The New York Times

Crystal Palace have rejected a major offer from Tottenham Hotspur to sign Marc Guehi.

The offer for the England international, 24, was for a permanent transfer but was knocked back. Spurs and other clubs are expected to try again in the summer.

Guehi was the subject of four unsuccessful bids from Newcastle United in the summer, with the final one worth up to £65million including add-ons. Palace head coach Oliver Glasner confirmed at the end of August the defender would be remaining at the club.

He has 18 months remaining on his Palace contract, which runs until 2026.

Guehi joined Palace from Chelsea for £18m in the summer of 2021 and has made 134 appearances for the club.

He broke into the England senior squad in 2022 and was a key figure for Gareth Southgate’s side at the 2024 European Championship, starting all but one of his country’s matches during their run to the final.

Guehi was named club captain ahead of the 2024-25 season and has featured 28 times in all competitions for Palace this season, scoring twice.

Palace saw defender Trevoh Chalobah recalled by Chelsea from his loan earlier this month but are set to sign Ben Chilwell — again on loan from Chelsea — pending a medical.

(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

This is the type of game — tight, tense, away from home — that Tottenham Hotspur never win.

This is the type of performance — gritty, canny, efficient — that they rarely produce.

At Brentford on Sunday, Ange Postecoglou’s depleted, patched-together Spurs turned all the perceptions and narratives about them on their head. This might not be Spurs’ best win of the season given the quality of other teams they have beaten, but it might be their most important.

Because they came here on a seven-game winless run in the league. Their last league victory, at Southampton, was seven weeks ago. Since then, they have drifted further down the league table than anyone thought possible.

Because Postecoglou came here without a single senior specialist centre-back available and was forced to play Archie Gray and Ben Davies together. Even Spurs’ fit players are exhausted, worn down by having to carry this club on their backs every Thursday and Sunday for the past few months.

Because this was at Brentford, who had lost only three league games at home this season and seem to embody so many of the values Tottenham have lacked this season.

The strange thing about Spurs’ season is that for all the frustration and disappointment — the 13 league defeats and the painful drift down the table — there have been some remarkable high points: two wins against Manchester City, two against Manchester United and one against Liverpool. They have blown teams away with expansive attacking football and played at a tempo no one can stop. All but one of their league wins before Sunday were by at least three goals.

But life under Postecoglou has been a house of cards. Either it is brilliant or it falls apart. Tottenham could do the thrilling, emphatic ‘statement wins’ when everything clicked into place, but they could not do the other side. The normal wins, ground out against the odds, with their backs to the wall. This is what Tottenham had desperately needed for the past few months, to find a way to win ugly, to win a league game where they did not destroy the opposition but still found a way nonetheless.

Of Spurs’ 13 league defeats this season, 12 of them were by one-goal margins. Only the 6-3 to Liverpool was by more than that. There have been many times when the game was tight and up for grabs for whichever side was cleverer, luckier, or more efficient — and Spurs kept losing. If they are to get out of this mess and start climbing back up the table, they needed to start finding ways to win games like this.

Spurs’ style on Sunday was not what many have come to expect from a Postecoglou team, but then anyone paying attention knows they have not played like that for months. How could they given the fixture schedule and their injury crisis? They have had only one free midweek since club football resumed after the November international break. The same small core of players — Pedro Porro, Dejan Kulusevski, Son Heung-min, Gray — are giving their all twice a week, every week. The game plan had to change to something more conservative, more repeatable, more robust.

There have been plenty of league games recently when Spurs worked as hard as they could but did not get the rewards for their effort. This time, they finally did.

It was built on the solidity of Gray and Davies together at centre-back. Neither is a specialist in that position. Gray is an 18-year-old playing his 15th game on the spin. Davies is 31 and in his 11th season at Spurs, just back from an injury and straight into the firing line. But both of them were exceptional. They constantly headed away crosses (Brentford attempted 37). They were rewarded with Spurs’ first league clean sheet since beating Southampton on December 15.

