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Tottenham’s decision to hold off on offering captain and fan-favourite Heung-min Son a new contract has come as a surprise to the Korean, talkSPORT understands.

Son was expecting to hold talks over a new long-term deal, but instead Spurs have decided to activate a year’s option in his existing agreement, tying him down until the summer of 2026.

Unless something changes, it means the 32-year-old will be available as a free agent at the end of next season, by which time he will have clocked up more than ten years’ service at the north London club.

Son has scored 123 goals in 311 Premier League games for Tottenham, including three this season.

He is also the only survivor from the Spurs team that started the 2019 Champions League final defeat to Liverpool.

Chairman Daniel Levy’s stance on Son will not be well-received by Tottenham fans, who are already disgruntled after losing five of their first 11 league games of the season.

FA's England fears come true

The huge spate of withdrawals from Lee Carsley’s final England squad as interim boss has not come as a surprise to the Football Association.

talkSPORT was told last week that senior FA officials were fearing Premier League managers were ready to put pressure on their players not to report for international duty ahead of the busy festive period.

So far an unprecedented eight players, including Arsenal pair Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, have been forced to pull out of the crucial Nations League double header with Greece and the Republic of Ireland due to injury, and that number could yet rise.

While it is not uncommon for an increased number of pull-outs for the November internationals, the fact Gareth Southgate’s permanent successor Thomas Tuchel does not take up office until the New Year has surely not helped the FA’s cause.

Realistically, England need to win in Athens on Thursday to avoid finishing second in the group.

That will leave German Tuchel with a play-off to navigate in March when the 2026 World Cup qualifiers are due to begin.

Lopetegui safe... for now

Julen Lopetegui is expected to be given a stay of execution as West Ham manager despite serious boardroom concerns over their poor start to the season and dressing room unrest.

Lopetegui’s team were booed off after Saturday’s 0-0 bore draw at home to Everton - where they were likened to 'a bunch of trialists' - which left the Hammers just five points clear of the relegation zone.

As previously reported in this notebook, the Spaniard is already facing an uphill battle to convince several players of his methods just 11 Premier League games into his tenure.

But, despite making it clear that performances need to dramatically improve, Hammers owner David Sullivan is determined to give Lopetegui time to turn things around after he hand-picked the Spaniard to succeed David Moyes in the summer.

That stance has raised doubts over the long-term future of West Ham’s sporting director Tim Steidten, who was pushing for the appointment of new Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim.

Steidten has been touted as a possible successor to Edu at Arsenal.

Seagulls star staying put

Brighton have no plans to cash in on their in-form Leicester loanee Facundo Buonanotte, talkSPORT understands.

Argentine trickster Buonanotte has been Leicester’s standout performer this season after joining the Premier League new-boys in August.

His dazzling form, including three goals in seven appearances, has earned admiring glances from other Premier League clubs, with Tottenham in particular tracking his progress.

But Buonanotte, who signed a new deal until 2028 shortly before making the move to the King Power Stadium, does not turn 20 until December and is seen as a major part of Brighton’s future plans.

Tottenham fans will be worried after Ange Postecoglou appeared 'crestfallen' following their defeat to Ipswich.

That's the view of former Premier League manager Alan Pardew has suggested that the Spurs boss's demeanor was a worry.

Spurs suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to the Tractor Boys after going two goals down in the first half in north London.

While Rodrigo Bentancur clawed one back in the second half, it wasn't enough as they fell to a surprise loss against a side who are expected to be firmly in the relegation battle this term.

Things were made even worse when Ipswich aimed a cheeky joke towards Spurs star James Maddison on social media after the game.

But even more worrying was Postecoglou's reaction as his Tottenham side were booed off the pitch, leading the Australian boss to glare at a section of fans.

As well as losing to Galatasaray midweek, Tottenham's defeat means that they go into the international break in 10th position in the Premier League.

But according to Pardew, what's more concerning is the downbeat nature of the Spurs boss.

Speaking on talkSPORT's Final Word, Pardew said: "I watched Ange’s interview after the game and he looked crestfallen.

