Football.London

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is a fabulous venue. You can see that as a visitor for a match - home or away supporter - and you can see it from the TV.

But look behind the curtain and you get a glimpse of the meticulous detail that's gone in to every minute part of the stadium to make it what it is.

When the venue opened in April 2019, it was lauded as the best football stadium in the world. And those plaudits - and awards - have kept on coming since. But when you spend £1billion on something and it's the newest place in town, you should have yourselves the best stadium in world football. Technology changes all the time and the next one to be built should then be the best one, it's the nature of an ever-changing landscape.

But developers, architects, planners, construction workers all have to deliver and boy did they deliver in N17.

As an avid Spurs fan since I was a boy, I've regularly pounded the High Road to White Hart Lane and now Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. And as I've got older and had children, I've taken my two boys to the grounds too, to share in the experience.

They love a trip to the stadium, sometimes I think more for the stadium itself, than for the football. That's the pull it has.

But despite visiting many times, we had never done the stadium tour until this month. It was a long time coming, but it was worth the wait.

All tours are now done virtually. You don't have a tour guide as such, although there is one actual person to start you off and explain how everything works with your virtual pad and headphones.

The tour starts in the West Atrium, with Spurs' trophies (yes we did win some in our not-too-distant past) on display. And there were some interesting things to note - the actual ball used in the 1961 FA Cup final win when Spurs won the double is in a glass cabinet, while there's a nod to England World Cup-winning manager Sir Alf Ramsey, who many may not have known actually played for Spurs.

You also get a little fun fact that pokes fun at those pesky red neighbours. When the stadium was built, Spurs commissioned silver fire extinguishers throughout the stadium to ensure that 'Never Red' motto remains clear for all. A small, yet brilliantly petty touch.

After that introduction and history lesson, you're sent on your way, up to some hospitality suites to see how the rich and famous enjoy the glitz and glamour of watching Spurs. We did not get to see James Maddison's box, which has a huge mural on the wall, with all boxes having their own unique look dependent on who buys them, although the virtual guide does let you have a quick peek into Micky van de Ven's box.

Everything remains polished and clean, despite being five years old. There's no sign of wear and tear behind the scenes in the stadium yet. It feels like there's a sense of pride from everyone who works there, they want it to remain spotless and not succumb to time.

From there you go out into the stadium bowl - slightly strange to see empty - then down to where the magic happens. You can wander around the dressing rooms - Spurs' away dressing room is much nicer than many, with perhaps the club treating our visiting teams too nicely. In the away dressing room, Spurs hang a shirt from every other Premier League club on the hooks and whether it was done by the staff, or a previous tour group, there was a second brilliantly petty moment. Every club's shirt shows the front, except one and you can guess which shirt was turned the wrong way round.

Into the large and circular home dressing room, so all players can face the boss and be involved in the discussion, my children got to sit in the dressing room, under the shirts of their favourite players before we walked out into the tunnel and pitchside, sitting in Ange Postecoglou's seat in the dugout and seeing just what it would be like to be close up and personal with the players on a matchday.

I got to show my children where I work if I'm there on matchdays - most importantly where Alasdair Gold sits for press conferences and matches - as we saw the media cafe, the press conference room and the mixed zone.

There's so much more to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium than football, though, with the venue used for concerts regularly and American football matches, thanks to a 10-year contract with the NFL. You can see inside one of the NFL changing rooms - which doubles up as a hospitality venue that my children and I have also enjoyed once before.

Particularly when you know you can also scale the outside of the stadium and do the Dare Skywalk and also abseil down the outside of it. Then there's the newly-opened F1 Drive track underneath the stadium thanks to a partnership with Formula 1. It is a multi-purpose venue that brings in huge revenue for the club. So while trophies may be top of all fans' agendas, the club is built to be sustainable for years to come on and off the field now.

You can get tickets for the stadium tours, the Dare SkyWalk or do both at the same time by visiting BuyAGift.com.

Tottenham Hotspur are set to make an appeal to Rodrigo Bentancur's seven-game ban following his comments regarding Son Heung-min in an interview released in Uruguay.

On Monday Bentancur was handed a seven-match suspension by an independent regulatory commission, along with a £100,000 fine and ordered to attend a mandatory face-to-face education programme, for his comments, containing a racial slur, to a Uruguayan reporter regarding Spurs captain Son.

