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Pep Guardiola’s side could also prevent there from even being a race to sign Delap as they also negotiated a buy-back clause in the deal which would see Ipswich make a healthy profit nonetheless. City are said to be monitoring the situation closely.

The reigning Premier League champions currently only have Erling Haaland as their natural striker option after allowing Julian Alvarez to join Atletico Madrid over the summer. City assessed several replacement options before signing Ilkay Gundogan and ruling that the German international, along with several other midfielders, are capable of playing as a makeshift striker if Haaland is rested or sidelined with injury.

However, with Delap already thriving, they could quickly change their tune and bring him back to the Etihad Stadium if they desire, much to the frustration of Spurs.

Harry Kane recently overlooked the best young players from Arsenal and Tottenham when asked to name his favourite emerging talent. The 31-year-old is Tottenham's finest academy product, having progressed through their ranks on his way to becoming one of the world's best strikers.

The north Londoners have plenty of talented youngsters on their hands, including the likes of Mikey Moore and Lucas Bergvall. Arsenal, meanwhile, have consistently produced top players with Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly leading the next generation.

Kane, however, singled out a Crystal Palace starlet when asked by Goal to name a young player people should be keeping an eye on. During a round of quick-fire questions, the England captain showed little hesitation as he simply responded: "Adam Wharton."

Wharton joined Palace at the start of this year and made an instant impact with his assured displays in the middle of the park. He was rewarded with a place in the England squad at Euro 2024 but did not play a single minute at the tournament.

The 20-year-old enjoyed dinner with Kane during his time in camp, according to the Daily Mail, with the pair clearly fond of each other. He has also been hailed by Palace veteran Joel Ward, who believes the young midfielder can reach the very top.

Ward told talkSPORT: "I think he's got the world at his feet. He's a young lad and he's very mature, very wise. He plays the game, reads the game and understands the game so well. His ability on the ball, his vision and what he's seeing ahead of time is pretty impressive."

Wharton has played nearly every game for Palace this season but has been nursing a groin injury he sustained over the summer. Medical staff have been weighing up the idea of Wharton having surgery, but that would mean losing him for an indefinite period of time.

Palace boss Oliver Glasner recently confirmed that Wharton was taking painkillers to help manage the injury, which could require further treatment if the pain continues to deteriorate.

"At the moment, it’s okay," said Glasner. "He can do all the training sessions with pain, some days more, some days less. He is really the first guy [into the training ground] in the morning, together with Marc [Guehi].

"He is here in the morning and leaving very late [after] a lot of treatment, so he’s very professional. I have a lot of respect for him for how he deals with this, but we need him. He knows this. We hope it gets better but, to be honest, it doesn’t look like that."

James Maddison has been warned that he must elevate his performance to maintain his spot in Tottenham's starting line-up.

The midfielder was substituted at the interval of Spurs' victory over West Ham on Saturday. Maddison struggled to impact the game, which was evenly poised at 1-1 going into half-time following Dejan Kulusevski's leveller after Mohammed Kudus opened the scoring for the Hammers.

As the half-time whistle sounded, Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou was seen signalling to Pape Sarr to inform him of his impending introduction. Maddison was the player replaced, despite having assisted Kulusevski's goal.

However, it turned out to be a masterstroke, with Spurs netting three goals to secure a commanding 4-1 triumph. And ex-Chelsea player Tony Cascarino believes Maddison is now at risk of losing his starting berth.

"He [Postecoglou] has put the challenge of changing Tottenham's mentality and notoriously soft centre on his shoulders. I liked that he was prepared to make a big call and withdraw James Maddison at half-time," Cascarino told The Times.

"It would have sent a message to every player that their place is not assured after the Brighton debacle. Maddison was a big signing last year and I have no doubt he would have taken the timing of the substitution personally. Postecoglou can manage the situation.

"But Maddison may reflect on his delivery, especially from corners, and work rate. Maddison is no longer a promising young player. He turns 28 next month and needs to impose himself on matches. He finds himself out of the England squad and his starting place for Spurs is no longer guaranteed."

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Postecoglou stood firm on his tactical choices post-match, praising Sarr's impact in the midfield tussle. "We needed more running power in midfield and Pape [Sarr] has lots of that, bags of energy and running. He really helped us to get control of the midfield and that gave us a good platform to go forward," the Australian coach told Match of the Day.