“I’ve never seen him look that down – he looked really down today and that’s a worry for me because we are only 11 games into the season.

“When you have a bad performance as a manager looking crestfallen isn’t the greatest gift that you can give to your fans.

“You need to say ‘we didn’t have a good day, we had issues and we’re going to bounce back next week’.

“The worry with Spurs is that we’re going down this path that you went down last year with Ange not wanting to change and here we are again.

“We’re 11 games in and still this inconsistency, this high line, he’s still operating. It must be a worry.”

Pardew continued: “When you look at the stats – Spurs have won five and lost five, drawn one, 23 goals for and 13 against – it’s got the markings of a very, very mediocre season unfortunately.

“I did say at the start of the season that Tottenham’s transfer policy didn’t smack of a team who were trying to win the league – it looked like a team who were trying to rebuild with younger players and hopefully getting a few nuggets somewhere down the line.”

Things don't get any easier for Tottenham either, with their next fixture coming against Manchester City on November 23.

Inconsistency has been Spurs' big downfall this season and Postecoglou took ownership of that.

When asked for the reason, he said: "It's just down to me. I’m not getting consistent performances from the players.

"It's something I need to address. I'm the person in charge so that's usually the way it goes.

"I take responsibility when their performances don't meet the levels that they should."

Ange Postecoglou appeared to be furious with a Tottenham fan as he made his way down the tunnel after the defeat to Ipswich.

Spurs lost 2-1 to the Premier League newcomers on Sunday, with the Tractor Boys going 2-0 up through Sammie Szmodics and Liam Delap before half time.

Rodrigo Bentancu netted a consolation goal with just over 20 minutes to go, but the visitors took all three points in the end as they marked their first top flight win since 2002.

Spurs fans made their feelings known at full time, with sections of supporters booing the team off at the final whistle.

Postecoglou headed down the tunnel with a stern look on his face and his hands in his pockets.

But footage from the seats above the tunnel show the Spurs boss stopping in his tracks just before he disappears out of view.

He appears to be taken aback by a comment heard from the stand to the left of the tunnel.

The Australian looks up and holds his stare at a particular spot.

His staff soon follow suit to look at what, or who, Postecoglou had focused on.

After keeping his gaze for a few seconds, Postecoglou then turns and continues his walk back to the dressing room.

Despite his obvious frustration with a section of supporters, he owned his side's fifth league loss of the campaign.

"Ultimately, it's my responsibility," he said in the mixed zone after the game.

"It's got nothing to do with the players. The inconsistency we're having this year is down to me.

"I've got to make sure that I try and find a way for us to become a more consistent side."

And he doesn't begrudge supporters for booing, either.

"The fans will be disappointed," he added. "They have a right to be.

"Like I said, the responsibility lies with me to fix it."

Tottenham are now 10th in the Premier League table.

Meanwhile, Ipswich have climbed out of the relegation zone with a one-point buffer above third-from-bottom Crystal Palace.

Bru beauty

Bruno Fernandes has certainly found his form since the sacking of Erik ten Hag.

The Portuguese superstar was making his 250th appearance for Manchester United as he offered a goal and an assist in their Premier League clash with Leicester.

Man United have played four games since he left, with Ruud van Nistelrooy taking caretaker charge of the Red Devils.

In that time, Fernandes has scored a staggering four goals and offered two assists in those fixtures.

It takes his tally to 100 goal involvements in 170 Premier League matches - taking just one game more than Cristiano Ronaldo to do so.

Speaking after the 3-0 win over Leicester, Fernandes said: “It was a long time that I wasn’t scoring and now goals are coming in the last few games.

“Another clean sheet was important for us to bring back the fortress we had here. We have to keep doing that and we have to improve.

“Ruud van Nistelrooy fills the club, he loves the club, he wants to bring joy to the players. He brought everyone with a smile to the games, he just wanted us to enjoy it. We wanted to say goodbye as a manager for him properly because he did good things for us.

“It’s a new era, a new manager means everything changes but what hasn’t changed is that this club has to get back to where it belongs."

