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Son Heung-min Calm Amid Tottenham Injury Speculation

8 December 2023 by Cric Habit

Son Heung-min, a forward for Tottenham Hotspur, appears to be optimistic that he did not sustain a serious injury on Thursday night against West Ham United.

Under Ange Postecoglou, the 31-year-old has been a constant in the starting lineup for Premier League games, making 15 appearances and dishing out two assists and nine goals.

The South Korea international, though, has only scored once in his previous five outings and failed to score in a 2-1 loss to the Hammers.

At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Jarrod Bowen and James Ward-Prowse goals allowed West Ham to overcome a lead held by Spurs thanks to headers from Cristian Romero.

Postecoglou would have needed to rely on Son sparking a comeback in the last minutes, but his star player had to be substituted in the 87th.

Son looked to be in discomfort when he sat down on the substitutes’ bench while receiving treatment from the team’s medical personnel.

Son has nevertheless provided two updates on his health. The first was delivered to the Spurs media team, when he said, “We’ll see. I had a big kick on my back, at the back of the bone. We’ll see what transpires because I haven’t had time to evaluate it.

Later, Son tried to soothe Spurs supporters by declaring, “No, I’m okay,” in an interview with The Express. I’m doing fine. See you later.”

Spurs’ next Premier League match is against Newcastle United on Sunday night; that’s just a three-day turnaround.

Postecoglou will be anxious for Son to be available as Spurs prepare for what might be a season-defining game, given they have now lost five straight games.

Spurs are currently nine points behind leaders Arsenal and only three points ahead of West Ham in ninth position in the Premier League, despite having formerly led the standings.

Additionally, their advantage over their upcoming opponents is just one point; they were defeated 3-0 at Everton on Thursday night.

Spurs and Newcastle might start Sunday in seventh and eighth place, respectively, because Brighton & Hove Albion played Burnley the day before and Manchester United hosted Bournemouth.

Tottenham’s Urgent Quest for Midfield Responding Swiftly to Rodrigo Bentancur Injury

3 December 2023 by Cric Habit

In the wake of Rodrigo Bentancur‘s ankle injury, Tottenham Hotspur are allegedly intensifying their search for a new midfield player during the January transfer window.

The Uruguayan international, a vital component of Antonio Conte’s squad, had to recover for more than eight months after suffering a devastating ACL injury against Leicester City in February.

Both Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma, who were passed over by Conte, had their Tottenham careers started under Ange Postecoglou during his absence; nevertheless, the Australian’s first-choice midfield pair have both been out at different times in recent weeks.

After receiving five yellow cards and being sent off against Luton Town, Bissouma was recently ordered to serve two suspensions, while Sarr returned from Senegal duty this month with an undisclosed ailment.

Bentancur earned his first start since his ACL injury last season because both men were sidelined for the match against Aston Villa last weekend; nevertheless, the South American’s afternoon was brutally cut short by an ankle problem.

It’s verified by Postecoglou that Bentancur will miss a few more months due to his new issue, and it’s yet unknown how long Sarr’s illness will last to go away.

For Sunday’s matchup against champions Manchester City, Spurs’ main central alternatives are Bissouma, Oliver Skipp, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and Giovani Lo Celso. James Maddison is also sidelined until 2024 due to an ankle injury.

Since Sarr and Bissouma are both scheduled to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations in January, Spurs were already expected to bolster their engine room. According to a report from Football Insider, the Lilywhites will now step up their efforts to bring in additional engine room personnel.

The North London giants are rumoured to have discussed midfield recruits internally over the past few days, and a deal for Kalvin Phillips, the outcast of Manchester City, has been seriously considered.

The former Leeds United player has had a forgettable time at the Etihad since joining the champions in 2022, and it is thought that all sides are eager for Phillips to leave Pep Guardiola’s team in January in order to increase his chances of being called up to the Euro 2024 squad.

Midway through the season, a few current Tottenham midfielders have also been linked to departures, with Hojbjerg rumoured to be on Juventus’ short list of possible Paul Pogba successors.

Although the Argentine isn’t in a rush to leave Tottenham, Barcelona is reportedly holding out hope of landing Lo Celso, who will get a run of starts while Maddison is recovering in the locker room.

Spurs shouldn’t make any more cuts to their roster without adding at least one replacement during the winter, and Postecoglou’s team is also expected to be looking to add a new centre back and winger the following month.

Prior to their matchup with Man City on Sunday, the Lilywhites have dropped to sixth place in the Premier League standings, putting them in danger of losing four straight games in the league for the first time since 2004.