"Our general play improved from there and we looked dangerous going forward. We knew there had been a bit of an arm wrestle and we always back ourselves to keep going at the intensity we always do and upping it and taking the game to West Ham.

"We knew that putting them under pressure here at home we would eventually get there. We had to fight hard in the first half. Going a goal down wasn't ideal but we clawed our way back into it, and it is not easy.

"Second half we were outstanding. We upped the tempo and played some quality football, defended when we needed to and got our finishing right. We want to be that sort of side that creates lots of chances."

Dejan Kulusevski is thriving at Tottenham after being moved into a central midfield role by Ange Postecoglou this campaign.

The Swede played primarily as a winger during his first two-and-a-half seasons in north London. And while he provided creativity from out wide, he has been even more influential since slotting into the middle of the park, where he started alongside Yves Bissouma and James Maddison against West Ham on Saturday.

With the freedom to drop deeper alongside Bissouma or venture forward with Maddison, Kulusevski was all over the pitch for Spurs. And his superb general play was rewarded with a well-taken equaliser, which squirmed in off both posts, while he played a key role in the Alphonse Areola own goal which increased the hosts' lead in a 4-1 win.

After the game, Kulusevski made it crystal clear to Postecoglou that he sees himself primarily as a central playmaker and would not be keen on returning to the flanks.

"That’s my position," he stated. "I’m taking huge steps and I feel free. When I feel free, I can do what I’ve been doing all my life - creating chances, scoring goals and assisting my team-mates."

Kulusevski showed flashes of huge promise during his early years in Italy with Atalanta, Parma and Juventus. Now 24 years old, the Stockholm-born talent is playing the best football of his career and leading Europe's midfielders in a range of creative metrics.

In terms of key passes, progressive runs, accelerations and deep completions, no midfielder in Europe can rival Kulusevski's numbers on a per-90-minute basis. And in terms of dribbles and offensive duels, he's currently the most prolific in the Premier League.

Spurs striker Dominic Solanke is one of the beneficiaries of Kulusevski's sparkling form, which has helped him make a smooth transition from Bournemouth to a high-pressure environment in north London following his £65million summer move.

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"He’s a great player," said Solanke. "This season he has been phenomenal for us. We need our players to be in top form, especially in the Premier League. We want to do as well as we can, so to have players like that in our team is definitely going to help.

"We’re so confident in each other and we know we’re always going to create chances with the way we play, so it’s just about sticking together and believing."

Ange Postecoglou may not feel 'comfortable' hiring a specialised set-piece coach but Tottenham's ineffectiveness from dead-ball situations should make him just as uneasy.

Spurs players and fans were right to rejoice in a thumping 4-1 win over West Ham on Saturday. The Lilywhites repeatedly carved open their east London rivals on the counter-attack and showed impressive game management to tighten up the midfield at half-time, which saw them run away with the three points.

But the truth is, the scoreline could have been even wider against a West Ham side who were more than happy to chance their arm against Tottenham from set-pieces.

The Hammers gave away 12 corners to Spurs before the interval, which is more than any one team has had against another in the first half of a Premier League game this season. And Tottenham were not particularly threatening from any of them.

Micky van de Ven and Dominic Solanke are both miles clear of the six-foot mark, while Cristian Romero is an animal in the box. But Tottenham are not finding ways to use them dangerously, and it's proving too easy for opponents to deal with them.

As of last month, Spurs ranked 13th among Premier League teams for set-piece goals scored since the start of the 2023/24 season, with 12.

Their cross-city rivals, Arsenal, lead the way with 23. And Mikel Arteta's dedicated set-piece coach, Nicolas Jover, has become a well-known figure in his own right.

Spurs have their own team of coaches to look after that particular area with Mile Jedinak, Ryan Mason and Nick Montgomery all taking a more active role than their colleagues. But Postecoglou has made it clear that he does not want to recruit someone in the mould of Jover, who is solely dedicated to getting the maximum from dead-ball scenarios.

"I always think it’s better if that’s somebody who’s a part of the coaching staff because then that’s an extension of how we play our football," he said in March.

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"I don’t want set pieces to be separate from everything else we do, in terms of the team we want to be. It all hopefully links in. Some have gone down the specialised route which I understand. It’s just it’s not how I work. I wouldn’t feel comfortable bringing in specialists for one particular area."

