ESPN.co.uk

Ange Postecoglou has said that he is totally convinced that new signing Mathys Tel wants to be at Tottenham Hotspur after the forward initially stalled over a move to the club before agreeing to join them in a dramatic U-turn on deadline day.

Tel, 19, is in line to make his Spurs debut in the team's Carabao Cup semifinal clash against Liverpool on Thursday after he joined the club in a loan deal that contains an option to make the transfer permanent at the end of the season.

Sources have told ESPN that Tel had rejected a move to Postecoglou's injury-hit team after they had a €60 million ($62.5m) accepted by Bayern Munich before a conversation with the Australian prompted him to make the move to north London after all.

Asked whether he is "100%" convinced Tel wants to be at Spurs, Postecoglou said: "100%. More than 100. Because he took so much time and was so diligent about finding out everything. When he made the decision it was us, and he obviously had options, that gave me even more confidence we were getting the right kind of mentality and player.

"He is very ambitious and has a great deal of self belief and self confidence. He feels like he can reach the very top of the game and he has chosen us which is great vindication for what we are doing."

The highly rated France under-21 international is Bayern's youngest-ever goalscorer (17 years and 126 days old) but struggled for game time under head coach Vincent Kompany this season.

Sources have told ESPN that Tel was pursued by several clubs including Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea during the January transfer window after he told Bayern he was keen to explore a move away from the club.

"It's a simplistic way of looking at it [whether he had to convince Tel to join Spurs]," Postecoglou said. "People need to understand that you are talking about a 19-year-old player who has to make a major decision about his career. It's not so much that he rejected us or anyone else.

"Rightly so, he was getting as much information as possible. More than anything I think he just wanted to be comfortable with the decision. The sense I get was he didn't want to be pushed in a certain direction. I think it is credit to him that he took his time and spoke to the right people.

"I had a conversation with him and mine was purely about football. I think he will find a really great place for him in terms of where he is in his career. He obviously wants to play and we have already shown that irrespective of age you will get an opportunity here. And I think the way we play would suit him and certainly with what we have in the next few months and more importantly what we are building beyond I thought it would be a perfect fit for his next step. At the same time I think it was right to take as long as he did and he was totally comfortable with it.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven is set to miss the team's Carabao Cup semifinal clash against Liverpool on Thursday after head coach Ange Postecoglou said he needed to be "conservative" with the player's recovery from a long-term hamstring injury.

Van de Ven made his return in Spurs' victory over Elfsborg on Jan. 30, playing 45 minutes before being taken off in a planned substitution at halftime. Spurs have been hit by an injury crisis this season and that was exacerbated when Van de Ven's replacement against Elfsborg, Radu Dragusin, suffered an ACL injury in the 66th minute of the game and is set to miss the rest of the season as a result.

Dragusin's injury has seen him join key first-team players Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie, Brennan Johnson, James Maddison and Dominic Solanke on the sidelines in north London.

Spurs go to Anfield with a 1-0 aggregate lead thanks to Lucas Bergvall's winner in the first leg on Feb. 8.

Postecoglou said that Van de Ven had not suffered a recurrance of the injury that has prevented him from making a Premier League appearance since Spurs' 4-3 defeat to Chelsea on Dec. 8, but expressed a desire to be cautious over the defender's rehabilitation into the team.

With Micky, and [Cristian] Romero to a certain extent, I kind of feel we have to be conservative with them," Postecoglou said. "Micky got through the game [against Elfsborg] alright but I don't think he feels ready for the step up in intensity to the Premier League.

"After losing Radu, and this is my view, I don't want to risk losing them. The other guys are inching closer as well."

Postcoglou confirmed that new signings Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel are eligible for the trip to Merseyside.

Pushed to elaborate on Van de Ven's absence, Postecoglou added: "We had a look at the figures in terms of the physical output. He does a lot more in training and got through it OK. The Premier League is a whole different beast.

"We have a big week ahead of us. We have afforded ourselves a couple of midweeks without fixtures. After that, Europe kicks in which is massive for us. I don't see the sense right now in risking that. Having Kevin in is a massive bonus for us. [Van de Ven] hasn't reinjured the injury. I think we feel and he feels we need to get more into him."

Another prolonged absence for Van de Ven would come as a particular blow to Postecoglou with his beleagured squad struggling in the Premier League and relying on a cup success to turn the season into a success.

Van de Ven has suffered repeated injuries since arriving at Spurs in August 2023.