Tottenham Hotspur Eyes Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite for Centre-Back Role

23 November 2023 by Cric Habit

Jarrad Branthwaite of Everton is allegedly one of Tottenham Hotspur‘s centre-back targets for the January transfer window.

Before the international break, the Lilywhites were facing a defensive dilemma as both Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, the team’s first-choice combination, had to leave the field against Chelsea.

After a brutal tackle on Enzo Fernandez that earned Romero a three-game suspension, Van van Ven suffered a significant hamstring injury that will keep him out of the lineup until 2024.

Due to the summertime sale of Davinson Sanchez to Galatasaray, along with the loan departures of Joe Rodon to Leeds United and Japhet Tanganga to Augsburg, Ange Postecoglou was forced to start Eric Dier and Ben Davies in the middle of defence against Wolverhampton Wanderers two weekends ago.

Both players seemed to have made the right choices against a wasteful Wolves team, but Spurs lost 2-1 and dropped to fourth place in the Premier League standings after allowing a one-goal lead to evaporate in stoppage time.

Romero still has two games left on his suspension, so unless 18-year-old Ashley Phillips is brought up quickly, Dier and Davies will once more have to fill in against treble winners Manchester City and Champions League-chasing Aston Villa over the coming weeks.

Dier, though, will begin the last half of his contract in the January transfer window. Given Spurs’ defensive predicament, a mid-season transfer is unlikely, but it is generally anticipated that the Englishman will sign a free agency contract at the end of it.

Therefore, adding defensive reinforcements will be Spurs’ top goal in January. Players like Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace, Lloyd Kelly of Bournemouth, and Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen have all been linked to the team.

According to the Daily Mail, Branthwaite, an England Under-21 player and Everton player, is now being considered by Spurs as well because of his stellar season at Goodison Park, where he has established himself as Sean Dyche’s preferred partner for James Tarkowski.

Branthwaite has started 12 of Everton’s last 13 games in all competitions after a fruitful loan stint with PSV Eindhoven in the 2022–23 campaign, where he recorded four goals and two assists in 36 games and won the KNVB-Beker.

Before the international break, the 6′ 4in defender helped Everton win two of their previous three Premier League games and draw the other. He also donned the captain’s armband for England’s Under-21 team during a 3-0 victory over Northern Ireland in the Euro qualifying round.

Though Branthwaite signed a new contract with the Toffees only last October, the 21-year-old’s present terms aren’t set to expire until the summer of 2027, so Everton may negotiate hard with Tottenham.

In order to complete a deal for Branthwaite, who went through the Carlisle United development system before joining Everton in January 2020, Spurs may also need to stave off interest from Manchester United.

Tottenham is also rumoured to be interested in AC Milan’s Malick Thiaw, Benfica’s Morato, and Sporting Lisbon’s Goncalo Inacio. The club is also anticipated to pursue a new winger during the winter.

Even though the Lilywhites were unable to bring in a high-profile striker to take Harry Kane’s place during the summer, it appears that they have no intention of signing another attacker.

Tottenham Hotspur January Striker Pursuit Unlikely

21 November 2023 by Cric Habit

It’s highly doubtful that Tottenham Hotspur will sign a straight successor for Harry Kane in the January transfer window.

Spurs made a summertime splash by selling their iconic striker, but they did not purchase a comparable replacement for the club’s all-time top scorer.

Rather than moving Son Heung-min from a wide position into the middle, Brennan Johnson was brought in from Nottingham Forest to supplement their current senior alternatives.

Spurs went on to have their best Premier League start in a while after that, winning ten games straight before losing to Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers prior to the international break.

Even if a lot of players arrived at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium throughout the summer, January reinforcements are probably in store thanks to the money raised by Kane’s transfer.

Due to Spurs’ deficiency in depth at the position, a central defence is thought to be the top priority; nonetheless, it has been speculated that another centre forward may be the objective.

Of Spurs’ 24 Premier League goals this season, Son has scored precisely one-third of them; Johnson and Richarlison have each only managed one goal.

Although Alejo Veliz has received 10 minutes of Premier League play in three substitute appearances, the young Argentine is not currently considered a senior player.

However, no preparations are in place at this time to bring more competition to the midst of the attack, according to Football Insider.

According to reports, Postecoglou is happy with the options at his disposal and is more likely to sign a wide player.

In order to make room for new players, a number of Spurs senior players may be traded, with Giovani Lo Celso being the most recent to be connected to a departure.

In addition, proposals for Eric Dier’s services will be considered as his contract expires in the summer, and even though Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg hasn’t played much recently, things could change soon.

Spurs will spend the rest of the season concentrating on finishing in the top four of the Premier League and winning the FA Cup, as they have no plans for the EFL Cup or European football.