Tottenham had a set amount of time to decide whether to appeal the decision or not, and football.london understands that while the north London club will not be appealing the verdict itself, they plan to appeal the length of the ban.

Currently Bentancur will miss six Premier League games and the Carabao Cup quarter-final with Manchester United, before being able to return to action on Boxing Day. He will be able to play in Tottenham's Europa League matches as it is a domestic ban.

The player was interviewed at home by Uruguayan journalist Rafa Cotelo in April and the part of the interview in question featured a request from the reporter to see one of the football shirts that Bentancur had at his home. Here is the translation of the exchange that was used in the case documents.

Cotelo: "Your shirt… well, what about the Korean’s shirt?

Bentancur: "Sonny?

Cotelo: "Or a champion."

Bentancur with a laugh: "Or one of Sonny’s cousins as they all look more or less the same."

Bentancur denied the FA charge against him and claimed that his response to the journalist had been a sarcastic one and was meant to gently chide him for calling Son 'the Korean'. The commission believed that the Uruguayan's two public apologies, private apology to Son, his captain's own Instagram post speaking about Bentancur knowing he'd made a mistake and the club's comment on the situation suggested that the midfielder knew he had said something wrong.

The commission decided that when it came to the six to 12-game recommended sanction for such a rule breach, "in terms of culpability and consequences, this breach falls towards the lower end of the guideline range but not the lowest point. Cases can easily be envisaged which are less serious than this, but nevertheless subject to the minimum suspension of six matches".

It is the length of the ban and the nature of it being an aggravated breach that Tottenham will seek to appeal, although with the minimum threshold being six games, it is unlikely that they could get more than one match taken off of it. If that was to be done successfully then Bentancur could be able to face Liverpool on December 22 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

There have been question marks over an FA rule, published in 2020, that allows commissions to apply a ban below the automatic minimum six matches if an offence is "in writing only or via any communication device" along with a specific mitigating factor. Bentancur's spoken interview appeared on YouTube and was shared widely on social media but its original form meant he could not receive a sanction below the six-game threshold.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Harry Kane says he has not thought about retiring from England duty and has outlined his plan to represent the Three Lions at the 2026 World Cup.

The 31-year-old Bayern Munich forward made his 103rd appearance for England in Sunday's 5-0 win against the Republic of Ireland at Wembley and marked the occasion by netting his 69th goal for his nation.

But that hasn't stopped the former Tottenham Hotspur forward from attracting criticism on the international stage of late, with many wondering if his best days in a Three Lions shirt are behind him.

However, Kane has expressed his desire to continue playing for England - and incoming manager Thomas Tuchel - for the next two years at least, admitting he is targeting a place in the German's squad for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Speaking to PA about his international future, he said: "I think there’s a perception when you get to your 30s that you’re coming to an end. But for me, I’m performing at the highest level.

"I feel as good as I’ve ever felt, so It’s about taking in the moment. I don’t like to look too far ahead and in my career, I never have. The World Cup is going to be exciting."

Last March, Kane surpassed Wayne Rooney's tally of 54 international goals to become England's all-time top scorer. And since moving to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich five months later, Kane has scored over 60 goals for the Bavarians.

Premier League football is a global game and that is showcased perfectly by those who make their way to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to watch Ange Postecoglou's side.

The Australian helms a team that is captained by a South Korean, backed up by Argentinean and English vice-captains, with a couple of Italians in the backline alongside a Dutchman and a Spaniard. In the midfield you'll find players who represent Uruguay, Senegal, Mali and Sweden while the attack is led by an Englishman. That's not to mention the Wales internationals, a Brazilian, Romanian, German and a young Frenchman, along with a number of young English talents.

Spurs is a multicultural club and that's reflected in the ever-expanding 50million-strong fanbase which follows them from around the world, whether sat glued to their televisions, laptops, tablets or phones at ungodly hours to watch them from the other side of the globe or those who manage to get to these shores to take their place regularly in N17 among the locals to watch their team.

One of those constant Tottenham travellers is Sverker Otterström. The 53-year-old from Sweden has had a season ticket in that big south stand since the new stadium opened, having been able to get one when the club increased its numbers in making the move to Wembley in 2017. His regular pilgrimage from Stockholm throughout the season is when he's at his most happy, regardless of whether Spurs do their utmost to spoil that mood.