Tottenham Hotspur's prospective deal to sign Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel on loan includes an option to make the transfer permanent, sources have told ESPN.

The move was initially expected to be a straight loan but in the final hours of the window, Spurs successfully negotiated with Bayern to insert a clause to potentially make the deal permanent at the end of the season.

Tel is set to perform a dramatic deadline day U-turn by agreeing to join Spurs after stalling over a move to the club last week, sources have told ESPN.

Spurs had agreed a €60 million ($62m) deal for Tel on Friday but he was unsure over making a permanent move. Talks then switched to a loan so Spurs could get their man, and Tel could review his options in the summer.

But Tel has now decided to join Spurs until at least the end of the season after conversations with head coach Ange Postecoglou and is in London for medical tests ahead of signing a short-term contract ahead of the transfer deadline at 11 p.m. GMT.

Tel's decision to express a desire to leave Bayern Munich over a lack of game time -- having joined the club for around €28 million ($29m) from Rennes in 2022 -- sparked interest from a number of clubs including Manchester United and Arsenal, but Spurs appear to have won the race to sign the highly rated France under-21 international.

Meanwhile, Spurs had an offer for England defender Marc Guéhi rejected by Crystal Palace last weekend, a source has told ESPN.

Spurs made an offer for the 24-year-old which was dismissed and the north London club have not returned with an improved bid ahead of tonight's deadline.

Postecoglou has been keen to add players to his squad after a combination of injuries and poor form have left the club languishing in 14th place in the Premier League table.

However, Spurs have experienced more success in cup competitions and take a 1-0 aggregate lead into their semifinal second-leg clash against Liverpool at Anfield on Thursday.

Information from ESPN's Julien Laurens contributed to this story

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou said his team's rearguard action in a 2-0 win at Brentford on Sunday was simply because injuries have left him with a threadbare squad, rather than a sudden outburst of pragmatism.

The Australian coach has been battling an injury crisis, which has forced him to play 18-year-old midfielder Archie Gray at centre back, with Micky van de Ven rested after playing 45 minutes on his return in the Europa League in midweek.

Spurs' European campaign -- which continues after Thursday's victory over Elfsborg confirmed their round-of-16 place -- has given Postecoglou's remaining fit players little chance for recovery as their league form has slumped.

But Spurs are still fighting for silverware on three fronts, the metric by which they will ultimately measure this season and which may keep Postecoglou in his job.

Postecoglou has repeatedly cited his squad's mounting injury list in the face of poor results, growing increasingly exasperated at reporters' questions about Spurs' performances.

And he let out a rueful laugh when asked if his side's defensive resilience and low block during large parts of their 2-0 win over Brentford on Sunday were a tactical shift away from his usual attacking "Angeball."

"How do I say this without sort of repeating myself and not sounding like an excuse? It's very difficult for a group of players to play Thursday and Sunday and maintain energy and levels," Postecoglou told reporters.

"What they're doing is giving maximum effort and maximum effort in a game like today means that you can't be sharp and really dynamic with and without the ball, it's just impossible.

"They're human beings and not robots. People want to dismiss it, they want to talk about excuses, but that's the reality, I know the reality.

"These guys are giving everything. We knew today wasn't going to be a game where we could go out there and dominate, because Brentford had a week to prepare for this.

"We had 50-something hours [after the Elfsborg game] with the same group of players. So I think, with that context, I think the performance was outstanding."

Postecoglou also welcomed the loan signing of defender Kevin Danso, though he warned that the injury centre-back Radu Dragusin suffered in midweek "doesn't look good."

He said the club were considering further additions to the squad, but added: "We don't want to bring just anyone in and sometimes that takes a bit longer."

Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a €25 million ($25.9m) deal to sign centre-back Kevin Danso from Ligue 1 side Lens, sources have told ESPN.

The 26-year-old was on the verge of joining Wolverhampton Wanderers but Spurs' interest has seen the Austria international opt to sign a 5½-year deal with the north London club.

Danso's prospective arrival comes amid Spurs' ongoing injury crisis that has prompted them to scour the transfer market for opportunities to add to their beleaguered squad.

Radu Dragusin is the latest member of Ange Postecoglou's team to be facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after the Romania international suffered a worrying-looking knee injury in Spurs' Europa League win over Elfsborg on Thursday.

Danso played in the Premier League for Southampton, on loan from Augsburg, in 2019-20. Following another loan spell at Fortuna Düsseldorf the following season, he joined Lens. Danso has made 128 appearances for the French club and was named in the Ligue 1 team of the year in 2022-23.