Then there was Djed Spence, back in the team after three games out. He produced his best performance for Tottenham, shackling Bryan Mbeumo and showing remarkable poise, balance and maturity throughout. He is a supremely gifted footballer and Spurs look much better with him in the team.

In midfield, Rodrigo Bentancur played as well as he has all season. He was everywhere, spotting danger before anyone else and shutting it down. Spurs desperately needed his experience and he provided all of it and more.

Then there was Kulusevski, in midfield in the first half, on the right in the second. He has dug deeper than anyone this season and remains Tottenham’s best way of moving the ball forward when they are struggling to build up.

But the most impressive thing was not just the aggregate performance of the individuals on the pitch, it was the way they did things you might not expect them to do.

Everyone knows Spurs have struggled on set pieces over the years and that Brentford specialise in them. But on this occasion, it was Spurs who took the lead from a corner, as Son curled in a delivery, Brentford goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson could not get to it, and the ball went in off Vitaly Janelt.

Brentford bombarded the Spurs box throughout, but Tottenham’s defence was always equal to it. Antonin Kinsky made two good first-half saves, but mainly it was Gray, Davies, Spence and Porro doing the hard work, with Bentancur and Yves Bissouma sweeping up in front of them.

In the second half, Spurs slowed the game down, happily eating up time when required. Richarlison walked off the pitch when substituted for Dane Scarlett. Son took his time over corners to the fury of the home fans. Kinsky never rushed to get the ball back into play from goal kicks.

And having taken the lead from a set piece, Spurs completed the win from a counter-attack. Bentancur found Son, who took advantage of Pape Matar Sarr’s dynamic forward run. He beautifully finished past Valdimarsson. Postecoglou’s celebration told a story of all the pent-up frustration from the past few months.

After the final whistle, all the Spurs players gathered in a huddle in front of the jubilant away end before they went over to take their applause. Maybe it was not a ‘statement win’ in the style of their last league victory (5-0 at Southampton in December), or the one before that (4-0 at Manchester City in November), or the one before that (4-1 against Aston Villa in November), or the one before that (4-1 against West Ham United in October).

But think what made up this win: one set piece, one counter-attack, two stand-in centre-backs, plenty of tired legs, lots of defensive headers, a fair bit of game management, backs to the wall, spirit, nous, intelligence and efficiency. Maybe this is what a statement win really looks like.

(Top photo: Charlotte Wilson/Offside via Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou has said that it remains a possibility that there are no further signings at the club this month.

Spurs completed the transfer of 21-year-old goalkeeper Antonin Kinksy from Slavia Prague on January 5 but have not made any more additions to the squad since then.

Postecoglou’s side take on German side Hoffenheim in their seventh league-phase game of the Europa League on Thursday and are set to be without 14 players as they make the trip to Germany.

When asked if there was a chance that Tottenham would not not sign anybody else this window, Postecoglou said: “Yeah, potentially. The club is working hard to get some help for the players. As far as I know at the moment there’s nothing imminent but things happen quickly in the last week of the window, so still hopeful.”

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The Transfer DealSheet: The latest on your club and the January window

Spurs have an extensive list of unavailable players with Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven, Pape Matar Sarr, Yves Bissouma, Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner, Wilson Odobert and Dominic Solanke all out with injury.

Sarr is the newest addition to the injury list after picking up a knock in a 3-2 defeat against Everton on Sunday. “Pape has a slight knock from the weekend, so he’s out,” said Postecoglou. “He tried to train (today) but he’s still a bit sore from the weekend. We’re hoping it’s not something that will keep him out for too long, he has a chance for the weekend, but the turn around was too quick.”

Full-backs Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon will also be unavailable on Thursday due to not being registered in Tottenham’s Europa League squad. Kinsky and teenage winger Yang Min-hyeok — who joined the club at the start of the month after signing in the summer — are also unregistered.

Postecoglou added that Rodrigo Bentancur is back in the squad after suffering a concussion in his side’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Liverpool. Centre-back Cristian Romero has returned to training but was deemed not ready to feature against Hoffenheim and will be out for “probably another week to 10 days”.

