
Harry Kane and Oliver Skipp both scored goals in the second half to tie Chelsea, who had only two victories in their previous 15 games.
Football London reports that at least four players were shocked to learn they wouldn’t be on the team before the game.
Chelsea’s huge squad
Apart from churning out good results, Potter is struggling to satisfy a bloated squad after the club’s intense forays in the transfer market that saw at least eight new players arrive in the January window alone. The former Brighton boss is spoilt with options, with many senior players struggling for game time.
For the Spurs clash, Marc Cucurella, Carney Chukwuemeka, David Datro Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah were reportedly disappointed after they failed to even make the bench. There was a place for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who hasn’t been involved a lot in recent times for the Blues.
With time quickly running out for Potter, he will have to find a way to maintain squad unity as he attempts to get things in order. Chelsea’s next two games are vital clashes against Leeds United and Borussia Dortmund at Stamford Bridge.
What Potter needs to fix at Chelsea Sports Brief had earlier given a guideline of the things Potter needs to fix immediately at Chelsea to save his job.
He is arguably facing the greatest test of his career as he struggles to save a sinking Chelsea ship. Talks have been rife that perhaps managing a ‘top-six’ club came a tad bit too soon for a coach who had shown so much promise at Brighton and Östersunds.
As he may know by now, a draw and an ‘excellent performance’ without the results does not cut it at a club of Chelsea’s stature. His favourite excuse of the players giving everything after a loss has rubbedfans the wrong way.
According to former Red Devils full-back Gary Neville, Harry Kane should transfer from Tottenham to Manchester United if he wants to win trophies in his career.
Although being frequently linked with moves away over the years, including most notably in 2021 when he appeared to be pushing for a move to Manchester City before deciding to stay in North London, England captain Kane has spent his whole career with Tottenham.
The 29-year-old is having another another excellent season with Spurs, who were eliminated from the FA Cup on Wednesday by Sheffield United. He has scored 18 goals in 25 Premier League appearances.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Neville suggested Kane could look to move on at the end of the campaign and believes his former club are a realistic destination for the striker.
He said: ” Kane is going to want to win trophies, I think.
“It’s whether he sees it as being a case whereby he commits to Tottenham for his last five years and he does what some players have done.
“But if Harry is going to leave, I think now is the moment.
“He is a wonderful player, he’s a great professional, and I think if Kane could leave now, and you could get him an exit out of there to a club in Manchester probably, United or City, I think he would take that opportunity.
“It’s more than likely not going to be City because of their [Erling] Haaland expenditure and what they’ve done with him, but Manchester United are desperate for a centre forward.
“Chelsea, I can’t see him going there. He’s quite loyal to Tottenham and there’s a big rivalry with Chelsea, so I don’t see that happening, even though they do need a centre forward.
“He’s not going to go to Arsenal, because of the rivalry, so Manchester United is the only option in England for Kane this summer.
“Bayern Munich have been mentioned. That could happen and I think Daniel Levy would be happier if he was to go internationally, so we could see that.
“But I think Harry, if he wants to win trophies, is going to have to leave Tottenham, because Tottenham do struggle with that aspect.”
Neville also queried the idea of United signing Declan Rice, who was a part of the West Ham team that lost 3-1 to the Red Devils in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday.
Neville added: “Obviously, Declan knows the position, but when I look at world-class holding midfielders, and players of that type, because Rice doesn’t score or assist enough goals, so you’re putting him into that category of more of a destroyer.
“You’ve then got to be someone who I think is highly competent on the ball and linking play, and having that knowledge of the subtleties of getting on the ball from the back four.
“I personally feel, at this moment in time, that Declan needs to go and work under a different set-up, he needs to drive forward in his career, he needs to go and play at a different club.
“But for me, I wouldn’t be spending £110million or £120m on Rice if I was Manchester United this summer.
“I would spend £50m-60m on him but I wouldn’t spend the figures being reported because I still feel like he’s got a lot of growth.”
The owners ofNewcastle United chose to invest in the Magpies over clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham because it was less expensive, according to director Amanda Staveley.
In October 2021, Staveley’s consortium bought Newcastle for about £300 million, along with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia. She stated that one of the main reasons for doing so was so more money would be left over to invest in the club than if they had chosen a more expensive alternative.
Staveley mentioned the fans in his speech at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit as another factor in his decision to purchase the team.
“I think if we look specifically at Newcastle, we were very clear that prior to buying the club, we wanted a club with a very passionate fanbase,” she said. “But we also wanted a club that we could buy affordably, because we’re also partners with PIF and they are, effectively, a pension fund, managing money for future generations.
