The winter transfer window won't reopen in Europe for a while yet, but there are plenty of moves in the works and gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
Tottenham Hotspur came from a goal down to earn a comfortable 4-1 win over London rivals West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday.
Tensions boiled over late on as West Ham winger Mohammed Kudus, who had opened the scoring, was sent off after he kicked and pushed Spurs's Micky van de Ven and Pape Matar Sarr.
Spurs trailed following Kudus' 18th minute goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but powered back with a brilliant second-half performance -- a reverse of their fortunes last time out when they collapsed against Brighton.
Dejan Kulusevski leveled the game in the 36th and after the break the home team took control. Yves Bissouma struck in the 52nd before and Alphonse Areola scored own goal three minutes later.
Son Heung-min added a fourth in the hour mark, sealing a well-earned three points for manager Ange Postecoglou's side.
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Brighton staged a storming second-half comeback with Danny Welbeck sealing a 3-2 home win over Tottenham Hotspur in a topsy-turvy Premier League clash on Sunday.
Goals by Brennan Johnson and James Maddison gave a dominant Spurs side a thoroughly deserved 2-0 lead at the interval.
But the game was turned upside down after the break as Tottenham's defence fell apart under pressure to concede three goals in the space of 18 minutes.
Yankuba Minteh pulled a goal back for the hosts three minutes after the restart before Georginio Rutter levelled from close range. Welbeck then headed Brighton's third after more flimsy defending by the visitors.
Brighton's first win in five league games lifted them above Spurs into sixth place in the table with 12 points from seven games, while Tottenham are in ninth spot on 10.
When Johnson slotted in his sixth goal in six games from Dominic Solanke's pass to reward 23 minutes of total Tottenham control, the visitors were oozing with confidence.
Johnson, the first Tottenham player to score in six successive games since Harry Kane in 2019, could have added another before a sweeping Spurs move ended with Maddison's shot sneaking past at-fault Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen.
Welbeck twice came close for Brighton before the interval but the hosts had been thoroughly outplayed by Ange Postecoglou's slick visitors.
"First half was bitterly disappointing," Welbeck told Sky Sport. "The performance we put in was embarrassing and not something we want to be part of."
Whatever was said at halftime by Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler worked a treat as Brighton, with Pervis Estupiñán on as a substitute, a completely different proposition.
Tottenham were napping as they failed to cut out a cross with Destiny Udogie's horrible miskick falling for Minteh who took a touch before driving a shot past Guglielmo Vicario.
The goal rocked Tottenham and as the rain came down on the south coast, they fell to pieces.
Ten minutes later winger Kaoru Mitoma played a pass in to Rutter and with Tottenham's defenders failing to react he fired in Brighton's leveller.
Brighton's winner summed up Tottenham's second-half display. Rutter should never have been able to deliver a cross from the right but showed far more desire than those trying to stop him and when the ball was delivered across the area Welbeck had the simplest of tasks to nod it into the net.
"Fair to say that the second half was unacceptable and we paid a price for that," Postecoglou, who looked stunned at the final whistle, said. "We probably should have put it to bed in the first half.
"What we did in that second half is unacceptable and we got what we deserved."
Tottenham Hotspur claimed a 2-1 win at Ferencvaros in their Europa League group match on Thursday thanks to goals in each half from Pape Sarr and Brennan Johnson.
Senegalese midfielder Sarr opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, taking advantage of a loose ball to calmly slot a precise right-foot shot into the far corner.
Ferencvaros had a goal disallowed for offside shortly before Sarr's strike, with Barnabas Varga's header being ruled out by the linesman's flag.
Johnson doubled the lead for the English side four minutes from time with a left-foot strike from inside the box. The goal was Johnson's fifth in his last five games for Spurs.
Ferencvaros grabbed consolation goal in stoppage time from Varga, but it was not enough to prevent Spurs from earning victory in their first-ever match against Hungarian opponents.
Information from Reuters contributed to this report.