Chelsea vs Arsenal: Team news

Huge news coming out of both camps for this Super Sunday clash!

First for Chelsea, Cole Palmer is fit to start having been on the receiving end of a horror tackle from Lisandro Martinez last week.

The England international hasn't trained all week but has passed a late fitness test to be included at Stamford Bridge.

However, Arsenal have arrived in west London armed with their own double injury boost.

Martin Odegaard makes his first Premier League start since September having come off the bench in midweek.

The Gunners captain suffered ankle ligament damage on international duty with Norway after starting just three top-flight games.

He's joined by record signing Declan Rice, who wasn't fit to feature in the 1-0 defeat to Inter Milan but is included from the start here.

Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Lavia, Madueke, Palmer, Neto, Jackson.

Subs: Jorgensen, Badiashille, Tosin, Veiga, James, Fernandez, Mudryk, Joao Felix, Nkunku.

Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Partey, Odegaard, Rice, Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.

Subs: Neto, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Lewis-Skelly, Merino, Jorginho, Nwaneri, Trossard, Jesus.

GOAL!! Tottenham 0-2 Ipswich Liam Delap

THE TRACTOR BOYS HAVE DOUBLED THEIR LEAD!!

At home under Ange Postecoglou, Spurs have won 69.2 per cent of Premier League games in which they've conceded the first goal.

Their last three the Lilywhites have all fought back to win - Ipswich are doing all they can to ensure the fourth time's not the charm!

It's a brilliant Ipswich counter-attack that sees goalscorer Sammi Szmodics slip into space towards the byline.

He fizzes across a low cross that sizzles down the line and drives a low ball that Guglielmo Vicario parries straight into Radu Dragusin.

The Tottenham defender can't adjust his body quickly enough and almost scores an own-goal as the ricochet is taken past his own goalkeeper.

However, Delap nips in ahead of him on the line to volley into the roof of the net.

Pop superstar Ed Sheeran - who sponsors his boyhood Ipswich - is among the travelling fans watching on and he loved that one!

GOAL!! Tottenham 0-1 Ipswich Sammie Szmodics

INCREDIBLE ACROBATIC EFFORT HAS STUNNED SPURS!!

The home side have fallen behind at home to their relegation-threatened rivals and Ange Postecoglou can't believe it.

Again, it comes from a simple throw-in to Jens Cajuste, who is not closed down quickly enough by Radu Dragusin.

Instead, he's given the freedom to stand up a cross from the right and Liam Delap gets enough contact on his header to flick it on.

Szmodics is left unmarked in the six-yard area and skillfully hooks the ball back over his own head as he falls to the ground.

It's not the best bicycle kick in the world but it's on target and is enough to beat Guglielmo Vicario.

Garnach-no

Ruud van Nistelrooy has made a bold choice for his final match as interim boss before Ruben Amorim officially takes charge on Monday.

The Manchester United stand-in manager has dropped Alejandro Garnacho for the clash against Leicester City this afternoon.

Garnacho was a firm favourite in the Erik ten Hag era and ended the 2023/24 campaign as United's joint-third highest goalscorer with Scott McTominay on ten goals.

It was his best tally for a season since making his debut in 2022 and it included a goal in the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.

He also scored at Wembley again in the Community Shield, but his form has wavered in recent weeks.

The Argentine international was confronted by a Red Devils fan to work on his passing ahead of the Europa League clash against PAOK.

Garnacho started the 2-0 win on Thursday but was outshone by Amad Diallo, who notched a brace and has been rewarded by retaining his spot in the starting XI today.

Here's how Garnacho and Diallo compare in the Premier League this season below...

Meanwhile, there's no Jamie Vardy or Ricardo Pereira for Leicester, with James Justin and former Crystal Palace star Jordan Ayew coming in.

Man United XI: Onana, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Dalot, Casemiro, Ugarte, Amad, Fernandes, Rashford, Hojlund.

Subs: Bayindir, Heaton, Evans, Lindelof, Eriksen, Mount, Antony, Garnacho, Zirkzee.