“So we wanted something that was very sustainable, and that we could build. We didn’t go for the wonderful Tottenham and Chelsea and Liverpool and obviously, everybody knows I was a massive Liverpool fan.
“We tried to buy Liverpool, and when we walked into the Newcastle game, we said ‘why spend x billion when you can actually spend 300 and some million and put in?’ I think we’ve put in £200+ [million] to date of new money since we bought the club. We had a particular business plan based on a five, 10, 15-year timeline.
“Critical to that plan was making sure we had the right partners…PIF are very long-term investors.”
‘Sports now is a real asset class, and it’s something that’s coming from the US’
Staveley also explained why it is unlikely that the PIF would also look to invest in another Premier League club, despite previous links to Manchester United.
“Mehrdad [Ghodoussi, co-owner and Staveley’s husband] and I are not wealthy,” she said.
“Jamie [Reuben, co-owner] obviously is an extraordinarily wealthy gentleman, we’re the poor partner, but that helps govern a lot of the decisions – so there’s no scenario where Saudi Arabia will decide to sell Newcastle to buy one of the mega clubs like Manchester United.”
Staveley spoke about the challenges since arriving at St. James’ Park, including in player recruitment where the owners are mindful about what head coach Eddie Howe wants for his team.
“If I did it all again. I think we should have probably brought in more people more quickly,” she said. “Players or staff… the players we had to be just very careful and analytical on everything we did and we still do that.
“Because we have an FFP budget we keep to… that guided a lot of our transfer policy but we couldn’t afford to have a dud player. And so we had to make sure that we built at the back so that we [could] start to play the football that Eddie wants to play, this fantastic pressing football that we love and exciting attacking football.
“But to do that we needed to make sure that we could really strengthen because we had, I think, the weakest defence in the whole league, and now we have one of the strongest. And that was really important.
“So we always want more players. But the problem is, especially when you’re running a football club, you don’t really want to lose the players that you’ve worked with, and Eddie’s the same, and so it’s really difficult. So we’ve got to do that.”
Following their 2-0 derby victory over West Ham, Tottenham called for action in response to “utterly reprehensible online racist abuse” directed towards Heung-Min Son.
Son was benched for West Ham’s visit on Sunday, but he scored as a second-half substitute after Emerson Royal’s opening goal in an easy victory for Spurs.
The South Korean international reportedly faced online racial abuse following Tottenham’s victory that put them in the top four despite having played one more game than Newcastle United, who were in fifth place.
“We have been made aware of the utterly reprehensible online racist abuse directed at Son Heung-min during today’s match, which has been reported by the club,” a Tottenham statement read.
“We stand with Sonny and once again call on the social media companies and authorities to take action.”
It is not the first instance of concerning abuse directed towards 30-year-old Son, who allegedly suffered similar last season against Chelsea.
Football clubs have called for greater action from social media companies to combat such incidents, with Brentford’s Ivan Toney and Birmingham City’s Troy Deeney subject to racial abuse this month.
Rodrigo Bentancur, a midfielder forTottenham, has damaged his knee ligaments and will be sidelined the rest of the season.
Prior to limping off, the Uruguayan international opened the scoring for Spurs in their 4-1 Premier League loss to Leicester on Saturday.
Soon after the hour mark, Bentancur clashed with Nampalys Mendy of Leicester, and he needed oxygen on the field.
The 25-year-old “ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will be out of action for the remainder of the campaign,” Tottenham announced on their official website on Monday. He will have surgery before starting his recovery.
We can confirm that Rodrigo Bentancur has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will be out of action for the remainder of the campaign.
He will undergo surgery before beginning his rehabilitation with our medical staff.
Bentancur has participated in 26 of Tottenham’s 32 games this season, partnering up well with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the middle of the field.
The absence of the former Juventus player is unfortunate for Spurs, as fellow midfielder Yves Bissouma will be sidelined indefinitely following Friday’s ankle surgery.
Additionally sidelined for two months is captain Hugo Lloris, and Hojbjerg is suspended for the first leg of theChampions League quarterfinals against Milan on Tuesday.
Tottenham is now two points behind fourth-place Newcastle United, who also have a game in hand, after their loss to Leicester.
The FA Cup is still open for competition, and Antonio Conte’s team will play Sheffield United in the round of 16.
Daniel Levy, chairman of Tottenham, has acknowledged that supporters want to see more money spent, but he has cautioned that some Premier League clubs now have the “ability to distort the market.”
Levy claimed that the level of spending in the top division is “unsustainable” for the majority of clubs in a statement accompanying Spurs’ most recent financial results.
He also acknowledged that some recent hires did not pan out as expected.