So how does a youngster from the Swedish capital all the way back in 1981 end up falling in love with a team from north London? Well you can thank the hand of Ghod for that.

"Back then there was no Swedish football on TV so the only matches you could see were from England," Sverker told football.london. "It just so happened that the guy running this football show on Saturdays supported Tottenham, so maybe there were more games involving Spurs than other teams, and my eye caught one player that stood out and that was Glenn Hoddle!

"I guess them winning the FA Cup in 1981 helped me in my choice of a favourite team and when my friend's dad came back from London with the gold kit from the 1982 FA Cup final I was hooked."

Tottenham fans will always remember what it felt like the first time they stepped out of the dark concourses and reached the top of the steps inside White Hart Lane and saw that lush, green grass bathed in light before them. It felt like home, and for Sverker it was the culmination of years of anticipation.

"The first time was incredible. I had waited all my life to get to Tottenham and White Hart Lane, somewhere that I'd seen on TV so many times," he said. "Unfortunately it took until 2006 when I went to my first match, when we beat Manchester City 2-1 on a sunny day in April and I knew that I needed to come back to this place!

"There's a difference now in the stadium of course. Old White Hart Lane had its charm but our new stadium is state-of-the-art. Even though it's huge outside it feels very compact when you're in the stand. The best thing is that the new stadium is still in N17 and it's a great feeling to walk down Tottenham High Road on a match day!"

The Swede travels over to London regularly throughout the season to watch Spurs, sometimes with a group of friends and sometimes on his own because in his words "there's always someone at the game that you know". It's not cheap of course with the flights and accommodation on top of his season ticket, but as he says: "You need to prioritise!"

Tottenham have brought as much pain to their fans - perhaps more so - than they have joy over the years. It's bad enough for those supporters who have a half hour trip to the stadium to be put through the emotional torture and those who follow the team away up and down the country. So what keeps you going when you're someone regularly travelling 2,300 miles to N17 throughout a season?

"Well, what can I say? Experience over the years has taught me that there are always tough times when you support Spurs, but my feelings for this club are so much deeper than winning trophies," said Sverker. "Don't get me wrong, of course I want Tottenham to win a title or a cup but it doesn't define my support or love for the club!"

On social media you will find some local football fans turning their nose up at the thought of foreign supporters, referring to them as tourists and day-trippers. In reality many of those abroad have often been passionate fans for far longer than those who are fortunate enough to live so close to the club they love.

For Sverker, a business operations manager in Stockholm, the experience in coming to north London has always been a positive one among his fellow Tottenham fans and he was quick to point out that those UK fans do a lot of travelling themselves to follow the Lilywhites.

"Everyone I meet is always supportive of me and other traveling fans. I've never heard a bad word. I know that there are a lot of fans in England that travel long distances and crazy hours for every home and away game so it's not just us from abroad that travel a lot," he said.

"I try to meet up with all the local supporters that I've got to know over the years when I'm over and when I'm not there we stay in touch on social media."

Sverker also spreads the word of Spurs throughout his homeland. He is a former chairman of the official supporters' club Sweden Spurs, which has been running for 20 years now and has thousands of members.

"I had worked many years in Sweden Spurs, handling ticketing, as I still do, and arranging our members' trips before I was asked to join the board and then take over as chairman," he explained.

"In a supporters' club with 2,000 members there's a lot of work, and a lot of time you spend on it during the year, not only during the football season. I had this honourable position for two years and now Sweden Spurs is chaired by Gunnar Peterson."

One perk of Sverker's hard work was the chance to hand Spurs' South Korean star Son Heung-min an award on the pitch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and he couldn't resist the opportunity to have a quick word in the skipper's ear.

"It was an absolute honour to be given the opportunity to hand over the prize for best goal of the 2022/23 season to Sonny," he said. "I told him that everyone loves him and want him to stay forever!"

Sverker has been around the world with Spurs, not only travelling to N17 but going to European matches and when you ask him what his favourite games have been, he takes a moment to think.

"I hold the first game against City high but then the most important games are of course the North London Derbies. They are frustrating as they can be heaven or absolute hell depending on the result. Fortunately I have seen more wins than losses!" said the Swede. "My favourite European match must be against AC Milan at San Siro when we won 1-0."