MANCHESTER, England -- Apparently, Manchester United's players didn't read manager Erik ten Hag's programme notes before their miserable 3-0 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
"I must be clear," wrote the Dutchman. "Only 100% will do."
It was a demand made in response to Christian Eriksen saying after the 1-1 draw with FC Twente on Wednesday that their opponents "wanted it more." But if Ten Hag hoped to elicit a response from his players then it never materialised. 100%? He barely got half that.
United were worse against Tottenham than they were against Twente. Much worse.
A casual look at the scoreline might suggest the game hinged on Bruno Fernandes' red card just before half-time. That, though, would ignore that Tottenham were by far the better team for the 42 minutes that it remained 11 vs. 11. Indeed, at times it felt like Tottenham had 12 men while the only United player who turned up at all was goalkeeper André Onana.
Spurs were already 1-0 up thanks to Brennan Johnson's early goal inside three minutes by the time Fernandes was sent off. The only surprise was that it remained that way until half-time. Ange Postecoglou spent most of the first half on the touchline with his hands on his head as chance after chance went begging. He didn't need to worry. Most of United's players seemed determined to produce the kind of display that gets managers the sack.
Ten Hag likes to point to last season's FA Cup final win over Manchester City as evidence of what he can get out of his team. But they've also been capable of days like this throughout his time in charge. In a packed field of disastrous performances, this was one of the worst.
"What I saw in the first 30 minutes is below the level of what we can expect from a Manchester United team," Ten Hag said afterward. "Even when you concede so early you should stay calm and just stick together and stick to the plan. Then you would have a foothold in the game but we didn't have this."
United's collective list of offences was so long that it's difficult to know where to start: Players in red gave the ball away regularly, lost duels all over the pitch, and didn't track runners.
Inside three minutes, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho let Tottenham's Micky van de Ven pinch the ball unopposed before the centre-back sprinted over half the length of the pitch in the straight line like a dad who had joined a children's game.
In keeping with the decision to let Van de Ven run like Forrest Gump unchecked, United also decided Johnson didn't need to be marked inside the six-yard box and he tapped in at the back post. A marauding run through United's soft centre and a relatively simple finish, it was almost a carbon copy of the goal Twente scored four days earlier.
If Ten Hag's prematch rallying cry didn't act as a wake-up call, neither did the Spurs goal. Onana made saves from James Maddison and Timo Werner. In between, Johnson hit the post. Then it went from bad to worse.
Fernandes slipped as he tried to close down Maddison and flung out a leg. It ended up looking high and reckless and VAR Peter Bankes stuck with Chris Kavanagh's on-field decision to show a straight red card. To compound the problem, Kobbie Mainoo limped off with an injury soon after.
Ten Hag's response was to throw on defensive midfielder Casemiro at half-time, but there was another setback barely two minutes after the restart. The Brazil international lost a 50-50 challenge on the halfway line, Lisandro Martínez attempted a wild swipe, and seconds later Dejan Kulusevski had the ball in the net to make it 2-0.
United briefly began to start playing, but it was too late and it wasn't long before the game was over. Casemiro lost Pape Sarr from a corner and his flick-on was met by Dominic Solanke -- again completely unmarked -- to score from underneath the crossbar in the 77th minute.
Spurs have never had it so easy away from home. They turned up having recorded just three away league victories since November 2023 and ended the afternoon dancing in front of their fans in the Manchester rain. Postecoglou's postmatch assessment highlighted everything United were not.
"We showed real belief and conviction in our football," he said. "Aggressive in everything; with the ball, without the ball."
With the score at 3-0 and more than 15 minutes to play, the exodus of United fans began. It was a miracle they lasted so long. After such a miserable defeat, the obvious question is how long Ten Hag will last.
There has been some improvement this season, but it's now just three wins from eight to start the campaign. This week holds tough trips to FC Porto and Aston Villa before the international break and two more performances like this one will crank up the pressure even further.
Much of the goodwill that Ten Hag has built up with fans after winning two trophies is rapidly eroding.