“The landscape of the Premier League has changed significantly,” said Levy.
“It is understandable that some fans call for more spending, much of which is unsustainable for many clubs.
“We are competing in a league in which we have seen increased sovereign wealth ownership and consortia finance; and in a league where the spending power is now vested in the hands of a few who dominate and have the ability to distort the market.”
Manchester City were taken over by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008 while the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) backed a £305m takeover of Newcastle in October 2021.
Meanwhile, Chelsea was sold for £4.25 billion to a consortium led by American investor Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital in May.
Levy said he welcomes changes to football governance, financial sustainability, and Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.
Last month,Tottenham fans protested against club owners ENIC and Levy at the club’s training ground over a lack of investment.
At that point, Spurs were yet to make a signing in the winter transfer window, but they later completed loan deals for Arnaut Danjuma from Villarreal and Pedro Porro from Sporting Lisbon.
According to the club’s latest financial report, Tottenham have invested more than £500 million in the men’s first team squad since April 2019—less than double what Chelsea spent (£288 million) this January alone.
“We walk a fine line between long-term investment and short-termism,” said Levy.
“This is why our recruitment must be first class as mistakes at this level have a financial and sporting impact for future seasons.
“We have felt, and continue to feel, the financial impact of supporting player purchases which have not worked out as planned.”
Tottenham, who are fifth in the Premier League, have only won one major trophy, the 2007-08 League Cup, since Levy became chairman of the club in 2001.
He said: “We share our supporters’ frustrations at so many ‘near misses’ resulting in a lack of trophies.
“Over the last two decades we have been in 14 semi-finals, made it to six finals and only won one of them. It must be our hope that we are soon celebrating a trophy win.”
Tottenham record increase in revenue
Tottenham were recently listed ninth in Deloitte’s Money League study from the 2021-22 season, which ranks the world’s richest clubs by revenue.
In their new financial report, Spurs announced a 22.7% increase in revenue to £444m for the year ending June 2022, up from £361.9m in the previous 12 months.
The club recorded a rise in match receipts from £1.9m to £106.1m in their first full season in the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It was also the first complete season that full-capacity crowds were allowed back into football grounds after two seasons of disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which Tottenham say resulted in the loss of approximately £200m in revenue.
Commercial revenue grew by 20.7% to £31.5m but they received less Uefa prize money following an early exit from the Europa Conference League – having reached the Europa League last 16 in 2020-21.
Tottenham’s finances were also boosted by majority shareholder ENIC Sports Inc. agreeing in May to put an extra £150 million into the club.
Antonio Conte, the head coach of Tottenham, will take a short break from the team to have gallbladder surgery.
Following complaints of “serious abdominal pain,” Spurs revealed on Wednesday that the Italian coach had recently been diagnosed with cholecystitis.
On the same day, he will undergo surgery to have his gallbladder removed, which will be followed by a “period of recovery.”
Spurs did not specify how long they anticipate Conte to be out of first-team duties, but he won’t be in charge of the team when Manchester City visits on Sunday.
The National Health Service (NHS) of the United Kingdom estimates that after such a treatment, it may take up to five days in the hospital and about a month to “return to your normal activities.”
This time frame “may be doubled if you have a more manual job”.
Six days after the City match, Tottenham plays at Leicester City before playing Milan on February 14 at the San Siro in the opening leg of their Champions League round of 16 matchup.
Prior to the weekend, Tottenham is in fifth place in the Premier League, three points behind fourth-placed Manchester United despite having played one fewer game.
Antonio Conte recently became unwell with severe abdominal pain.
Following a diagnosis of cholecystitis, he will be undergoing surgery to remove his gallbladder today and will return following a period of recuperation.
Bryan Gil, a winger for Tottenham, has returned to Sevilla on loan for the rest of the campaign after leaving the team 18 months prior.
Since joining Spurs prior to the 2021–22 season, Gil has had difficulty getting consistent playing time. He spent the second part of the previous season on loan at Valencia, where he assisted them in reaching the Copa del Rey final.
The 21-year-old has played just 148 minutes in four Premier League games for Antonio Conte’s squad this season despite having four senior team appearances for Spain.
After a poor season thus far, Sevilla is currently 13th in LaLiga, just two points above the bottom three. It is said that Sevilla lacks a provision that would make Gil’s return a permanent one.
On Monday, Jorge Sampaoli’s team also reached an agreement to borrow midfielder Pape Gueye from Marseille until the end of the current campaign. The move comes as they try to avoid becoming more entangled in a struggle for survival.
Thomas Delaney, a player for Denmark, transferred from Sevilla to Hoffenheim, and left-back Ludwig Augustinsson joined Real Mallorca, both on loan deals that would last until the end of the current campaign.