Leicester City: Hermansen, Justin, Vestergaard, Faes, Kristiansen, Winks, Soumare, Ndidi, Fatawu, Buonanotte, Ayew.

Subs: Ward, Coady, Okoli, Chodhury, Skipp, McAteer, El Khannouss, Mavidi, Edouard.

Full-time

And that's it!

Liverpool have beaten Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield to move five clear of Manchester City in first place.

Goals in either half from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah proved to be the difference.

For Salah, he is now in double digits for the season in terms of goals and assists with ten each.

He is the first player in Europe's top five leagues to reach the feat this campaign.

Though the Reds will be sweating over the fitness of Trent Alexander-Arnold following his first half injury.

Liverpool will now be hoping fellow title rivals Arsenal drop points away at Chelsea on Sunday.

Should the Gunners lose at Stamford Bridge, then Arne Slot's men would lead the north Londoners by a whopping ten points.

Pep talk

In case you missed it, Liverpool can go five points clear at the top of the Premier League table if they beat Aston Villa tonight.

That's because for the first time in Pep Guardiola's 17-year managerial career he has lost four straight matches on the bounce.

The Spaniard failed to hide his anger with Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke following Manchester City’s 2-1 defeat earlier.

And following the full-time whistle, he let his frustrations out on Van Hecke, with cameras spotting the heated exchange.

Guardiola took exception to the Dutchman hauling down Haaland in injury time as he shielded the ball for goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen to claim.

It led to Haaland being booked over his animated reaction towards the 24-year-old.

Guardiola was then spotted approaching Van Hecke on the pitch after the match, where he whispered something in his ear.

The duo then continued their apparent argument, with Guardiola getting right in the player’s face,

Commenting on the incident, Guardiola said: “He was strong with Erling [Haaland].

I said, ‘When Erling then stands up to you, stay on your feet, don’t go to the grass’. But he played a really good game.”

Liverpool 1-0 Aston Villa HALF-TIME

The visitors sent on their captain John McGinn just before the break after Jacob Ramsey suffered what appeared to be a hamstring injury.

Liverpool lost a key player of their own during that 45 minutes after Trent Alexander-Arnold was withdrawn early on.

Hopefully, neither of those injuries are serious ones, and fortunately for fans, the stoppages haven't ruined the flow of this game.

It has been one for the neutral with chances at both ends - Darwin Nunez's goal is the difference between the two teams.

The Uruguayan fired home his second Premier League goal of the season from a Mohamed Salah pass, but should also had another.

Two fines saves from Caoimhín Kelleher from dangerous Villa corners have preserved the clean sheet so far for Arne Slot's men.

Plenty to play for after the break!

All eyes (and ears) at Anfield

Liverpool can go five points clear by beating Aston Villa next, and talkSPORT will be on hand with live coverage of all the action.

Those Brighton goals were greeted with a roar of delight at Anfield from those Reds fans who were seated early.

For fans without a ticket, Reshmin Chowdhury will be your host for the evening.

talkSPORT commentary comes from Sam Matterface and Stuart Pearce.

To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

Brighton 2-1 Man City FULL-TIME

Erling Haaland allows his frustrations to boil over seconds before the final whistle as he wrestles with Jan Paul van Hecke.

The pair are both shown yellow cards but it'll do nothing to affect the outcome of the result with Bart Verbruggen launching the ball long.

PEP GUARDIOLA HAS SUFFERED FOUR DEFEATS IN A ROW!

The Premier League champions of the past four straight years have made an unwanted slice of history under their greatest-ever manager.

A Carabao Cup exit to Tottenham had Man City players smiling before the end of the match while sitting on the substitute bench.

It's anything but now as Guardiola makes a beeline for Van Hecke after entering the pitch and the duo have a terse brief exchange.

From London to the south coast of Bournemouth last week, a trip to Lisbon and now back to Brighton.

Jason Cundy may need an accent coach but that didn't stop him from hilariously trolling Jamie O'Hara after Tottenham's loss to Galatasaray.