There were scattered boos at full-time, but no show of full mutiny as Ten Hag disappeared down the tunnel. As his new bosses -- Sir Dave Brailsford, Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox -- sat stoney-faced in the directors' box, there's a sense that the manager's future is on a knife-edge. For now, Ten Hag is battling on.
"We made the decision from a clear review [in the summer] what we have to improve and how we want to construct a squad but we knew it will take some time," he said. "We need some time. We are all on one page or in one boat together. The ownership, the staff and the players as well. I don't have a concern.
"There is always a new game, it will be a new day and it is also obvious you have to learn as a team."
Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. More Details
Manchester United welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday. The two sides find themselves in similar circumstances: Both are in mid-table after five games, and both have rebounded since defeats to their biggest rivals.
While it may be too early to pay too much attention to the league table, a win in this clash between two of the league's traditional "top six" could be just the catalyst they need.
Here's everything you need to know, including team news, stats, fantasy tips and the latest news:
Key details:
Date: Sunday, Sept. 29 at 4.30 p.m. BST (11.30 a.m. ET)
Venue: Old Trafford
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
VAR: Peter Bankes
How to watch:
The game will be shown live on Sky Sports in the UK and NBC Sports in the United States. You can also follow along live with ESPN's live updates.
Team news:
All of United's injuries come in their defensive line, most notably summer signing Leny Yoro and first-choice left-back Luke Shaw. Yoro is yet to make his competitive debut for United after suffering a foot injury in a preseason friendly against Arsenal in Los Angeles. He is not expected to return before October.
Shaw, who is suffering from a calf problem, has a similar timeline associated with his return. "The plan is just to be back before [the October international break] but I can't say this 100% for sure." Ten Hag said on Tuesday. "It can also be shortly after the break." United are also without Tyrell Malacia and Victor Lindelöf.
Tottenham captain Son Heung-Min is a doubt for Postecoglou's side. He received treatment on the pitch before being substituted during their 3-0 Europa League win over Qarabag on Thursday.
Richarlison and Wilson Odobert remain sidelined with injury and Postecoglou said earlier this month that the Brazil forward is not due to return for a while yet.
"He is a fair way off. I think you should stop asking me about him until I give you [reporters] a bit of an update," he said. "He has still not trained with the first team so he is still a bit off."
Fantasy watch:
Fantasy is all about differentials: If you have the same team as your league rivals, then how can you expect to climb the leaderboard? Following that mantra this weekend could lead to a transfer for Matthijs de Ligt.
The Netherlands international is priced at £5 million and owned by just 4.6% of fantasy managers. However, he could prove an X-factor should he continue to provide an attacking threat from set pieces.
De Ligt scored his first United goal with a guided header against Southampton, and he almost repeated the trick against Crystal Palace last weekend, only to see his attempt saved by the feet of opposing goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
Despite all the talk about their record defending set pieces, Spurs have not proved too susceptible from them this season -- although the one goal they have conceded was a crucial header from Gabriel Magalhães' in the north London derby. Still, De Ligt could prove a worthwhile addition if he can become a consistent force in the opposition box.
Stats:
United have a 1-3-6 (W-D-L) record in their last 10 league games against the traditional "big six" Premier League teams.
Ten Hag's team are looking to avoid going four consecutive matches without a win over Spurs in the Premier League. They once went on a five-game winless streak between 2012 and 2014.
Spurs have lost their last five league matches against opponents from the "big six" and are looking to avoid registering a six-game losing streak for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
The north London club are on a three-game winning streak in all competitions and are seeking to notch their first four-game winning streak since they did so during September and October 2023.
Stats provided by ESPN's Stats and Information Group.
Premier League Form guide:
Manchester United - WLLWD
United have struggled to get off to the kind of fast start that Ten Hag would have been hoping for this season. A late Joshua Zirkzee winner on the opening day against Fulham was followed up by defeats to Brighton and Liverpool. They looked to have righted the ship since then with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Southampton followed up by an even more emphatic 7-0 win over Barnsley in the Carabao Cup.