Having bounced back from a Copa del Rey loss to Osasuna by defeating Elche 3-0 on Saturday, Sevilla will play host to LaLiga leaders Barcelona on Sunday.
After Tottenham infiltrated Everton‘s pursuit of the Villarreal attacker, Arnaut Danjuma has joined the north London club on loan through the conclusion of the current campaign.
Danjuma, a 2020 Premier League dropout with Bournemouth, appeared destined for struggling Everton.
Stats Perform is aware Everton, which fired Frank Lampard on Monday, had anticipated that Danjuma would arrive at their Finch Farm training facility on Tuesday to finalize the details of his transfer. His physical with the struggling Merseyside club had already been completed.
Spurs made a last-ditch attempt to sign the Dutch international, who ultimately decided to join Antonio Conte’s team in their quest for Champions League qualifying because the paperwork for the transfer was still lacking.
Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski, and former Everton talisman Richarlison will have competition from Danjuma, whose deal is contingent on international clearance, as Spurs attempt to compete for a spot in the top four.
Since joining Villarreal in 2021, the 25-year-old has established himself as a consistent goal threat, tallying 22 goals in 51 appearances for the Yellow Submarine.
One of just two LaLiga players since the start of the previous campaign to reach double digits in goals with both his left (10) and right (12) feet in all competitions is Danjuma, who plays for Real Madrid.
Danjuma’s decision to join Spurs represents another blow for crisis club Everton, who have been linked with Marcelo Bielsa, Ralph Hasenhuttl and Sean Dyche in their search for Lampard’s successor.
Tottenham, meanwhile, are hoping to make further additions in what remains of the transfer window, with Sporting CP right-back Pedro Porro reportedly a target.
With a spectacular comeback and a 4-2 victory over Tottenham, Riyad Mahrez scored twice to give Manchester City new life.
Spurs scored twice through Dejan Kulusevski and Emerson Royal in the final seconds of the first half as a result of blunders by Ederson at the Etihad Stadium, shocking the Premier League winners.
Pep Guardiola’s team rallied after the break despite the fact that they were eight points behind league leaders Arsenal and had played one more game.
Erling Haaland scored his first goal in four games to put the score even before the decisive Mahrez scored again to seal the victory. Julian Alvarez had previously pulled one goal back.
The comeback kept City from suffering their third straight loss across all competitions, and Arsenal will likely regret their opponents’ failure to inflict further damage on the champions as a result.
In response to recent issues with City, particularly Saturday’s derby loss to Manchester United, manager Guardiola changed his lineup.
Kevin De Bruyne was unexpectedly added to the roster of substitutes, and World Cup champion Alvarez was given the opportunity to start with Haaland.
Without De Bruyne, City did lack dynamism but such was the control they exerted in the first half that it was remarkable they ended it 2-0 down.
Mahrez fired a free-kick into the wall, Ilkay Gundogan curled a shot just wide and Alvarez had an effort blocked. Rodri was also shut down on the edge of the area and Hugo Lloris saved well from a deflected shot from impressive youngster Rico Lewis.
City hardly had time to regroup before they conceded again, Ederson again culpable as he palmed a Kane cross towards Emerson, who simply headed back into the goal.
City were booed by a small section of fans as they headed for the dressing room but their response was remarkable.
Mahrez took control of affairs and, after his cross into the box resulted in a goalmouth scramble, Alvarez lifted the ball into the roof of the net to reduce the deficit six minutes after the restart.
Mahrez was again involved as City equalised two minutes later. This time the Algeria winger headed across goal to tee up Haaland’s 28th goal of the season from close range.
Spurs tried to respond and were unlucky when an Ivan Perisic shot was deflected onto the post by Lewis but they generally struggled to contain City.
They were undone by Mahrez again when he turned Perisic and raced into the area to drive a low shot through the legs of Lloris and put City ahead.
Spurs pushed but could not get back into the game and Mahrez wrapped up the points late on after seizing on an error by Clement Lenglet and clipping home.
Despite their stunning Premier League loss to Manchester City, Tottenham is “going in the right direction,” but Antonio Conte admits they are “not ready” yet.
Spurs led the champions by two goals at the break of their match on Thursday, only to suddenly surrender in a dismal second half performance and lose 4-2.
They have only managed one victory in their last five league contests, which has caused the team to fall outside of the top four and the title race.
Conte believes Tottenham’s deficiencies are highlighted by their loss to City, but the Italian is adamant that improvement is also being shown despite the setbacks.
“In this moment, we are not ready to fight for important achievements,” he said. “There are other teams more ready than us.