Sources have told ESPN that Spurs are interested in signing players to cover a number of positions during the last days of the transfer window. The club had agreed a deal with Bayern Munich so sign highly-rated 19-year-old Mathys Tel, only for the forward to reject the chance to join them on Friday.

Spurs have won one of their last 11 Premier League matches and are languishing in 16th place in the table.

Postecoglou, who has seen his position as head coach come under increasing pressure in recent weeks, confirmed on Friday that Guglielmo Vicario, Brennan Johnson, Destiny Udogie, Wilson Odobert, Timo Werner and James Maddison are all in line to return to action in the next 10 days.

Spurs travel to face Brentford in their next Premier League fixture on Sunday.

Information from ESPN's James Olley contributed to this report

Arne Slot has said he "would be surprised" if Trent Alexander-Arnold is able to play in Liverpool's Carabao Cup semifinal second leg clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday after the right-back limped off in the 70th minute of the team's win over Bournemouth on Saturday.

Alexander-Arnold was forced off with 20 minutes to go at the Vitality Stadium after pulling up with an apparent issue with his thigh.

"The situation was that he said to me: 'You have to take me off' and he sat on the floor and we took him off," Slot told a news conference.

"He felt something, I can't tell you exactly what and how bad it is of course because we are one hour after the game, but it is never a good sign if a player is asking for a substitution.

"This is not a fact but I would be surprised if he plays on Thursday, but let's hope he is back with us as soon as possible."

If Alexander-Arnold is unable to recover in time for the visit of Ange Postecoglou's struggling Spurs side, Connor Bradley would likely take his place on the right of the back four. Spurs hold a 1-0 lead from the first leg thanks to Lucas Bergvall's late goal.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah continued his fine form this season as his brace inspired Liverpool to victory over an in-form Bournemouth side.

Salah's goals saw him leapfrog Chelsea legend Frank Lampard into sixth place the Premier League's all-time goalscoring charts. The Egypt international netted his 178th goal with a fine curling effort that sealed the points at the Vitality Stadium and left him six behind former Manchester City forward Sergio Agüero (184).

Asked about Salah's devastating consistency in front of goal, Slot told the BBC: "Yeah -- especially the second goal of course. First one, the penalty, big moment so then you have to step up as well. But the second one, that was maybe the difference between the two teams because they were in those positions once in a while as well, and the way Mo finishes that ball it pure pure pure quality."

Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race for Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho, while Chelsea's Joao Felix is attracting interest from AC Milan and Aston Villa. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors and gossip from around the globe.

Transfers homepage | Done deals | Men's January grades | Women's January grades

TOP STORIES

- Sources: Aston Villa interested in Marcus Rashford

- PSV weigh options after USMNT's Ricardo Pepi injury

- Sources: Bayern's Tel rejects offer to join Spurs

- Source: Dorgu on brink of €35m Man United move

TRENDING RUMORS

- Manchester United have received an enquiry from Tottenham Hotspur regarding winger Alejandro Garnacho, reports Daily Mail. Spurs are believed to be keen on a loan for the 20-year-old, with talks expected to continue between both clubs over a potential deal. Chelsea and Napoli have been linked with interest in a permanent move for Garnacho, who the Red Devils would reportedly let go for an offer in the region of £60 million.

- The representative of Chelsea forward João Félix is exploring a potential move to AC Milan, reports Nicolo Schira. Agent Jorge Mendes is said to be in Italy discussing a loan move to the San Siro for the 25-year-old, who according to Sky Sports Deutschland, is also on the radar of Aston Villa as a potential replacement for Jhon Durán. Felix has made just three starts for the Blues in the Premier League this season.

- An approach for Porto midfielder Nico Gonzalez has been made by Manchester City, says Fabrizio Romano. Negotiations are reported to be underway between both clubs, and while the Liga Portugal side would prefer to keep the 23-year-old, he could be signed if Man City activate the €60 million release clause in his current deal. Gonzalez joined the Dragoes from Barcelona, who are in line to receive 40% of any future transfer fee.

- Manchester United are interested in a move for on-loan VfB Stuttgart striker El Bilal Toure, according to Foot Mercato. The Red Devils are reported to have "accelerated" in their pursuit of the 23-year-old who is on loan from Atalanta, and it is said that there could be a three-way deal situation emerging in which the Bundesliga club would make his loan become permanent for €18 million before moving him on to Old Trafford.