There's a Swedish feel to Tottenham right now, with Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall in the men's team and Robert Vilahamn in charge of a women's side that contains both Amanda Nilden and Matilda Vinberg.

"I've got high hopes for all our Swedes at the club," said Sverker. "It was a long time ago that Erik Edman played for Spurs so it's really good to now have four Swedish players in the club.

"I can admit that I'd not watched any of them much before they joined Tottenham but Deki has showed that he's one of the top players in the league and I hope that Lucas will keep developing and get time to play more later on. Amanda has settled as a regular in the women's first team and I hope that Matilda will do so in the future.

"It's also great that we have Robert Vilahamn as a coach for the ladies and it's really great to have followed the women's team becoming a stable side in the Women's Premier League."

What of the manager in the dugout for the men's side? With Ange Postecoglou undertaking a major rebuild of Spurs and the way they play and think on and off the pitch, the Australian's era so far has brought positives but also inconsistency in the results, particularly away from home.

"I trust Ange! We all know that success doesn't come direct but takes time to build up to," said Sverker. "I understand it can be frustrating when the team play like gods one week and then the next week it's like they don't know what to do. I think that the positive performances will take over the longer Ange has the time to set his mark on the team."

One thing is clear. Regardless of how Tottenham Hotspur are doing and who is playing for them or managing them, you'll find fans like Sverker making the 2,300 mile trip to watch them for distance only makes the heart grow fonder.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

During the summer, Arsenal co-chairman Josh Kroenke kicked open the door to a potential expansion of the Emirates.

The Gunners were the first team out of the blocks back in 2006 when they moved into their 60,704-seater home having waved goodbye to Highbury in the May of that year. It was a move that had an impact on Arsenal’s transfer spend for some time, but one seen as vital in terms of ensuring that the revenue opportunities at the club could be maximised.

It was built at a cost of £390m, something of a drop in the ocean compared to the eye-watering sums of £2bn-plus that have been attached to Manchester United’s search for a new home adjacent to Old Trafford. Higher rates of borrowing have made it an expensive task to undertake for any owners looking to do such things right now.

But the Emirates is now 18 years old, and while it remains one of English football’s biggest stadiums, and an appropriate home for a club of Arsenal’s size, the development of Tottenham Hotspur’s new state-of-the-art stadium, with a capacity of 62,850, has seen Spurs overtake the Gunners when it comes to matchday revenue, as well as be able to tap into revenue streams such as hosting annual NFL games and major concerts and other live events. That has made the £1.2bn seem worth the while for Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

Arsenal owners Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) know that they cannot idly sit by, and Kroenke, son of KSE founder and principal Gunners owner Stan Kroenke, alluded to that fact when speaking to ESPN during the club’s US tour.

"It would be premature to talk about any plans in depth, but the internal conversations are starting to occur about [the stadium],” said Kroenke.

“It is not an easy renovation, but we see the possibilities of what's there.

“Our goal was always to compete for the Premier League title because if you look around the world, if you are competing for the title year-in, year-out, you are competing for everything else.”

Discussions around those proposals are understood to have been ongoing, and the potential of adding an additional 10,000 seats has been mooted in reports that emerged earlier this week.

When it comes to matchday revenue, for the most recently published and publicly available accounts that covered the 2022/23 period, Arsenal were third among the Premier League clubs with matchday revenues of £103m. They trailed Spurs’ £113m and Manchester United’s £136m.

Obviously, the amount of games played has an impact, and qualification for European competition that delivers additional home games, as well as home games in domestic cup competitions, can help lift revenues.

Last year, Liverpool completed the second major stadium upgrade of Anfield under the stewardship of owners Fenway Sports Group, adding a further 7,000 seats to take the capacity of the ground up to 61,000. By the time the 2024/25 accounts are published, covering this season, the club will likely join Arsenal in the £100m-plus club, and with rivals making ground on them the Gunners know that they need to do what they can to stay ahead.

It won’t be an easy task, however. While there is some room around the Emirates and the ability to expand, stringent planning regulations in the locality, not to mention the likely significant cost of the development given the current status when it comes to the cost of capital, mean that it will be a significant undertaking from KSE.