“We are working hard and going in the right direction. In one or two years, we will win this type of games. If I have to compare this game with last season, we played much better today.
“The performance was good. We played with personality, we created problems for City. Today, we were really brave, but compared to last season, we are conceding too many goals.
“You have to try to justify the goals that we are conceding. This is a period we are not so lucky in. [But] you don’t buy experience. We have to build [it] year by year.”
Ahead of his side’s game with Chelsea, Conte acknowledged he was taking stock of his career following the deaths of several close friends and colleagues in recent months.
The passing of Gian Piero Ventrone, Sinisa Mihajlovic and Gianluca Vialli has affected the Italian, but speaking after the full-time whistle, he insisted he remains focused on the task at hand with Spurs.
“I think that we have to try to understand that we are talking about two different situations,” he added. “This situation is my personal situation.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed Kevin De Bruyne is in contention for Thursday’s match against Tottenham after dealing with a “personal issue”.
Belgium international De Bruyne did not take part in training with the rest of his City team-mates on Tuesday, with his absence initially thought to be down to an injury problem.
The 31-year-old was therefore considered a major doubt to face Spurs, but Guardiola dismissed those fears on the eve of the Premier League meeting.
“He had a personal issue and could not train [on Tuesday], but today he is back,” Guardiola said at Wednesday’s pre-match press conference.
Asked if De Bruyne is available for Tottenham’s visit to the Etihad Stadium, Guardiola replied: “Yes, yes.”
De Bruyne has assisted 15 goals this season – 10 more than next-best Bernardo Silva – and has created more than double the number of chances of any team-mate (80).
In a further boost for City, Guardiola also revealed centre-backs Ruben Dias and John Stones have recovered from injury lay-offs and could play a part against Tottenham.
Dias has not played since sustaining a hamstring injury with Portugal at the World Cup, while Stones has missed City’s past two matches.
“They are back. They have trained really well in the last two sessions, both of them. They are in contention,” Guardiola said.
“We are going to train this afternoon and see the way we have to play and who is going to play.”
City have lost four of their past five Premier League games against Tottenham, which is as many as they had in their previous 19 against them.
Indeed, Guardiola has lost six of his 15 meetings with Spurs – only against Chelsea (eight), Liverpool (eight) and Manchester United (seven) has he lost more often in his managerial career.
The reigning English champions have lost back-to-back matches in all competitions and trail Premier League leaders Arsenal by eight points.
Aaron Ramsdale was called “disrespectful” by Tottenham forward Richarlison after the tense circumstances at the end of the north London derby on Sunday.
After the final whistle sounded to signal a 2-0 victory for the Gunners, the Arsenal goalkeeper turned to the home crowd and kissed the badge on his shirt. Richarlison sprinted over to confront him before a Spurs supporter managed to stand on the advertising hoardings and kick Ramsdale in the back as he went to get his water bottle.
Before Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta rushed his squad away to celebrate with the away fans after the victory that gave them an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League, several players from both teams got involved.
Speaking to ESPN, Richarlison explained why he reacted in the manner he did to Ramsdale, saying: “What I really didn’t like was their goalkeeper going to celebrate in front of our fans. It’s kind of disrespectful to our fans. He has his fans, he has to go celebrate with his fans, not be cute with our fans.
“People know that we tried to do our best, but you have to respect other teams. [Ramsdale] lacked respect there, and I went there to charge [against] him.”
Club statement on today's full-time incident at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It was not the only time the former Watford and Everton player showed displeasure during the game, including moments with fellow Brazilians Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes, though he later regretted his shunning of Martinelli when he offered his hand prior to taking a corner.
“I want to apologise to him,” he said. “He put his hand out and I didn’t. Like it or not, he is my Brazil team-mate. This is part of it, it’s a derby, we were hot headed.
“With [Magalhaes], I argued a little because he was holding up the game. He ended up getting a yellow [for time-wasting], and I said to him: ‘Let’s play, let’s play’. And he was holding up the game.”
Tottenham released a statement after the game saying they were “appalled by the behaviour” of the supporter who attacked Ramsdale and confirmed they would be “working with the Met Police, Arsenal and Aaron Ramsdale to take the strongest possible action, including an immediate ban from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.”
The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) said “violence towards players is completely unacceptable” after a fan appeared to aim a kick at Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale following their derby win over Tottenham.
The England international was the target of a kick from a supporter after the Gunners’ 2-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
In response, the PFA declared that such issues are a “priority concern” and demanded that players be safeguarded.
A statement said: “Violence towards players is completely unacceptable. These types of incidents are occurring too often.