Spurs are enduring a miserable run of form, only winning four of their last 15 games in all competitions and sit 15th in the Premier League, only eight points off the relegation zone. They are ninth in the Europa League table, one place outside the automatic qualification spots for the last 16.

Despite the team’s struggles, Postecoglou was able to see the funny side of the situation when the press conference was paused due to the German translator coughing. “We’ve lost the translator as well, even my translator’s injured!” he joked.

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Watch: Who is to blame for Tottenham's rut?

(Top photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Richarlison has returned to full fitness and could feature for Tottenham Hotspur in Wednesday night’s north London derby against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Richarlison has struggled with injuries since he joined Spurs from Everton for £60million in July 2022. He missed most of their pre-season tour in Japan and South Korea last summer with a calf problem but came off the bench in their opening two league games.

The Brazilian then suffered a setback and made his return as a substitute in a 4-1 victory over West Ham United on October 19.

A couple of weeks later, the 27-year-old suffered a hamstring injury in a 4-1 win against Aston Villa and has been unavailable since then. The forward has been restricted to seven appearances in all competitions this term and only one of them was as a starter.

“He has been harassing me for the last 10 days to be involved but we have been disciplined with that and he has looked really good in training,” said Postecoglou. “He looks ready to go so really happy to get him back involved.”

Richarlison’s return comes at the perfect time as head coach Ange Postecoglou revealed Timo Werner suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday’s 3-0 win over Tamworth in the third round of the FA Cup.

“Not too bad,” Postecoglou said when asked about the state of his squad after beating Tamworth in extra-time. “It takes a fair bit out of the players so we have done some extra recovery.

“The only one who picked up an injury is Timo. He did a hamstring injury and we are waiting on the results of that scan. Everyone else apart from being sore is okay. In terms of incoming, Richarlison is available.”

After Arsenal, Tottenham visit Everton on Sunday, January 19, before resuming their Europa League campaign away at Hoffenheim on Thursday, January 23.

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Postecoglou says Tottenham will not terminate Werner loan

(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Manchester United would reluctantly consider selling homegrown players, such as Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, as part of their efforts to comply with football’s financial rules.

The club are not actively looking to sanction the exit of either talent but the reality of their situation means the possibility cannot be discounted if suitable offers arrive.

Having both come through United’s youth setup, midfielder Mainoo, 19, and winger Garnacho, 20, are among those who would represent pure accounting profit if they were ever to be traded. This is why they are not regarded as untouchable and the same applies for most of the first-team squad.

That includes team-mates like Marcus Rashford, 27, although his situation differs in that United are consciously working on exit solutions, plus the out-of-favour forward has said he is “ready for a new challenge and the next steps”.

Full story below

There is also a game tonight, of course! It’s Arsenal vs Newcastle Utd at Emirates Stadium in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.

The even better news is that we have full live coverage of the game with our team of correspondents, including my esteemed colleague Max Mathews.

You can catch all the build-up right now — and the action later — in our live coverage here.

Let’s bring you a couple of quick Arsenal-themed lines, starting with a former manager.

Charlotte Harpur reports that Jonas Eidevall has taken over as head coach at San Diego Wave.

The latest National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) boss has signed a three-year contract, having been out of football since parting ways with Arsenal in October.

The Wave had been looking for a new permanent head coach since Casey Stoney departed midway through the 2024 season. Paul Buckle and then Landon Donovan were in interim charge. Here’s Eidevall:

💬 “This is a club with a clear vision for success, both on and off the field, and I am grateful for the trust placed in me to lead this talented team.

“San Diego is a city with passionate fans and a vibrant futbol culture, and I’m eager to contribute to building a winning legacy here.”

Eidevall joined Arsenal from Rosengard in 2021, winning the League Cup in 2023 and 2024.

Transfer windows are usually good for a cautionary tale, so how about this.