But more seats, and likely more hospitality spaces that can be sold for high sum, would directly aid the ability in the club to invest on the pitch, and would come at a time when Premier League clubs are trying to find ways to maximise revenues such as commercial and matchday to reduce their reliance on broadcast revenues, which could face an uncertain future in the face of rising pressures for broadcasters and an increase in piracy impacting TV subscriptions.

At present, using the possible increase of 10,000 seats, a rise of around 16.5%, to apply that to the matchday revenue as it stood in 2023, £103m, would bring in almost another £17m per year, which would see them leapfrog Spurs and close the gap on Manchester United, not to mention pull away from Liverpool.

While the tendency is often to look at a sum like that in isolation, such as how much £17m gets a club in the transfer market, that kind of near guaranteed sum significantly aids cash flow, and the club’s ability to absorb wage costs and amortisation costs on an annual basis.

Arsenal have made significant strides on the pitch under Mikel Arteta in recent seasons, having spent some time in the wilderness after focusing a little too much on what happened off it. If the two can be aligned, as is the plan, then Arsenal’s return to the title conversation after much time away, as well as their impact on European football’s top table, will be a far more permanent affair.

Dane Scarlett is starting to show why various Tottenham Hotspur managers have tipped him for the very top.

The 20-year-old has caught the eye of different Spurs head coaches over the years with his finishing ability, but has found other young strikers at the club reaching landmarks before him. Scarlett has watched on as first Troy Parrott found goalscoring success in the Netherlands and now Will Lankshear has scored his first goal for Tottenham in the Europa League after making his case in the summer ahead of Scarlett and another young forward in Argentine Alejo Veliz.

That was meant to be Scarlett, who has all of the elements to be an exciting young striker but has not found the road as smooth as some might have expected for him. Back in 2021, after he became the youngest player at 16 to register an assist in the Europa League since Kylian Mbappe, Jose Mourinho raved about Scarlett.

"Dane has incredible talent. I don't want to speak too much because tomorrow I arrive in the building and the kid's boss is going to kill me! I don't want that so I don't want to speak too well about him," he said. "I just want to say that he will be 17 next month and I want him to be part of the first team squad next season.

"So this season he is there and here, goes to training sessions with us and matches with the kids of his age and trains there. Next season he has to be a first team player. Immense talent. Very good physical development.

"He's very good, he's going to be very good. I hope that nothing is going to destroy that potential. He must have feet on the ground and head on his shoulders because he has a fantastic talent."

He added to BT Sport: "He is a diamond, a kid with incredible potential. He has worked many times with the first team and that gives him a different personality. He is still 16, 17 soon and I believe next season he will be a first team squad player because he has a lot of talent. He is going to be a fantastic player and I hope everything around him goes well. He is a striker, a number nine, I have been playing him from the sides similar to Marcus Rashford and is very clever."

After handing the young striker his Premier League debut, Mourinho said: "It means a lot to me because I wanted to be the one to put him on in a Premier League match, because I know that he will be somebody in a few years."

Even after leaving Tottenham, Mourinho could not stop thinking about Scarlett and what he believed he would become during an interview in the summer of 2021.

"I know he’s still very young, just 17, and it is probably too early for the next World Cup, but Tottenham Hotspur have a striker in Dane Scarlett, who, if everything goes well, is going to be phenomenal. For England, there is lots of promise," he said.

His Tottenham successor Nuno Espirito Santo also had plenty of hope for Scarlett and his future.

“We have big, big expectations regarding Dane because he did so well in pre-season – the game against Leyton Orient in which he scored and many of the [other] games in pre-season,” said the Portuguese. "He’s a young talent that we want to develop and we want to make him better and want to make him grow because there’s a lot of potential there."

Scarlett was always seen as one of the best finishers within the club. He grew up idolising Harry Kane and Gareth Bale and would later train and play with them. The compliments for the young forward continued to flow as quickly as Tottenham changed managers with Antonio Conte the next to recognise his potential.

"I'm seeing a lot of improvement today in Scarlett honestly if I have to tell you. Seeing that this guy is improving a lot, he's only 17-years-old but I can tell you that he is a really important prospect for Tottenham," he said. "He has to be patient and work behind these very important players and continue to work in this way because about Scarlett, I can tell you that I see a brilliant future for him."

After a handful of appearances for Tottenham, the club sent Scarlett out on a couple of loans in order to bolster his development. In the 2022/23 season, he played 40 times for League One side Portsmouth, scoring four goals and adding two assists.