“Players have a right to be safe in their place of work. When a player is attacked we expect the laws and regulations that are in place to protect them to be properly enforced.
“As the players’ union we treat this as a priority issue. We will be continuing to work with the authorities to demand that players and staff are better protected in their place of work.”
Tottenham condemned the incident in which an onlooker attacked Aaron Ramsdale, the goalie for Arsenal, at the conclusion of Sunday’s north London derby.
Ramsdale was near to a section of home fans after the game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium had just ended when one fan attacked him, climbed a pitchside railing, and kicked him out.
After Tottenham’s security systems failed to stop the fan from getting so near to the England international, there could be major consequences.
Tottenham has stated that they are currently committed to identifying the individual who fled into the stands after the incident, which was captured on camera.
Tottenham said in a statement: “We are appalled by the behaviour of a supporter that attempted to attack Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale at the end of today’s match. Violence in any form has no place in football.
“The club has reviewed its CCTV footage to identify the supporter and will be working with the Met Police, Arsenal and Aaron Ramsdale to take the strongest possible action, including an immediate ban from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.”
England’s national governing body, the Football Association, said the incident was “wholly unacceptable” and said it would play a full part in an investigation.
It issued a statement that read: “We strongly condemn the incident involving a spectator that followed today’s Premier League fixture between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
“This is wholly unacceptable behaviour and we will work together with the police, the relevant authorities and the clubs to ensure the appropriate action is taken.”
With a 2-0 derby victory at Tottenham, Arsenal extended their lead to eight points atop the Premier League.
Hugo Lloris’s own goal and Martin Odegaard’s 25-yard screamer were the two goals scored by Mikel Arteta’s team in the opening period.
Leaders Arsenal took advantage of the fact that defending champions Manchester City lost at Old Trafford on Saturday by defeating their North London rivals twice for the first time since 2014, giving them even more reason to believe they can win the championship for the first time in 19 years.
In-form Manchester United are Arsenal’s next opponents and they will now hope for a favour from Antonio Conte’s side, who travel to City on Thursday struggling to stay in the top four race and with Harry Kane still one goal short of Jimmy Greaves’ club scoring record.
There were unsavoury scenes at full-time with Aaron Ramsdale appearing to be kicked by a Tottenham supporter who jumped onto the advertising hoarding behind the goal of the South Stand before Arteta was able to lead his players away to celebrate with their own fans.
Both teams had injury concerns ahead of the match and while Dejan Kulusevski returned for Spurs, Rodrigo Bentancur missed out and Bukayo Saka was able to shake off his minor hamstring issue to start for the visitors.
Results elsewhere this weekend only heightened the importance of the match and it did not take long for the leaders to get into their groove with in-form Eddie Nketiah denied by Lloris in the seventh minute.
Lloris’ hesitancy in possession proved the catalyst for the chance and his next involvement produced the opener after another error.
Saka created space by the byline and his cross, which took a slight deflection off Ryan Sessegnon, fooled Lloris, who could only parry the ball into his own net.
It was not the first mistake by the Spurs captain in a big game this season but Tottenham almost levelled instantly when Sessegnon found Son Heung-min inside the area, only for Ramsdale to make a fine low stop with his legs.
It was a fleeting moment of attacking intent from Conte’s side who quickly found themselves back on the ropes.
Lloris saved from Odegaard soon after before Thomas Partey was denied another North London stunner by the woodwork.
Partey, who scored a superb curled effort in the 3-1 win in October, let fly with a volley from 25 yards that thundered against the base of the post after pin-ball in the Spurs area.
A second goal for Arsenal felt inevitable and it arrived eight minutes before the break.
William Saliba won the first ball before Partey and Saka combined to release Odegaard in space and the Gunners captain rifled into the bottom corner from range for his eighth goal this season.
It was fully deserved for the visitors and while Spurs improved, with Kane denied by Ramsdale, it remained 2-0 at the break.
The traditional second-half team were true to their word after the restart with Kulusevski firing over before Kane was denied by another fine Ramsdale save.
Even better was to follow from the Arsenal goalkeeper, who stuck out a boot to deflect a Sessegnon effort wide after a slick one-two with Kane.
Tempers started to boil over when substitute Richarlison had words with Brazil team-mate Gabriel Martinelli and Kulusevski collided with Arteta in the technical area.
Yet those incidents and a flurry of yellow cards only proved to take the sting out of Spurs’ attempted comeback.
Nketiah squandered the chance to seal the points with 21 minutes left when Lloris raced out quickly to save his effort following Granit Xhaka’s pass to keep Tottenham’s faint hopes alive.