However, United were wasteful last weekend in the 0-0 draw against Palace, leaving them with just seven points from their first five games. A 1-1 draw with FC Twente in the Europa League on Wednesday will have done little to enthuse fans ahead of the weekend.
Tottenham - DWLLW
Postecoglou's side have endured an equally tumultuous Premier League campaign, with an identical record (two wins from five games). After a draw away at Leicester City and a 4-0 win over Everton, Spurs suffered a difficult couple of games. First, they fell 2-1 to a frustrating Newcastle United before losing 1-0 at home to their north London rivals, Arsenal.
Spurs set the record straight last weekend in an entertaining 3-1 win over Brentford, but a trip to Old Trafford represents an opportunity to continue to climb up the Premier League table at the expense of one of their rivals for Champions League qualification.
Quotes:
Erik ten Hag on Man United's progress: "You have to assess the situation, still we are working and progressing. We made a choice to sign very young players like last year with Hojlund and this year with Zirkzee and Leny Yoro. We believe in them, for this moment and also the future. But also I am impatient. I want to go straight forward. But we had success in the last two seasons and we have to work hard to bring more success."
Erik ten Hag on what went wrong in the draws against Crystal Palace and FC Twente: "Not scoring goals. That is the problem, the key area is to score more goals as a team. We have players across the team who have the ability to score, that is clear, you see all the opportunities we are creating but we are not scoring enough."
Erik Ten Hag on Bruno Fernandes' form: "He is capable and has proven this so many years in the Premier League that he can create many chances. I am convinced this season he will come and find his form. He is already creating chances but he will make final passes and score goals, 100%."
Ange Postecoglou on whether Old Trafford is still an intimidating place: "I've never been scared by a venue so I'm not really sure. I still think what makes venues unique is the atmosphere and like I said, last year when we played there, I thought the atmosphere was brilliant."
Ange Postecoglou on having one day fewer to prepare compared to United: "It's what you've got to deal with. Obviously it's not ideal that we had a late finish last night [or] that we had to play with 10 men for a long time. In an ideal world and you'd have things a lot differently, but ideal worlds don't exist."
Key player battle: James Maddison vs. Manuel Ugarte
For much of the past 18 months, United have lacked control and physicality in midfield as Casemiro's ailing legs failed him. That prompted the club to add defensive midfielder Manuel Ugarte, known for his ball-winning ability, from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.
Ugarte is yet to start a match in the Premier League -- he has instead appeared from the bench in their past two league games, although he did start in the 7-0 Carabao Cup victory over Barnsley. That first appearance in the starting XI could come against Spurs, and it would be much-needed with James Maddison seemingly returning to the eye-catching form he showed at the beginning of last season.
Maddison delivered a superb performance against Brentford last time out in the Premier League, providing an assist for Dominic Solanke before scoring Spurs' third with a delightful chip over goalkeeper Mark Flekken. It will be up to Ugarte to stop the Spurs midfielder and allow Mainoo to dictate the tempo for United in midfield.
Key questions:
Will Marcus Rashford start?
There was a sense of confusion at Selhurst Park when the team sheets were passed around at United's clash with Crystal Palace, with Marcus Rashford dropped to the bench despite breaking his months-long goal drought against Southampton.
For much his tenure, Ten Hag had repeatedly backed Rashford. So, when he finally did return to form -- he followed by scoring two goals in the win against Barnsley -- it was strange to see him not among the starters. Ten Hag insisted before and after the game that it was only down to "rotation," even though the decision seemingly backfired given United's wasteful nature in the goalless draw at Selhurst Park.
Following that reasoning, it seems likely that Rashford will return to United's starting lineup for the clash with Spurs.
Are Tottenham better that they look?
Despite Spurs' stuttering start to the new Premier League season, a glance at the stats tells a different story.
Postecoglou's side have performed surprisingly well in several key metrics: The north London club rank second -- behind Manchester City -- for number of shots (86), shots on target (35), average possession (63.2%), most passes into the opposing team's penalty area (97), touches in the opposition's box (235) and touches in the attacking third (1,359). At the other end of the pitch, they have allowed the second fewest shots on their goal (39) -- again, bested only by Guardiola's side.