It wasn't a goal fest but it was a season which helped the teenager understand the physicality and relentlessness of senior football, even if a change in manager halfway through the campaign from Danny Cowley to John Mousinho saw the starts dry up after a positive first half to the loan.

On his return, Postecoglou liked what he saw in Scarlett and believed that a follow-up loan to Ipswich would help him develop further into a striker who could come back and compete for a spot in his team.

"Yeah definitely, that's why we sent him out. Dane was really good with us during pre-season and there was a lot of interest in him right from the beginning as soon as I got here," said the Australian. "The reason I kept him with us for so long is because I was really encouraged with the way he was training and the way he was developing, but there always comes a point with young players where you need to decide.

"I always felt after a certain time that the best kind of development for young players is to play and you have to make a decision is he going to play enough for us now to help him continue to develop and become a first-team player for this football club or would it be better off going somewhere?

"And let's face it, Ipswich are a good side, they play good football, they've started the season well and he'll have to fight for his position there. It is not like anything will be given. We know the Championship is a tough league so, if he can go there, play a significant number of games and perform well, for us that is exactly what we want from these loan periods, so come pre-season next year he is advanced where he then becomes somebody who is competing for a first-team squad [spot]."

However, the loan at Ipswich in the Championship did not work out at all as he just couldn't get a start under Kieran McKenna with the Tractor Boys flying high on the way to their promotion to the Premier League. Spurs recalled Scarlett in January and he got six more appearances under his belt at the club, making 17 in total for the north London side even if that first competitive goal for the club is yet to arrive.

In the summer, he fell back down a bit. For one reason or another, despite a goal in pre-season at QPR, he slipped down the pecking order with Veliz below Lankshear, who had been impressing Postecoglou in training with his efforts. A third loan move beckoned for Scarlett with Oxford United his destination and another chance in the Championship.

In the early weeks, it felt similar to the Ipswich move with Scarlett unable to find a way past the club's established attackers who had helped them to promotion. The young Spurs man would watch on from the bench or at most get a couple of minutes here and there in his first few months in Oxford.

Then a big first goal in October at home against West Brom - the team he made his Premier League debut against - changed his fortunes. The young striker came off the bench and showed excellent movement and a big leap to head home a flicked-on long throw, sending the stadium into delirium.

That earned him a start against Derby three days later and he duly scored again, before another goal arrived against Swansea, making it three home goals in a row, endearing Scarlett only further to the fans.

Strikers need goals. It's as simple as that. He is now starting regularly in the Championship and scored an excellent goal for England U21s against the Netherlands on Monday night, with an early diving header to convert Samuel Iling-Junior's cross. That made it two goals and an assist in his past three outings for England's U21s.

Scarlett could always finish but now he is getting stronger in terms of his frame, his hold-up play and movement but also mentally with the way he deals with setbacks and the need for patience. The growing confidence and understanding of what he needs to do is there to see in his displays right now.

While it's still early days it feels like he's on the path that Jose Mourinho and Tottenham saw for him as a 16-year-old. If he realises even half of the potential they spotted in him then he's going to become some player.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Archie Gray will have hoped for more minutes in his first few months at Tottenham following a summer transfer from Leeds United. Spurs agreed a deal in the region of £40million to sign him with Joe Rodon, following a loan spell at Elland Road, heading the other way.

Excitement was high among Tottenham supporters following the addition of such a talent with his versatility quickly on display. During pre-season, Gray was required to play at centre-back and he looked very composed in a position he has rarely played in.

Since competitive action for the 2024/25 campaign began, Gray has mostly been utilised in the Europa League with most of those appearances coming at full-back. Central midfield is the 18-year-old's preferred position, but as mentioned above, being versatile enough to play in defence has resulted in him not featuring in that role as of yet.

The teenager is yet to start a Premier League game and has only played 41 minutes in that competition in comparison to the 360 he has been on the pitch for in European action. However, that could change significantly over the coming months.

On Monday it was confirmed by the FA that Rodrigo Bentancur will serve a seven-game ban for comments about teammate Son Heung-min. That suspension begins against Manchester City this Saturday, but he will be available to face Roma the following Thursday with his enforced absence only applying to domestic games.