Perhaps the spurned opportunities against the Hammers will push Postecoglou one more notch towards conceding defeat, following Arteta's lead and accepting an 'uncomfortable' situation could be in the best interests of his side.

Despite signing a new contract with Italian club Lecce, left-back Patrick Dorgu is still being pursued by Chelsea and Tottenham, according to the Mirror.

The 19 year old Danish international has been impressive in Serie A and has already earned three caps for his country.

His new contract with Lecce will run until the summer of 2029, but it's believed that his long-term future may still be away from Italy.

Both Chelsea and Spurs have shown interest in the young full-back, with the latter considering him as potential cover for Destiny Udogie.

However, Lecce's asking price of over £25million, which is expected to increase following Dorgu's contract extension, could prove a stumbling block.

Despite his limited game time, Tottenham defender Radu Dragusin has no plans to leave the club in January, according to the Mirror. The Romanian centre-back, who was signed by Spurs from Genoa last winter for £26.7million amidst strong interest from Bayern Munich, has only started one Premier League match this season.

His transition to life in north London was further complicated when he was sent off just seven minutes into the 3-0 Europa League victory over Qarabag last month. Despite Italian clubs like Napoli keeping a close eye on his situation, the 22-year-old remains dedicated to Tottenham and will not seek a mid-season departure, even if he continues to be left out of the team.

Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are still Ange Postecoglou's preferred centre-back duo, but there is optimism that Dragusin will get his fair share of game time in both Europe and domestic cup competitions this season. Sources close to the player suggest that the Romania international is solely focused on demonstrating his best on the pitch as he aims to secure a starting position.

This follows a warning from Dragusin's agent, Florin Manea, at the end of last season that his client would not be content with a permanent spot on the bench, urging Postecoglou to consider switching to a three-man defence.

Tottenham teenager Archie Gray was spotted in the tunnel having a lengthy conversation with a player he knows better than most after Saturday's victory over West Ham.

Julen Lopetegui closer to the sack.

Summerville will be keen to forget his trip to north London, but he did at least get the chance to reunite with a former team-mate. The Dutchman and Gray were spotted having a lengthy catch-up at full-time, which moved into the tunnel after the game.

Summerville was a force to be reckoned with in the Championship last season, scoring 20 goals and assisting nine more as Leeds United narrowly missed out on promotion. Gray, meanwhile, racked up a staggering 47 appearances despite not turning 18 until the latter stages of the campaign.

The pair, who spent two years in the first team together at Elland Road, each sealed big Premier League moves during the summer. The Hammers forked out £25million to snap up Summerville, while Spurs paid up to £30m for Gray's services.

And the length of their post-game chat proved that they had plenty to catch up on, with the former Leeds duo deep in conversation for around 10 minutes behind the scenes before exchanging a warm handshake and going their separate ways.

Summerville was not introduced by Lopetegui until just after the hour mark on Saturday. By that point, Tottenham had just rammed home their fourth goal of the afternoon as West Ham crumbled.

The visitors started well in north London, contesting an even game and hitting the front when Mohammed Kudus turned in Jarrod Bowen's low cross. But Dejan Kulusevski's long-range equaliser changed the complexion of the match and Spurs kicked on with intent after the break.

Yves Bissouma and Son Heung-min both got on the scoresheet, and an own goal from Alphonse Areola was symbolic of West Ham's miserable afternoon. Things went from bad to worse for the east London outfit when Kudus lashed out in the 86th minute and was shown a straight red card following a VAR review.

Gray's Spurs were up to sixth in the Premier League table by the full-time whistle as they hunt down a European place, while Summerville's West Ham are fighting a different battle down in 14th.

Tottenham punished West Ham's second-half collapse with a 4-1 win on home turf to temporarily go sixth in the Premier League table.

The Hammers hit the front through Mohammed Kudus but the brilliant Dejan Kulusevski levelled before the break. And Spurs upped the ante from there on, with strikes from Yves Bissouma and Son Heung-min compounding West Ham's misery after an Alphonse Areola own goal. Kudus was shown a straight red card late on for good measure.

Kulusevski's standout display means a comparatively shoddy performance from Pedro Porro will quickly be forgotten. Manager Ange Postecoglou will not let that affect his mood given that three more points are in the bag, and here, Express Sport brings you our Tottenham player ratings in full...