Tottenham Hotspur's hopes of bolstering their injury-depleted squad were dented on Friday after Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel rejected the opportunity to join Ange Postecoglou's side, sources have told ESPN.

Tel has informed Bayern of his intention to explore new opportunities in the January transfer window and sources told ESPN that Spurs had a €60 million ($62.5m) offer for the player accepted by the Bundesliga giants on Thursday.

The 19-year-old has attracted interest from Premier League clubs keen to add the highly-rated France under-21 international to their squad.

Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal all retain an interest in the player, while Aston Villa see him as a possible replacement for Jhon Durán after the Colombia international left them for Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.

Sources have told ESPN that Tottenham were hopeful that their offer of a clearer path to the first team would convince Tel to join them after he has been restricted to just 458 minutes in 14 games across all competitions for Bayern this season. However, the plethora of opportunities available to Tel prompted him to turn down a move to Spurs.

The north London club are keen to strengthen their squad for under-fire head coach Postecoglou and have refocused their search to other targets.

Sources have told ESPN that Spurs are exploring a deal to sign AC Milan and England defender Fikayo Tomori but negotations are not advanced.

While the club had been scouring the market for additions in defence, a worrying-looking knee injury suffered by centre-back Radu Dragusin in their Europa League victory over Elfsborg on Thursday has brought forward their search for a new centre-back.

Spurs' ongoing injury crisis has left Postecoglou in despair with several key players still sidelined for another week or two.

Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, Wilson Odobert, Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner and Dominic Solanke are all absent with injuries.

"They are all kind of [going to return] around the same time, around 10 days. We are talking about Vicario, Johnson, Destiny, Wilson, Timo," Postecoglou told a news conference on Friday.

"Romero is a bit of a tricky one. We are not really sure yet. There is still some work he needs to do.

"Certainly all those guys, I think of the long-term ones apart from Dom [Solanke] who is probably a week behind them, the rest of them are slated to be back in the next week to 10 days to be available."

Spurs have won one of their last 11 Premier League matches and are languishing in 15th place in the table.

Amidst a form crisis and mounting injuries, Postecoglou highlighted the need to strengthen the squad in the January transfer window, particularly given Dragusin's injury.

"I think depending on the extent of Radu's [injury], it might be an area we need to look at and certainly this weekend [we are] exploring some options," he added.

Postecoglou's side travel to face Brentford in the Premier League in their next fixture on Sunday.

Information from Reuters contributed to this report

LONDON -- Ange Postecoglou has branded his team's 3-0 win over Elfsborg as a night "made in Tottenham" after Tottenham Hotspur's young stars inspired the team to a vital 3-0 win in the Europa League on Thursday.

Goals from Dane Scarlett (20), Damola Ajeyi (19) and Mikey Moore (17) ensured Spurs finished fourth in the Europa League league phase and qualified for the round of 16, avoiding a dreaded two-legged playoff tie in February that would have placed greater strain on the club's ongoing injury crisis.

Two more teenagers -- Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall -- played 90 minutes in the win in north London as the absences of key first-team players including Christian Romero, Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke forced Postecoglou to turn to the club's academy in search of fresh legs for his team.

Asked about the impact of Spurs' youngsters, Postecoglou said: "Yeah, I've just said it's 'made in Tottenham' tonight. Brilliant for the club. I'm sure there's academy coaches and players who won't sleep tonight, [and are] pretty excited.

"We've obviously got a big week coming up and we've got to try and manage a load of our players and try and protect them and we kind of knew we'd have to rely on some young players tonight. We have all the way through to be honest, this campaign, and I thought they stood up really well.

"The whole group played well but obviously like I said, we were going to need some young boys to make an impact and not just the three goal scorers. We still had a couple of 18-year-olds in there as well who continue to drive us on. So it is a great night for the club and something that the whole academy should be proud of."

Postecoglou confirmed Spurs' intention to keep Scarlett at the club for the remainder of the season after he was recalled from his loan at Championship side Oxford United earlier this month and hailed Moore as an "outstanding talent."

Moore's strike in second-half stoppage time meant he became the youngest Englishman to score in a major European competition (17 years, 172 days), breaking a record held by Spurs legend Jimmy Greaves since 1957 (17 years, 245 days).

The under-pressure Australian coach was boosted for Thursday's match by the highly anticipated return of centre-back Micky van de Ven who was outstanding in the first 45 minutes before being substituted at halftime to manage his game time.