They have struggled to consistently translate that statistical dominance into Premier League points so far this season, but Spurs will be hoping to correct that at Old Trafford.
Latest news:
Ref right not to show red to Martínez, panel says
The Premier League's Independent Key Match Incidents Panel unanimously backed the decision not to show a red card to Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez in the draw at Crystal Palace.
Man United share 1st images of stadium regen plans
United have revealed the first images of the potential Old Trafford regeneration project.
ESPN reported last month that United are leaning towards building a new 100,000-capacity stadium rather than redeveloping Old Trafford, although a final decision has not been made.
Johnson praised by Postecoglou after 'top week'
Ange Postecoglou praised Brennan Johnson's ability to bounce back from the online abuse that he has received as the winger scored the winning goal in Tottenham's 3-1 win over Brentford.
"He was a real threat all the way through," Postecoglou said. "He had a bit of a tough period last week. But sometimes it gives you perspective about what's important and what's important to Brennan is that he's a much-loved teammate."
LONDON -- Tottenham Hotspur got their Europa League campaign off to the perfect start on Thursday as they overcame Qarabag 3-0 at home, despite being forced to play the majority of the match with 10 men after defender Radu Dragusin was shown an early red card.
Brennan Johnson's third goal in as many games put Spurs ahead before Pape Matar Sarr and Dominic Solanke made the points safe in the second half.
Tottenham's victory came after kickoff was delayed by 35 minutes due to "severe travel disruption" in the local area. The Qarabag team was caught up in the chaos caused by heavy rain that caused the MetOffice to issue a "yellow weather warning."
Having waited for more than half an hour for the game to start, fans didn't have to wait for long for the on-pitch drama to begin.
Dragusin was shown a straight red card in the seventh minute for hauling down Juninho as the last man after the Qarabag forward robbed him of possession deep inside the Spurs half.
The Romania international's red card prompted Postecoglou to swap midfielder Lucas Bergvall for Destiny Udogie as he sought to restore some balance to his team.
"The red card was not ideal, we started really sloppily but the reaction afterwards was good," Postecoglou told TNT Sports. "We wanted to press high, even with 10 men."
Whether by fortune or design, it took Spurs a matter of seconds after the substitution to open the scoring. Solanke set up Johnson to score in his third successive game, finishing confidently across Qarabag goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski.
Postecoglou's team showed little willingness to follow Arsenal's lead from their draw with Manchester City on Sunday as they continued pressing high up the pitch despite being a man light. Their high defensive line left space in behind that was almost exploited by the lively Juninho, but the Qarabag forward sent a presentable chance wide of Guglielmo Vicario's goal in the 40th minute.
Sarr doubled Spurs' lead shortly after half-time, punishing Kochalski for a weak punch clear by volleying an effort into the bottom corner despite the best efforts of a man on the line to keep it out.
Spurs rode their luck six minutes later after Yves Bissouma gave away a penalty for a lunge on Elvin Cafarquliyev inside the box.
Unfortunately for the visitors, Tural Bayramov saw his spot kick clip the top of the crossbar on its way over Vicario's goal.
Solanke scored his second Spurs goal to put the result beyond doubt in the 68th minute. Similar to his maiden strike for the club against Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday, the Spurs No. 19 was presented with an open goal to finish into after a teammate -- Son Heung-Min this time -- saw an effort parried by the goalkeeper.
It proved to be Son's final involvement in the game as he limped off the pitch after receiving treatment from the physio.
Despite the scoreline, Qarabag continued to pose a threat. Juninho saw a header narrowly ruled out for offside either side of two fine saves from Vicario to deny goal-bound strikes from Yassine Benzia and Cafarquliyev.
Postecoglou delighted the home crowd by introducing much-hyped 17-year-old Mikey Moore for the closing stages, but he struggled to get involved in the game as Spurs played out the last few minutes without major incident.