Despite Richarlison and Ivan Perisic coming on and Kulusevski testing the excellent Ramsdale late on, Arsenal comfortable saw out the final exchanges to move 14 points clear of their rivals.
However, there were ugly scenes after the final whistle.
After an apparent exchange of words with Richarlison, Ramsdale was on the receiving end of a kick from a supporter. Xhaka appeared to be frustrated by developments, with Arteta stepping in and the Arsenal contingent moving to the other end of the stadium to celebrate with their fans.
Harry Kane was on target on his return to Premier League action as Tottenham came from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw with Brentford.
Just 16 days after his penalty miss in the World Cup quarter-final against France, England skipper Kane scored with a towering header to drag Spurs back from the brink of defeat.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg then grabbed an equaliser as Tottenham cancelled out goals from Vitaly Janelt and Ivan Toney.
Their second-half display was a far cry from a lethargic first 45 minutes, with Kane’s only opportunity coming from an early free-kick which clipped the wall.
Brentford went ahead in the 15th minute when Toney flicked the ball on to Bryan Mbeumo, who swept it diagonally to Mathias Jensen in the penalty area.
Fraser Forster, making his first Premier League appearance for Spurs as deputy for World Cup finalist Hugo Lloris, kept out Jensen’s first-time shot but the ball fell at the feet of Janelt for a tap-in
.
It was a familiarly slow start from the visitors, the sixth game in a row in which they had slipped behind.
Toney was back in action for the first time since it emerged he had been charged by the Football Association for alleged breaches of betting rules.
The striker, who missed out on a place in England’s World Cup squad despite his hot form, had the ball in the net after rounding Forster but an offside flag belatedly ruled out the goal.
Toney was not to be denied after the interval, however, as he showed the Bees what they will be missing if he is hit with a ban by the FA.
Mbeumo swung in a near-post corner, Christian Norgaard flicked the ball on and the 26-year-old struck at the far post for his 12th goal of the season.
Kane hauled Spurs back into the match just after the hour when he met a sweeping Clement Lenglet cross with a superb header back across goal.
It was the striker’s 10th Boxing Day goal for Spurs, a Premier League record.
Mbeumo had a chance to restore Brentford’s two-goal lead but he blazed over and moments later Tottenham were level.
The dangerous Dejan Kulusevski pulled the ball back from the byline into the path of Hojbjerg, who lashed it home from 12 yards.
Back came the Bees and Mbeumo was booked for a blatant dive as he looked for a penalty after Forster came racing out of his goal.
Toney had a chance to win it for Brentford but hooked his effort over the crossbar before David Raya’s late save denied Son Heung-Min a stoppage-time winner.
Harry Kane hoped to put his World Cup heartbreak behind him as he was named in Tottenham’s starting line-up for Monday’s trip to Brentford.
Kane missed a late penalty for England in their 2-1 quarter-final defeat to France in Qatar earlier this month.
With Tottenham and Brentford set to play the first Premier League game since the World Cup ended with Lionel Messi and Argentina beating Les Bleus in last week’s final, it had been speculated that Spurs boss Antonio Conte would rest players who had featured in the latter stages of the tournament.
However, Kane was included in the team to face the Bees, along with other World Cup participants Son Heung-min, Ivan Perisic, Eric Dier and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Captain Hugo Lloris was named on the bench, with Fraser Forster getting the nod in goal, and World Cup winner Cristian Romero was left out altogether.
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank – fresh from signing a new deal until 2027 – named Ivan Toney in his starting line-up, despite the striker recently being charged with 262 alleged misconduct offences related to betting rules that took place over a four-year period.
Liverpool are ready for a “new start” ahead of their return to action in the Carabao Cup against Manchester City, assistant manager Pep Lijnders has said.
Jurgen Klopp’s side endured a poor showing in the early months of the season, heading into the World Cup break sixth in the Premier League standings – seven points behind fourth place and 15 adrift of leaders Arsenal.
That left Liverpool among those needing a significant improvement heading into the remainder of the season, though Lijnders believes positive signs were shown ahead of the tournament in Qatar, with results including back-to-back wins against Tottenham and Southampton.
“We see it as a new start. The boys are hungry, they are passionate, they want to show this on the pitch,” Lijnders said.
“We know we have to be committed. Against City there will be moments where it will not be easy, but all our boys have this experience. It will be a top show for sure.
“I think we were on our way back, to be honest, I felt that we got momentum, and then it was the World Cup. You have to take life as it is, a lot of things you cannot change, you have to make the best out of it.
“That’s what we always tried to do, we used this time to not only train the lungs, the legs, the heart, but to train the eyes and the mind with video meetings.
“We know we can be successful, there are many things left to play for.”