O'Hara hosted talkSPORT's Sports Bar alongside EFL icon Adebayo Akinfenwa on Thursday evening as they broke down all the action across the Europa League and Conference League.

Tottenham and Chelsea were both in action but had strikingly different results, as the Blues battered Armenian side Noah 8-0 while a 10-man Spurs lost 3-2 to Galatasaray.

O'Hara put the call out for Chelsea supporters to phone in and discuss the match and it didn't take long for the first fan to ring.

Dave the Chelsea fan was brought on air, but O'Hara and Akinfenwa instantly knew the voice sounded rather familiar.

Dave said: "Yeah, alright boys? What a result."

O'Hara replied: "Cundy, that is the worst accent I've ever heard. That is absolutely pathetic. That is awful mate, you should be ashamed."

Cundy immediately gave himself up.

"I can't do accents," Cundy said.

"I've been practicing for the last five minutes."

O'Hara revealed he wanted to run with Cundy's gag, but the latter's attempted accent was so 'terrible' he couldn't go along with it.

It wasn't long before Cundy turned his attention to how O'Hara's beloved Tottenham performed.

"Do you know what, right, you lot, embarrassing Premier League football again," Cundy said.

"Had your pants pulled down, that's what you do. Chelsea put teams to bed. You lot, honestly, you're back to Spurs. To dare is to do, honestly. You make me cry."

Akinfenwa could barely contain his laughter as he labelled Cundy a 'troll', to which he replied: "Ade, honestly mate, have some fun tonight. Do what I do, get stuck into his ribs. These Spurs fans, they deserve it."

Cundy had called in from Stamford Bridge where he took in Chelsea's eight-goal mauling.

Although it was as dominant a performance as Blues boss Enzo Maresca could have asked for, Cundy wasn't exactly jumping for joy.

"It's embarrassing, this competition," Cundy said.

"Because we spent over £1billion and I didn't even cheer the goals."

Akinfenwa then asked Cundy if he and the Chelsea fanbase would celebrate winning the Conference League.

"I'll celebrate the trophy, of course I'll celebrate the trophy," Cundy said.

"But tonight was embarrassing. No team should lose. Celtic, yeah, they lost 7-1 against Dortmund. But you shouldn't get beat.

"The difference in the quality of what we've got and what they've got so far in this competition, obviously there's going to be teams that we'll come up against where it will be much tougher."

O'Hara piped back up and pointed out the vast difference in quality between Chelsea and Tottenham's opponents.

"You came up against Noah's ark today," O'Hara said.

"It's almost pathetic. You're digging us out, we're playing Galatasaray. They're a proper, massive football club. No-one knows who your team is."

Cundy clapped back: "I know, but the thing is mate, you're just Spurs, aren't you? I'm so glad you're a Spurs fan, J."

O'Hara will hope Tottenham beat Ipswich on Sunday, otherwise he may get another incoming call from Cundy or his alter ego, Dave the Chelsea fan.

But it could be Cundy who has to cop an earful from O'Hara as Chelsea welcome Arsenal to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Either way, we don't think this is the last time we'll hear from Dave the Chelsea fan.

Daniel Levy left his Tottenham players baffled before their Champions League final defeat.

Former captain Hugo Lloris has revealed how he was left stunned by the club's mentality heading into the biggest game in their history, as well as afterwards.

Spurs had sealed a place in their first ever European Cup final with a dramatic comeback victory at Ajax, and the mood was high and hopeful ahead of an all-Premier League showdown with Liverpool.

Ultimately, it was not to be for the north Londoners who were beaten 2-0 at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid back in 2019.

The result - and manner of it, having gone behind 1-0 early in the game via a dubious penalty - destroyed the Tottenham players, with Lloris admitting the spot kick 'killed' the game and 'snatched' away any chance of the final being competitive.

But, according to the former club captain, you wouldn't have necessarily known they had just lost the Champions League final after the game given the reaction from some behind the scenes.

And it was a gesture from Levy before the match that left the World Cup winning goalkeeper and some of his teammates thoroughly confused, and wondering whether Tottenham were happy to just be runners-up.

