Express

Eddie Howe has praised the extraordinary effort of Newcastle defender Sven Botman after he marked his eagerly-anticipated return with a strong display in a 2-1 win at Tottenham.

Fabian Schar's suspension meant Botman was thrust into the Magpies line-up to make his first competitive appearance since March following anterior cruciate ligament damage.

Botman had played an hour for Newcastle's Under-21s last month and featured in other behind-closed-doors matches but was immediately up against it in his comeback display after Dominic Solanke beat him to Pedro Porro's cross to put Spurs ahead in the fourth minute.

Newcastle fought back to claim a sixth consecutive victory in all competitions through first-half goals by Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak, with Dutch centre-back Botman able to produce an assured display to cement the club's fifth-place spot in the Premier League.

"I wouldn't play him if I didn't feel he was physically ready," Howe explained. "He has been very dedicated to his recovery. We've seen him put in an extraordinary amount of work before he started training with us.

"He has been training with us now for six weeks, I think. He has had three games and looked good in those games. Of course he won't be at his optimum level but that will come in the following months.

"I thought he was physically ready to play and mentally ready to play because he's been champing at the bit to be involved again. A difficult start for him and the team because Tottenham scored, but a great response and I thought he did very well."

The latest win for Newcastle increases confidence ahead of Tuesday's Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at Arsenal.

Howe again stuck with the core group of players at Tottenham who have helped the North East club rise from 12th to fifth in the Premier League over the last month and acknowledged they need to be at their energetic best against Mikel Arteta's title-challenging side.

He added: "We've started to win games, so I've been very reluctant to changes things and unbalance what has been working for us. Sometimes even within a game that has been evident that I haven't wanted to change the dynamic too much unless I feel like I absolutely have to.

"We need to assess how the players feel and certainly need energetic players for Arsenal.

"It will be a physical game, a very quick turnaround but it is the same for Arsenal and if anything they have had a harder schedule the last few days, so let's see how we feel."

Tottenham, meanwhile, have dropped to 12th after they suffered a fifth defeat from their last seven league fixtures but Postecoglou was proud of his team given they were without 10 players and remains steadfast in his belief of bringing success to the club.

"I have never lacked confidence," Postecoglou insisted. "I get that the results aren't there and I get that whether people want to accept the situation we are in, but you saw the performance of Archie (Gray), you saw Lucas (Bergvall), he was unbelievable as an 18-year-old to play in that position.

"I just see so much to be positive about but we need to win games of football and usually when you play well, you do most things right, you get the rewards. Unfortunately we were denied."

Tottenham have completed their first signing of the January transfer window with the addition of Slavia Prague goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky.

Spurs have been without first-choice stopper Guglielmo Vicario since he fractured his ankle during the 4-0 win over Manchester City on November 23 and he is set to be sidelined until the end of February.

Fraser Forster initially deputised to good effect but Tottenham have only won two of their last 11 games in all competitions amid an injury crisis and the England international missed Saturday's 2-1 loss at home to Newcastle with illness.

Kinsky completed a medical at Tottenham on Saturday and has signed a contract until 2031 with the deal set to be worth £12.5million add-ons.

The Czech Republic Under-21 international has made 29 appearances for Slavia Prague this season and kept 14 clean sheets.

After Kinsky started his career at Dukla Prague, he moved across the city to join Slavia in 2021 and following loan spells with Vyskov and Pardubice, he has established himself as a regular, but will now continue his career in England.

When it rains, it pours. Tottenham are certainly finding that out now, after another defeat left boss Ange Postecoglou hanging by a thread.

The Ausrtralian could only watch on as his Spurs side looked second best all afternoon to Newcastle, lacklustre in possession and bereft of ideas going forward.

Express Sport runs the rule over the player ratings, following a poor showing in North London.