Guglielmo Vicario: 7

The keeper's big moment came just after 10 minutes, and his reflexes were razor sharp to palm away Kudus' powerful effort.

Pedro Porro: 5

Porro steadied the ship in the second half and was always hungry to have a pop at goal, but by that point his poor touch had already started an early West Ham counter-attack, a bad pass saw a Spurs move fall apart, and he lost Kudus at the back post for the Hammers' only goal. One to forget for the Spaniard, and a performance which, thankfully for him, will be swept under the carpet.

Cristian Romero: 7

A tough assignment against Michail Antonio but Van de Ven did most of the dirty work. Romero did make one eye-catching tackle just before the break.

Micky van de Ven (booked): 7

Nicked the ball off Antonio and powered forward to create a decent first-half chance for Spurs. Then used his pace in the opposite direction to stifle the West Ham forward, who had him beaten for power but not for speed.

Destiny Udogie: 7 (Gray, 87)

The Italian was run ragged by Jarrod Bowen in the early stages and he should have done better to defend the West Ham wide man for Kudus' opener. Udogie rescued his performance from then on, however, and his smart play laid Bissouma's goal on a plate.

Dejan Kulusevski: 9

Kulusevski set the tone from the very first minute, drifting past opponents effortlessly while enjoying the freedom to venture forwards and drop deep in his flexible imdfield role. His goal from outside the box hit the goalkeeper and both posts, and he played a significant role in Alphone Areola's own goal. A top performance.

Yves Bissouma: 7 (Bentancur, 81)

A solid showing all round from the Mali international and his goal was taken well.

James Maddison: 6 (Sarr, 45)

Started poorly, along with many of his team-mates. Maddison lost possession multiple times early on with bad passes and loose touches, then fired a corner straight into Areola's hands. The attacking midfielder only salvaged his display by playing the ball which preceded Kulusevski's equaliser, but he was still brought off at the break and had a face like thunder on the bench.

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Brennan Johnson: 6

A bit of a nothing display from the Welsh international. Most of the action went down Son's flank and the big chance that did fall to Johnson was headed wide from close range, as he failed to score for a seventh consecutive game.

Dominic Solanke: 5 (Richarlison, 81)

His energy was impressive, as always, but the former Bournemouth striker didn't offer much on a day when West Ham's porous defence was there to be got at.

Son Heung-min: 7 (Werner, 70)

A few wayward moments early on were forgotten in the second half, when he played a big part in Areola's own goal and then tore Jean-Clair Todibo to shreds before netting himself.

SUBS

Pape Sarr: 7

Only one half to affect the game but played a nice pass to set up Son for Tottenham's fourth of the afternoon.

Timo Werner: 6

West Ham were dead and buried by the time he came on and the German was unable to stamp his authority on the tie.

Richarlison: N/A

Rodrigo Bentancur: N/A

Archie Gray: N/A

West Ham star Mohammed Kudus was shown a straight red card for a moment of madness during his side’s defeat to Tottenham on Saturday afternoon.

The winger struck two different players in the face after tensions boiled over in the London derby, prompting VAR to intervene and request that referee Andrew Madley review the incident after initially brandishing a yellow card.

With his side trailing 4-1, Kudus attempted to break down the right wing but was easily dispossessed by Spurs defender Micky van de Ven. When trying to win the ball back, Kudus then brought down the centre-back but continued to kick out at the Dutch international after he had hit the deck.

After kicking Van de Ven twice, the Tottenham defender shoved Kudus away before rising to his feet and confronting the forward on his actions. The 24-year-old responded by shoving the defender in his face to spark both teams to clash, with Van de Ven falling to the ground clutching his eye.

Kudus then stepped backwards as Spurs players swarmed around him, which saw him accidentally bump into Richarlison with the back of his head after the Brazil international had looked to storm towards him.

Pape Sarr then rushed to the aid of his teammates and was shoved with both hands in the face by Kudus in another act of violent conduct from the ex-Ajax star as he allowed his frustrations to get the better of him.

After some of the calmer players on the pitch managed to separate the teams, referee Madley gave Van de Ven and Kudus a yellow card each. However, VAR then intervened to rule that the incident required an on-field review for violent conduct from the latter.

Madley watched the series of clips before changing his mind and giving Kudus his marching orders, in what was an unnecessary blow for the Hammers after what has already proved a tricky campaign so far.