The Spurs chairman surprised the squad with a luxurious gift ahead of the showpiece - each player was given a watch with their name and "Champions League Finalist 2019" engraved on the back.

However, Lloris admits he has never worn it.

Writing in his autobiography, via The Guardian, he explained: "Four days before the final, Daniel Levy called us all together to announce that, with the support of a sponsor, we would each receive a luxury aviator watch from the club.

"At first, we were excited to see the elegant boxes. Then we opened them and discovered that he’d had the back of each timepiece engraved with the player’s name and ‘Champions League Finalist 2019’. ‘Finalist.’ Who does such a thing at a moment like this?

"I still haven’t got over it, and I’m not alone. If we’d won, he wouldn’t have asked for the watches back to have ‘Winner’ engraved instead.

"I have considerable respect and esteem for the man and all he has done for the club as chairman – I got to know him – but there are things he is simply not sensitive to.

"As magnificent as the watch is, I have never worn it. I would have preferred there to be nothing on it.

"With an engraving like that, Levy couldn’t have been surprised if we had been 1–0 down after a couple of minutes: so it was written."

On the reaction following the defeat, Lloris added: "At the post-match reception at the hotel, I had the impression that some people from the club and certain players were not sufficiently despondent at having lost.

"I would have liked people to come up to me and say, ‘Don’t worry, Hugo. Never again. We’ll give you the means for a comeback.’

"But when I returned to my room on the night of the final, I think I had the same feeling as Mauricio [Pochettino] and Harry [Kane] - does the club really want to win?

"Real Madrid would never have celebrated a lost final, and we shouldn’t have either."

Lloris spent over 11 years at Spurs before moving to LAFC in January this year.

During his time in north London, the French goalkeeper made 447 appearances for the club.

He never won a trophy, though, with Spurs having not lifted any silverware since 2008.

Lloris did reach three finals, finishing as runner-up in the Carabao Cup twice, as well as the Champions League defeat to Liverpool.

Meanwhile, Levy has been Spurs chairman since 2001, overseeing their rise into the Premier League's 'big six' and move to a new stadium.

Under Levy, the club have competed in the Champions League six times, having previously not appeared since 1962, but they have only experienced top flight European football once in the last five years.

Ange Postecoglou has issued a worrying update on Tottenham forward Richarlison after he sustained an injury last weekend.

Spurs are back in Europa League action on Thursday night as they face the Turkish side in Istanbul, live on talkSPORT 2.

However, supporters have been dealt an injury blow on the eve of the match.

Postecoglou was forced to take off both Cristian Romero and Richarlison through injury during Sunday's win over Aston Villa.

The Spurs boss has now confirmed the extent of the pair's injuries, with Richarlison set to be out for 'a while.'

Meanwhile, he also provided updates on two more players who have not travelled to Turkey for tomorrow's match.

Speaking during his pre-match press conference, Postecouglou explained: "From the weekend, Richy injured his hamstring. He'll be out for a while.

"Romero nothing too serious, still a chance for the weekend.

"Timo Werner a little bit of a groin issue he's carrying, so he didn't travel and Mikey Moore has a bit of a virus so he was left at home, everyone else who was fit should be available."

Richarlison played just 26 minutes off the bench before limping off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

The Brazilian was able to set up Dominic Solanke during his cameo in the 4-1 victory, though.

Romero also required treatment before coming off shortly before the hour mark, but could return against Ipswich this weekend.

Both Werner and Moore were unused substitutes against Villa prior to being left out of the travelling squad as a precaution.

Spurs head into Thursday's match with a 100 per cent record in this season's Europa League league phase.

Postecoglou's side sit second in the table and are only behind leaders Lazio on goal difference.

The North London outfit have already picked up wins against Armenian side Qarabag, Hungarian outfit Ferenvcaros and Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar in the competition.

However, they will come up against one of their former players when they look to extend their winning streak.

Ange Postecoglou may have a brief flashback to his first weeks as Tottenham manager when his side line up against Galatasaray.