Austin - Making a late debut for Spurs and tried his best, despite the chaos of the defence in front of him. 6/10

Porro - Didn't step up in the big moments, and looked ineffective of the break which is usually a strength of his game. A late pinpoint cross into Solanke was a redeeming feature in some small measure. 6/10

Dragusin - Confidence still not all there. Removed at the half-way point. Not the player Spurs fans were led to believe they would be getting. 5/10

Gray - The youngster is still plugging away out of position, but this isn't the start to his Spurs career that he wanted, or expected. Struggled with the presence of Isak. 6/10

Spence - Found himself playing in different areas across the back line. The turbulence of the Spurs team isn't helping his cause. Made a few positive runs forward. 5/10

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Bergvall - Nice touches on the ball but could not get into the tempo of the game. The opposition midfield overran the youngster. 6/10

Sarr - Needed to be a force and didn't live up to the billing. Caught the fury of Postecoglou on a couple of occasions. 5/10

Johnson - Plenty of running but minimal end product. His early season form seems a world away. 6/10

Werner - Looks like a player at the end of his tether. Doesn't see eye to eye with the manager, and it's reflected in the inconsistent wok rate. 4/10

Kulusevski - One of the most talented players in this Tottenham team but struggled to lay much of a glove on Newcastle. His head went down when his forward runs were thwarted. 6/10

Solanke - A warrior up front but increasingly isolated. Newcastle saw him as easy pickings, given the lack of support. Held the ball up were possible and asked a few questions. Shouldv'e scored late on with a header but aimed it straight at Dubravka. 7/10

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Tottenham are reportedly on the brink of signing a new goalkeeper, with 21-year-old Slavia Prague sensation Antonin Kinsky nearing a £12.5million permanent transfer to the North London outfit.

Spurs suffered a blow when Guglielmo Vicario fractured his foot during their 4-0 triumph over Manchester City last November, and experienced shot-stopper Fraser Forster has been filling in for the Italian with varying degrees of success, letting in 25 goals from his 13 appearances this season.

Now, Tottenham have set their sights on securing Kinsky's services for both the immediate and long-term future according to Di Marzio, as they look to provide competition for Vicario's number one spot.

The young Czech is currently the first-choice keeper for Slavia, who are leading their league by a comfortable 10-point margin, and he boasts experience in both the Europa League and Champions League qualifiers.

Kinsky has an impressive record of 12 clean sheets from his 19 league games this season. Football.London claim that Spurs considered Wolves' Sam Johnstone and Bayern's Daniel Peretz before settling on Kinsky as their preferred choice.

Meanwhile, Brandon Austin is expected to make his Tottenham debut in the Premier League clash against Newcastle on Saturday afternoon, with Forster believed to be among those hit by a sickness bug in the squad.

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An injury crisis at the back has scuppered Spurs this season, with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Ben Davies and Destiny Udogie all missing extended periods of the campaign.

Postecoglou confirmed that the club, led by chairman Daniel Levy, were working hard in the background to get a few new faces in the door before the window closes next month.

"It's not a matter of pushing, but I think, the club are working hard to try and sort of get some help for the playing group and it’s no secret, we need to bolster our numbers up a little bit," the Aussie said on Friday.

"So the club's working hard on that and obviously January is not an easy month we understand it's not an easy time to bring people in particularly, you know, quickly and at the same time we still wanna make sure we do what we think is the best thing for us rather than sort of just, you know, panic and bring people in who aren’t going to be a suitable fit."

Kinsky is not thought to be viewed as a long-term backup to Vicario, but rather a goalkeeper that could push the Italian stopper as Postecoglou seeks to improve Spurs' defensive record.

Only Premier League leaders Liverpool have scored more goals in the competition than Spurs this season, but their inability to keep teams out have left the north London outfit languishing in 11th place.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has revealed that Destiny Udogie will be out of action for about six weeks following his hamstring injury incurred in the clash with Wolves. The setback happened during last Sunday's fixture at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Udogie having to make way for Sergio Reguilon after suffering early in the second half.

Clearly struggling, Udogie’s difficulty leaving the pitch hinted at the seriousness of the injury, and he now joins the extensive injury roster at Spurs, alongside teammates Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Ben Davies and Cristian Romero.

In anticipation of the upcoming match against Newcastle United on Saturday, the manager provided an update in his pre-match presser. He signalled that Van de Ven, Davies, and Romero should be back by the end of January, and there's optimism that Richarlison and Mikey Moore could be available next week.

However, Vicario is out until the closing days of February. .

Tottenham have reportedly identified the three areas they need to strengthen this winter after a turbulent sequence of results under Ange Postecoglou.