Liverpool and other sides competing in Europe have previously shuffled their deck for Carabao Cup encounters, using them as an opportunity to hand experience to younger players within the squad, and Lijnders says the World Cup showed why rotation is key.
“If there’s one thing this World Cup proves, it is that you need your whole squad. The teams that became successful needed their whole squad,” he said.
“When we play League Cup it’s always in a busy schedule, and we know we have to be top to win these games. We cannot rest players. The boys have to be on top in games, and it’s a perfect time to use the squad.
“Age is just a number, we still believe we need to give our talents chances, not just younger players against lower-league oppositions but against Premier League sides too.
“We want them to have challenges and make them struggle because that’s how they improve. It’s my job and Klopp’s job to improve our players and to improve the team, and that’s what we try to do.”
Tottenham expressed interest in signing Alessandro Bastoni during the previous transfer window, but the defender is happy with his decision to stay at Inter.
As Simone Inzaghi’s team narrowly missed defending the Scudetto previous season, Bastoni made 31 Serie A appearances and helped the team record eight shutouts.
The 23-year-old’s form and ability to carry the ball out of defence has attracted plenty of admirers, with Tottenham – led by Bastoni’s former Nerazzurri boss Antonio Conte – reportedly among them.
Speaking to Corriere dello Sport, Bastoni revealed Spurs made concrete attempts to lure him to the Premier League, saying: “There was some contact, but I’m happy I stayed at Inter.”
Inter have disappointed so far this season and entered the World Cup break sitting fifth in Serie A, 11 points behind runaway leaders Napoli after 15 games.
However, Bastoni believes Inzaghi’s men must aim high when club football resumes in the coming weeks, adding: “We are aware of the strength and values of this team.
“Our goal is to always go all the way in all the competitions in which we participate. That’s why the disappointment would be great if we were to win nothing.”
Antonio Conte wants to earn the right to sign a new contract with Tottenham, but has hinted the club must match his ambitions to keep him for the long term.
Conte’s current deal with Spurs expires at the end of the season, and although the club have an option for a one-year extension, the Italian has been linked with an exit on several occasions.
A return to Juventus has been touted as a possibility for Conte at various stages this campaign, but the Tottenham boss wants to show he deserves an extended stay in north London – so long as Spurs can help him achieve his own aims.
“My contract expires on June 30. Until that moment, the club has to make the best evaluation,” Conte said at a pre-match news conference ahead of Tottenham’s meeting with Leeds United on Saturday.
“I think that everything needs to be deserved. For this reason, it’s important to see the rest of the season, what happens, if we are happy with the improvement we are doing.
“On my side, professionally, I have to feel that I deserve to sign a new contract with this club. I have to feel this, but for sure I will talk with the club and we will find the best solution.
“When you start a path with a club, your dream is to stay here many years, to try to build something important.
“I think it’s very important, the relationship that you create with your players, the relationship you create with the club, the environment around you, and also don’t forget the ambition.
“If you’re used to fighting to win, it is also very important to match this situation and then, if you are lucky and find all of these situations, it’s simpler to stay for a long-term project.
“When this happens, you are a lucky person, a lucky man. Every manager dreams of this situation. Then the reality, unfortunately, is not always this.”
Tottenham have lost three of their past four Premier League games, which is as many as they had lost in their previous 24 (W17 D4), with Conte’s side appearing stretched amid an injury crisis.
Attacking stars Son Heung-min, Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski have all been absent in recent weeks, and Conte believes Tottenham may need to add numbers when the January transfer window opens.
“For sure, after the first part of the season it will be right to have a meeting with the club, to discuss the positive and negative things, where we can improve,” Conte said.
“Then we will see what we can do. It always depends on the possibilities, and the ambition from the club.
“But for sure, we’ll speak, also to have a good evaluation of this part of the season. I have seen a lot of positive things, but with injuries and having to play every three days, I think we struggled a lot.
“In the future, we have to try to improve, to be better to face this type of situation.”
Tottenham have won seven of their past nine Premier League games against Leeds (D1 L1), having lost eight of their previous nine against them in the top flight (D1).
Lamptey, who recently switched allegiance to represent the Black Stars has excelled since joining Brighton and Hove Albion from Chelsea.
According to reports in the English media, the Gunners have expressed interest in the right-back and are ready to meet the 35 Million Pounds price tag.
The 2006 UEFA Champions League finalists are in search of a right-back who can provide competition in the team.
It is said Mikel Arteta is a huge admirer of the Ghanaian defender and could make a move for the player in the January window.
Lamptey was on target in midweek as Brighton eliminated Arsenal and this has further ignited Arteta’s desire to have him.
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