Spurs face the Turkish Super Lig giants in the Europa League on Thursday night and there will be some familiar faces on show when they rock up at RAMS Park in Istanbul.

A smattering of ex-Premier League regulars make up their forwards with former Chelsea pair Hakim Ziyech and Michy Batshuayi the stars of the show up front.

However, in defence things get all too familiar with former Tottenham pair Serge Aurier and Davinson Sanchez.

Aurier played in north London from 2017 to 2021 and despite being capable of moments of brilliance, he was largely a cause of frustration for the Spurs faithful.

However, the sight of Sanchez may be far more traumatic for Postecoglou.

The Colombian also signed in 2017, from Ajax, where the club previously had huge success in landing top quality centre-backs in Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld.

Sanchez showed signs of promise, but was never at the level of his predecessors, and in 2023 his Spurs career was coming to an end.

Postecoglou had confirmed that he was looking to remove dead wood from the squad, and with Micky van de Ven through the door it looked like his time was up.

Things took a turn when Cristian Romero picked up a head injury in the season opener against Brentford, and the Argentine was given a rest three games later against Fulham in the Carabao Cup.

In came Sanchez for his 207th Spurs appearance, which would turn out to be his last.

After a 1-1 draw, Sanchez was called upon to take a penalty for Spurs and was the only player to miss as Fulham won 5-3 in the shootout.

Postecoglou was enjoying a fine start at the time, but was knocked right back down to earth for his decision to rotate in the cups, despite his side desperately seeking a first trophy since 2008.

talkSPORT’s Gabby Agbonlahor was one of a number of pundits to take aim, saying: “Tottenham didn’t start very well but he should know the history of the last few seasons with Spurs and when they’ve rested players, they’ve been knocked out.

“Last season, they rested Harry Kane and got knocked out of the [FA] Cup. You’re in such a good moment at Spurs, you’ve got no European football. Just play your best team, take players off.

“Why not play [James] Maddison and [Heung-min] Son and rest [Dejan] Kulusevski and [Yves] Bissouma? Mix it up a bit. Nine changes?

“It’s the same players that cost Spurs. Sanchez, not good enough. [Giovani] Lo Celso, is okay. He did okay last night. Ben Davies, he’s been a good servant but not good enough any more.”

Postecoglou would put those criticisms to one side with eight wins from his opening 11 matches, but after a fourth round FA Cup exit to Manchester City, Spurs were resigned to another trophyless season.

The Australian coach has shown his willingness to learn from his mistakes, and this season he already has his side in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup, taking down arguably the best side in it, Man City, in the previous round.

Harborough Town have pulled off one of the most bizarre signings in football history with a deal to bring in former Brazil international Sandro.

The seventh-tier side announced the shock signing in what looked like an April Fool’s joke.

However, with the deal coming on November 5, it was anything but, as the 35-year-old posed with club staff holding his trademark no.30 shirt.

With the news quickly going viral, Sandro joined talkSPORT to discuss how his surprise return came about.

"I was in the Tottenham stadium talking to the [Harborough management] and they said 'Sandro, can you play for my team' and I said 'yes why not'," he revealed.

"This was a real competition, the FA Cup, and they said, 'Sandro come down, we'll pay you, you play with us' and I said 'no forget it, it's not about the money, I'll go there just to enjoy with you guys and have fun'."

Sandro went on to reveal that this is a one-game comeback, with Harborough - the lowest ranked side in the FA Cup - drawing Reading after their 4-1 win over Tonbridge Angels.

"This is just for a game, I don't have a contract with them, it's just for me to go there and enjoy football because I miss it," he continued.

"What an opportunity for me to go there and enjoy football again for one last match, so I said 'why not?'"

Sandro played 110 Premier League games for Tottenham, QPR and West Brom, while he earned 17 caps for Brazil.

Players he has called teammates include Gareth Bale, Neymar and Thiago Silva before retiring from playing in September 2023.

He added: "I love football because of this things. I've finished by UEFA B [coaching licence] and I thought it would be amazing for me to go there and feel the changing room again and the players and be part of football again."