As such, the chances of Gray finally being deployed in midfield have increased significantly. Yves Bissouma is likely still ahead of him in the pecking order and based on that will start at Etihad Stadium, but beyond that, Gray could overtake him in the thoughts of Postecoglou with a number of substitute appearances expected to arrive.

Given he has played limited games, talk of a return to Leeds in January has emerged as a possibility. Given Daniel Farke's admiration for Gray, and the fact regular minutes for the England Under-21 international could be provided, a short-term loan could benefit all parties.

However, given his value to Postecoglou as someone that can play in at least four positions, it is very unlikely that is sanctioned. The Spurs boss is also very clearly a big fan of Gray having delivered numerous positive verdicts on his performances over the last few months.

“I thought Archie Gray was brilliant today. We asked him to play two different positions and he just adapts and handles it,” he said after the 2-1 win against Ferencvaros at the start of October. Postecoglou also seems to love his relentless energy based on his response to Gray possibly picking up an injury against Qarabag.

"He didn't stop running, so it can't be that bad," he admitted after the 3-0 victory. Gray has also spoken very highly of his new boss after learning of what Postecoglou said of him so early into his career in north London. "I'm really grateful to have the manager we've got," said Gray.

"I'm a big fan of him. I'm grateful to have him here and to learn so much off him, it's a big opportunity for me. To hear stuff like that from him, it makes you trust yourself even more and have more confidence to go out there and be fearless. That's what he wants from us and hopefully we can go out and do that every game we're trusted to be in."

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Archie Gray's football education continued at pace on Monday night as the Tottenham Hotspur teenager was selected in a new role for the Under-21s.

The 18-year-old has played in various different roles for Ange Postecoglou since arriving at Spurs in a £40million deal from Leeds United in the summer. Primarily a central midfielder, Gray has been trusted by his new boss to play as a right-back and also as a central defender on a couple of occasions, a role he had never previously undertaken before.

The youngster is currently on England U21s duty during this international break and after playing as the right-back in a back four in Friday's 0-0 friendly draw at Spain, Gray was handed another new role this season as he took up the task of being the right-sided centre-back in a back three as England took on the Netherlands on Monday evening.

It was a fluid formation that was a back three in possession and occasionally a back four out of possession with Samuel Iling-Junior dropping back into a left-back role from high up the pitch as a raiding wing-back.

Gray's Tottenham team-mate Dane Scarlett, currently on loan at Oxford United, opened the scoring just five minutes in at Yanmar Stadion in Almere when he powered a diving header into the net from Iling-Junior's looping cross. It was Scarlett's second goal for the U21s and continued his good form of recent weeks after a tough start to his latest loan move with game time previously at a premium with the Championship club.

Gray then showed his classy nature after racing back to defend a Dutch counter attack only for the flying Dutch left-back Bjorn Meijer to suddenly pull up in pain holding his thigh and sinking to the floor. The Tottenham man wasted no time in getting across to the Netherlands player to check he was ok. Meijer unfortunately wasn't and needed to be replaced by Neraysho Kasanwirjo just 13 minutes into the game.

With Rodrigo Bentancur set to miss the next seven domestic matches following his ban, Postecoglou will be delighted to see Gray getting further exposure to defending and discipline against difficult opponents. For the teenager could finally get his chance in midfield in the weeks ahead as Yves Bissouma will not be able to handle the workload alone.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Ange Postecoglou is dealing with a number of Tottenham injury concerns before the Premier League clash against Manchester City. Richarlison and Wilson Odobert are the two long-term absentees with another four players as slight doubts that are likely pushing to be available.

A worrying scenario could play out again for Postecoglou at Etihad Stadium with it possible both of his first-choice centre-backs are ruled out. Micky van de Ven has been recovering from a hamstring injury for the last few weeks while Cristian Romero picked up an issue while representing Argentina on international duty.

Rodrigo Bentancur is a guaranteed absentee having had a seven-match ban confirmed by the FA on Monday. Timo Werner and Mikey Moore are the other concerns for Postecoglou after both wingers missed the defeat to Ipswich Town before the two-week domestic pause.

With that being said, football.london has taken a look at the latest Tottenham injury news in the lead up to their Premier League return at Man City.

Cristian Romero

Injury: Unknown

Romero managed to recover from a toe injury to feature against Ipswich Town before heading out to represent Argentina over the November international break. The defender had to be subbed off against Paraguay however, and has since withdrawn from international duty with an early return to Tottenham on the horizon.