A damaging 6-3 defeat at home to Liverpool last month was followed by another loss at Nottingham Forest and a disappointing draw with Wolves. Prior to those matches, Spurs edged a seven-goal Carabao Cup thriller with Manchester United and put five past Southampton.

Although there is never a dull moment with Postecoglou at the helm, Tottenham remain stranded in the bottom half of the Premier League table with seven wins in 19 games. Only Liverpool are currently bettering their 41 league goals this term, but the north Londoners have shipped more than relegation battlers Everton.

The Spurs board are sticking with Postecoglou, and they could back him with three important signings before the end of the month. According to football.london, technical director Johan Lange is hunting down a left-back, a centre-back and a midfielder.

Tottenham's current left-back, Destiny Udogie, injured his hamstring at the weekend. And with back-up option Sergio Reguilon firmly out of favour, Postecoglou could be forced to improvise. Even when Udogie was rested in recent weeks, the manager opted to play right-footers on their weaker side.

Crystal Palace star Tyrick Mitchell has been linked but others could also come into the equation as the window takes shape.

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Postecoglou has also been caught short in central defence this season, with the absence of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero - two fast and aggressive defenders perfectly suited to the manager's style of play - has had a catastrophic impact on Spurs' back line.

Radu Dragusin has failed to convince since getting a run of games in the first team, and 18-year-old Archie Gray was always going to find it tough in an unfamiliar position. Tottenham were linked with Paris Saint-Germain wantaway Milan Skriniar last month, but Galatasaray are reportedly pushing to beat them to the punch.

In midfield, doubt has been cast over whether Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma meet Postecoglou's requirements. Gray and Lucas Bergvall are both exciting prospects, but they will both need handling with care given their age.

Tottenham are rumoured to be in amongst the cluster of clubs with an interest in Lille star Angel Gomes, whose stock increased with a run in England's senior team under interim manager Lee Carsley. Gomes, 24, has been a regular in Ligue 1 and the Champions League this season.

Aaron Lennon has opened up about how he earned staggering figures with Leeds United during their extraordinary financial meltdown, which led to him joining Tottenham Hotspur.

Lennon became one of the most-coveted youngsters in the country after making his debut at the age of 16 in August 2003, ironically against Spurs.

At the time, Leeds had been battling against horrendous financial mismanagement from the Peter Risdale regime, and Lennon's contract reflected the absurd numbers involved despite being only a teenager.

When he was just 14 years of age, Lennon signed a contract that included huge bonuses and appearance fees that would eventually cripple Leeds just for playing him.

He claimed his contract included clauses that saw him earn £10,000 for every appearance, and £100,000 after every five senior outings when he turned professional.

“Mine was done quite ruthlessly. Ken Bates came in and to be fair to him, I didn’t understand at the time but my contract was good," Lennon said on Rio Ferdinand’s Five podcast.

"It was £5,000 a week, as soon as [I] turned pro, and £10,000 an appearance. The incentives were crazy. It was like every time I played five games, I would get £100k.

"At that time I signed, I was 14. So they are thinking 'he isn’t going to play', there was no money in it unless you played. But then I started breaking in.

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"My contract was silly looking back. It was crazy numbers and they were thinking 'he won’t play'. But then I started playing.

"I was on the bench and they couldn’t put me on because I was going to hit one of those appearances."

Lennon ended up sitting on the bench for that very reason, with manager Peter Reid supposedly hamstrung by the financial weight that came with playing their promising winger.

Eventually, his team-mates and the fans made it clear that Lennon should be playing, leaving the manager with no choice but to put him on.

"I remember Gary Kelly going mad and saying our best player is on the bench now, our most in-form winger is on the bench. I was just sat there and Leeds fans were singing my name," he added.

"But eventually he [Reid] put me on because it got that bad with the fans singing my name they had to put me on."

But his time at Elland Road was cut short when chairman Ken Bates, the former Chelsea owner, forced him out of the club after agreeing to sell him to Spurs following their relegation from the Premier League.

"I remember at the end of the season Ken Bates told me 'you are done at this club'. Because of the money," Lennon said. "It wasn’t even in a nice way. And I was like 'this is my hometown'.

"I was upset and I remember going away and got the call saying they have accepted a bid, you are going Tottenham."