Explaining the move, Harborough Town boss Mitch Austin said: “What an unbelievable signing for the club, I really cannot express how I am feeling.

"I had a chance conversation with Sandro a couple of weeks ago and we got talking about football, told him about Harborough Town FC and the journey we are on and he has been messaging me ever since to sign on, totally unbelievable and gobsmacked is how I would describe this signing.

“These sort of signings don’t happen every day but when you get a chance to sign an ex-professional footballer who has played at the highest level in the Premier League and internationally with Brazil, you just cannot turn it down.

“Being a Tottenham Hotspur fan myself I knew all about Sandro, but when I looked back at a few photos online and there he was stood in a Brazil team photo with the likes of Neymar Jr., Ronaldinho, Thiago Silva, Dani Alves, Marcelo, I was like what is going on, pinch me!

“But credit to Sandro he has kept himself really fit and is an absolute great guy, down to earth who when the chairman and I met with him came across very genuine, polite and humble, you could really sense there was a real desire to get the signing done on his part, I am absolutely delighted to have him at our club.

“I think the players and staff around the club can learn great things from him and develop and watch his professionalism and understand what is needed if they want to progress and play at the highest possible level of the game. However long he stays we will all become better for it.”

Sandro first moved to England six levels higher in the football pyramid when he swapped Internacional for Spurs in 2010.

In north London he recorded 106 appearances and three goals from defensive midfield and he also worked his way into the Brazil squad at the 2011 Copa America.

Departing in 2014, he stayed in England with QPR and West Brom before stints in Turkey, Italy, Portugal and back home in Brazil.

His new club, based in Leicestershire, are now the lowest-ranked team left in the competition, but could well have their sights on further upsets thanks to the addition of Sandro.

So small are their opponents that the entire population of Market Harborough could fit inside Reading's 24,000-capacity Madejski Sadium.

And despite it being for just one game, he's dreaming of an FA Cup reunion with Tottenham in the third round.

Dimitar Berbatov has revealed his awkward first training session encounter when he first joined Manchester United.

The Bulgarian striker signed for the club in 2008 from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £30.75million but revealed that his nerves got the better of him on his first training session.

As he prepared to link up with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez, he began over thinking and worked himself up.

Speaking to the LineUp on talkSPORT, he said: "I remember travelling to the training ground for my first session and I'm thinking to myself 'where do I sit? What do I say?' Who am I going to engage in conversation with?

"What if I look stupid? They just won the [Premier League and Champions League" he said. "The moment I stepped in the dressing room I was like s***!"

He spoke of his Bulgarian heritage and what it meant for him and his family to join one of the biggest clubs in world despite his humble beginnings of playing with a pigs bladder back home.

"I was intimidated but one of the reasons why was because I come from a small country."

The former striker insisted that manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who met him at the airport when he arrived, was very nice and reassured him that everything would be fine.

Berbatov joked that he was told he'd have a "week off" by Ferguson after signing, but on arrival was told they had to face Liverpool in a few days time.

He also revealed that Manchester United eyed him up two years earlier, in 2006 when he joined Tottenham from Bayer Leverkusen.

Despite interest from the club, Berbatov admitted he stayed true to his word which he gave Tottenham.

During his time in north London, the he scored 46 goals in 90 appearances, helping them secure their only piece of silverware in the 21st century with a League Cup win in 2008.

The 2011 Champions League final was also mentioned, with Expressions, the co-host, questioning Ferguson's decision to leave the striker out of the squad, something which he apologised for in the foreword of Berbatov's book.

The start of 'Berba' came at Bulgarian giants CSKA Sofia, who spotted his prodigal talent at the age of 17, but within three years the striker had made the move to Bayer Leverkusen.

In Germany, they finished as runners-up behind Borussia Dortmund in 2001-02, but reached the Champions League final in 2001, where they fell short in a 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid.

With Manchester United, Berbatov lifted the Premier League trophy twice, in 2008-09 and 2010-11, the League Cup in 2010 and two Community Shields in 2010 and 2011.

Personal highs included a hat-trick against Liverpool in a 3-2 win in 2010.