However, his replacement at the back, Radu Dragusin, suffered a worrying-looking knee injury that forced him off in the 66th minute, raising the prospect that Postecoglou could use even more academy players to cover for the injured senior players.

"I don't even know if we've got any more, mate," Postecoglou joked.

"I don't know of many teams that are finishing European games like us with five or six teenagers on the field. It's a challenge for us, but credit to the lads, they're just cracking on with it.

"The young boys are taking their opportunity and as I said, that'll all bear fruit in time for sure. This exposure we've given them, the growth they've had, the impact they've made.

"I'm sure they'll all kind of be encouraged and I think the rest of the academy will too, the young players in there, because they're seeing the guys who they've been sharing a dressing room with out there scoring for Tottenham on a European night. I'm sure it's going to give a boost to the whole place."

Postecoglou's options could be enhanced by the potential arrival of Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich with sources telling ESPN the two clubs have agreed a deal for the 19-year-old. However, Postecoglou refused to be drawn on the prospect of Tel's arrival.

"I can't tell you anything about Tel," Postecoglou said. "Like I said, I've kind of been focusing on getting the team prepared tonight. Other people are working in the background. As I said all along, I'm allowing them to get on with it and if there's any news, I'm sure I'll find out."

LONDON -- Ange Postecoglou has branded his team's 3-0 win over Elfsborg as a night "made in Tottenham" after Tottenham Hotspur's young stars inspired the team to a vital 3-0 win in the Europa League on Thursday.

Goals from Dane Scarlett (20), Damola Ajeyi (19) and Mikey Moore (17) ensured Spurs finished fourth in the Europa League league phase and qualified for the round of 16, avoiding a dreaded two-legged playoff tie in February that would have placed greater strain on the club's ongoing injury crisis.

Two more teenagers -- Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall -- played 90 minutes in the win in north London as the absences of key first-team players including Christian Romero, Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke forced Postecoglou to turn to the club's academy in search of fresh legs for his team.

Asked about the impact of Spurs' youngsters, Postecoglou said: "Yeah, I've just said it's 'made in Tottenham' tonight. Brilliant for the club. I'm sure there's academy coaches and players who won't sleep tonight, [and are] pretty excited.

"We've obviously got a big week coming up and we've got to try and manage a load of our players and try and protect them and we kind of knew we'd have to rely on some young players tonight. We have all the way through to be honest, this campaign, and I thought they stood up really well.

"The whole group played well but obviously like I said, we were going to need some young boys to make an impact and not just the three goal scorers. We still had a couple of 18-year-olds in there as well who continue to drive us on. So it is a great night for the club and something that the whole academy should be proud of."

Postecoglou confirmed Spurs' intention to keep Scarlett at the club for the remainder of the season after he was recalled from his loan at Championship side Oxford United earlier this month and hailed Moore as an "outstanding talent."

Moore's strike in second-half stoppage time meant he became the youngest Englishman to score in a major European competition (17 years, 172 days), breaking a record held by Spurs legend Jimmy Greaves since 1957 (17 years, 245 days).

The under-pressure Australian coach was boosted for Thursday's match by the highly anticipated return of centre-back Micky van de Ven who was outstanding in the first 45 minutes before being substituted at halftime to manage his game time.

However, his replacement at the back, Radu Dragusin, suffered a worrying-looking knee injury that forced him off in the 66th minute, raising the prospect that Postecoglou could use even more academy players to cover for the injured senior players.

"I don't even know if we've got any more, mate," Postecoglou joked.

"I don't know of many teams that are finishing European games like us with five or six teenagers on the field. It's a challenge for us, but credit to the lads, they're just cracking on with it.

"The young boys are taking their opportunity and as I said, that'll all bear fruit in time for sure. This exposure we've given them, the growth they've had, the impact they've made.

"I'm sure they'll all kind of be encouraged and I think the rest of the academy will too, the young players in there, because they're seeing the guys who they've been sharing a dressing room with out there scoring for Tottenham on a European night. I'm sure it's going to give a boost to the whole place."

Postecoglou's options could be enhanced by the potential arrival of Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich with sources telling ESPN the two clubs have agreed a deal for the 19-year-old. However, Postecoglou refused to be drawn on the prospect of Tel's arrival.

"I can't tell you anything about Tel," Postecoglou said. "Like I said, I've kind of been focusing on getting the team prepared tonight. Other people are working in the background. As I said all along, I'm allowing them to get on with it and if there's any news, I'm sure I'll find out."