Lennon would go on to make a success of his time in the capital after arriving in the summer of 2004 for just £1million, scoring 30 goals in 364 appearances in a 10-year spell with the north London outfit.

The former England international went on to have spells with Everton, Burnley and Kayserispor in Turkey before ending his career with the Clarets at Turf Moor in 2022.

Now 37, Lennon is working closely with the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) as he begins his coaching career.

Tottenham may well have taken their eye off the ball in sorting out Son Heung-min's future after their recent decline under Ange Postecoglou.

So much has been made about the futures of Liverpool trio Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk that Son could quite easily slip out the back door this summer without anyone noticing.

The South Korean star will be free to talk to foreign clubs about a pre-contract agreement in the coming days, which would then see him secure a Bosman transfer after his current deal expires in June 2025.

Whatever happens in the future, Son has cemented his legacy as a Tottenham great with 169 goals in 425 appearances since his £23million switch from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015.

He has hit double digits for league goals in every season since his debut campaign in England. But now that he is halfway through his 10th year in the Premier League, Son's future looks far from certain at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The good news for Spurs is that Son claims he won't be swayed by money in deciding his future, having previously snubbed offers from the Saudi Pro League.

"I have many things to do in the Premier League," he said in June 2023. "Money doesn't matter to me now, and the pride of playing football, to play in my favourite league is important."

However, the underlying issue for Postecoglou and chairman Daniel Levy is figuring out what to do with Son in his twilight years.

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After all, he turns 33 in July and it's fair to say his form has taken a nosedive in 2024-25, although the same can be said for many of his team-mates.

Son has scored just five times in 16 league matches, assisting a further six. Compare that to Salah, who is also 32 and in the final year of his contract, and it doesn't reflect well that the Liverpool star has left him in his shadow with 17 goals and 12 assists for the Reds.

The fact Son has been outscored by Brennan Johnson is one thing, but Dejan Kulusevski has also snatched his title as Spurs' chief creator.

It wasn't long ago that Spurs couldn't do without Son; now there is a feeling they might be better off leaving him at home.

Of course, that opinion is not shared throughout the club's fanbase. He remains a perennial figure, and his candid assessment of the club's disappointing form on the pitch proves his suitability for the captaincy. There is also no obvious contender to replace Son, with loanee Timo Werner wasteful in the final third and Richarlison worryingly prone to injury.

With no succession plan in place, it would represent a huge gamble to risk leaving Son's contract unsigned heading into the final months of the season.

Some may suggest that Mikey Moore is the heir apparent to the veteran winger, but it is far too soon to hand the 17-year-old such responsibility, especially when he is coming back from a serious illness.

With Spurs already struggling, now is not the time to let go of one of their most loyal and cherished club servants - they must keep Son until the order is restored in north London.

Tottenham Hotspur are keeping a close eye on Jack Grealish as the winter transfer window looms. The 29-year-old has had a mixed season at Manchester City, with only half of his 18 appearances being starts and just two assists to his name - both of which were made in September.

His last goal for City was over a year ago in December, ending last season with a total of three goals and three assists from 36 appearances across all competitions.

Despite this, Grealish managed to net twice for England this autumn after being recalled by Lee Carsley for the Nations League campaign, having been left out of Gareth Southgate's European Championship squad.

The Daily Mail report that Grealish could be set to leave City next month, despite Pep Guardiola's insistence that he doesn't expect any departures in January.

Newcastle United and Spurs are said to be monitoring his situation, while ex-Spurs player Kyle Walker is also reportedly considering his options.

According to football.london, Grealish's wages would be substantial and it is believed that any interest would depend on City continuing to pay a large portion of the player's salary in exchange for Spurs taking him on loan.

Reportedly earning around £300,000 per week, Grealish would comfortably become the highest-paid player at Spurs, surpassing Heung-Min Son, if a move were to happen. This would also be the case at Newcastle, where wages are similar to those at Spurs.

Such a move could resemble the transfer deadline day loan deal that saw Arsenal sign Raheem Sterling from Chelsea during the summer transfer window.

Football.london understands that they did not pay a loan fee and have no obligation to make the move permanent. There is also confidence that the Gunners have secured a fantastic deal in terms of the percentage of his wages that they are paying.