Possible return date: Manchester City - Premier League - Saturday, November 23.

Micky van de Ven

After just 14 minutes of the Carabao Cup clash against Manchester City in late October, Van de Ven was forced off with his third hamstring injury in less than 12 months.

What Postecoglou said: "It will be after the international break. Exactly when will be dictated by his progress during that time. We will have to see."

Possible return date: Manchester City - Premier League - Saturday, November 23.

Richarlison

After coming off the bench against Aston Villa earlier this month, Richarlison appeared to pick up a serious injury while assisting a goal for Dominic Solanke.

What Postecoglou said: "Richy, with his hamstring, he’ll be out for a little while. We’re still getting the final information, but he’ll be out for a little while."

Possible return date: Unknown.

Rodrigo Bentancur

Though not injured, Bentancur will miss the weekend's clash against Manchester City and the following six domestic games. His absence is because of a ban imposed by the FA for racist comments he made in an interview about Spurs teammate Son Heung-min. He can however, play in Europe.

Possible return date: AS Roma - Europa League - Thursday, November 28.

Wilson Odobert

Odobert suffered an injury setback earlier this month with Tottenham confirming in a statement on Monday that he has now undergone surgery.

What Postecoglou said: "The only one missing out, which is a bit of a disappointment is Wilson. He's had a setback during the week and it seems like it's a serious one, so we're waiting for more information. And then from the weekend everyone else is okay and Djed's back training.

Possible return date: Unknown.

Mikey Moore

Moore has been missing for the last few games because of illness but will likely be back in contention to face Man City.

What Postecoglou said: "'Mikey, unfortunately, will still miss out on the weekend [vs Ipswich]."

Possible return date: Manchester City - Premier League - Saturday, November 23.

Timo Werner

Werner has also been absent for recent games but could be back available for Saturday's trip to Etihad Stadium.

What Postecoglou said: "Timo is likely to miss out as well."

Possible return date: Manchester City - Premier League - Saturday, November 23.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here for in-depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Ruben Amorim may have to re-think his favoured tactics going into his first game as Manchester United manager.

The last thing you want in your first couple weeks as manager of a new club is important players being injured, and United have a fair few injuries to attend to. Although this is a challenge that all managers will likely face in their career, Amorim is unfortunate enough to have it happen to him before his first match.

The Portuguese manager took Sporting CP to the top of their respective league playing in his celebrated 3-4-3 formation. Fans are expecting to see this play-style at United as well, however, it might not be from the get-go.

Amorim will be facing a backline headache as six defenders are doubtful with injuries for their managers debut game against Ipswich on Sunday.

Lisandro Martinez was the one of the latest to be added to the long list of injuries as he missed out on international duty recently. He suffered a lower back injury in Ruud van Nistelrooy's final game as interim manager against Leicester.

It's likely that Amorim was watching international duty biting his nails, hoping more players wouldn't be rule out. But it was Victor Lindelof who went off 25 minutes into Sweden's win over Slovakia. The severity of the injury is unknown.

Leny Yoro, Tyrell Malacia, Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire are the other defenders who are all waiting to come back from injury. So, who does Amorim actually have to pick from for his backline.

The players who are fit are still highly skilful players. These include Matthijs de Ligt, Jonny Evans, Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui. Amorim now has a jigsaw puzzle to solve, deciding where his four remaining defenders go in his back three - or a back five with two wing backs.

De Ligt and Evans stand out as clear centre backs. The Dutch centre back hasn't been able to find the form that fans know he can achieve just yet. Evans has also struggled this season after his resurgence into the starting XI under Erik ten Hag last year.

Dalot and Mazraoui will likely have to act as the wing backs, something the pair have proven they are capable of this season. However, who fits into the final central defencive role to make Amorim's iconic back three work?

Although Kobbie Mainoo returned to training on Monday, it would seem a waste of the midfielders talent to put him in the back line. His passing abilities and skill to turn with the ball would be too precious in midfield. The same would go for other defensive midfielders like Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.

This is what puts the Portuguese's ideal formation in jeopardy. Playing a traditional back four might be what Amorim needs to do, not wants to do. This means fans may have to wait a bit longer to see what Amorim can truly get out of this United side. They face Ipswich at Portman road on Sunday at 16:30.