Guangzhou FC, China’s most successful football club, won’t be allowed to play professionally during the 2025 season — due to financial issues.

The eight-times Chinese Super League (CSL) winners played their part in the league’s pursuit of top talent at inflated prices a decade ago.

Yet the club’s parent company Evergrande has since fallen into severe financial difficulty and 12 months ago, was ordered to liquidate after amassing over $300billion in debt.

Guangzhou have played their last two seasons in the second tier following relegation from the Super League in 2022.

You will find more on this one from Ali Rampling, below.

There is nothing like a transfer window to start focusing owners’ minds on who their head coach is — and whether they want something else.

That conversation is taking place around Everton now, it seems. But Sean Dyche doesn’t mind it. In fact, he thinks it is exactly what the club’s new ownership — The Friedkin Group — should be assessing.

Here is Dyche, speaking at his media conference just now:

💬 “If you’re a club or business of this size, succession planning should be part of their (owners’) due diligence.

“I’ve got no problem with that at all and think that should be ongoing at every club. It’s how it is in normal business life.

“(We have) got to win games. We haven’t done that enough this season…and it comes down to me, without a shadow of a doubt.”

We have already touched on the ongoing, remarkable situation at Barcelona with Dani Olmo. Well, now one of his team-mates has gone public on it all.

Olmo and Pau Victor have both been de-registered from Barca’s first-team squad — leading to the club planning to file a complaint to the Spanish government in their final attempt to make room for the pair long-term.

Well, now Raphinha has spoken on the topic ahead of the Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Athletic Club tomorrow in Riyadh.

Asked about whether the situation would put off potential January and summer signings, he said:

💬 “Yes, it can have an impact, I can’t say the opposite. If I was in another club seeing the situation they are going through, I would probably wonder if coming here is the best option.

“When I signed for Barca I knew the situation the club was going through. I saw a chance to play for this shirt and I waited until the very last moment. I don’t regret at all my decision”.

You will find more on this one from Pol Ballus and Colin Millar with the link below.

Tottenham host the Premier League leaders tomorrow night, although Liverpool will be visiting in the first leg of a Carabao Cup semi-final.

There will be some big calls for Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou there, especially given this may well be his best route to another piece of second-season silverware — something he highlighted was a recurring theme at the clubs he manages.

Antonin Kinsky is their new goalkeeper signing from Slavia Prague, while Fraser Forster is back in training too. So who will Postecoglou opt for? Here’s what he said today:

💬 “He (Kinsky) arrived on Sunday. He’s had a couple of days training. He is registered and eligible. We still have to do a couple of things with him and then we will see.

“He is one we had earmarked for the summer. We’ve tracked him all season and he is definitely someone we are really excited about.

“Obviously, with our current goalkeeping situation we explored the possibility of bringing him in this January. It wasn’t easy because he was doing very well for his club, his club is doing well, they are in Europe and top of their league.

“The club worked really hard to get the deal done and it is a huge benefit to us; it adds real quality to our goalkeepers.”

This could be one to watch.

There is plenty of interest across a wide range of clubs including Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur in RC Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov.

David Ornstein reports that Lens are looking to do a deal in excess of €40million for Khusanov, who is an Uzbekistan international.

That price could rule some clubs, namely Spurs, out of the battle for Khusanov this month but expect competition for a promising young talent.

Read more on the clubs in the running on The Athletic's Transfer DealSheet.

Ok, so this is not strictly transfer-related but it is too fun not to share.

When Wolves' and Ipswich Town's game in December ended with heated clashes between staff and players from the two sides, Mateus Cunha's involvement saw him handed a two match ban.

The written reasons for the Wolves forward's suspension have now been published after he was spotted elbowing an Ipswich staff member in the head before pulling his glasses from his face.

A report from the independent regulatory commission that handed out the ban and an £80,000 fine to Cunha included a letter of apology and an offer for the Brazilian to pay for replacement glasses for the Ipswich staff member.

For more about the findings of the commission and the fallout from the ugly scenes after Wolves' 2-1 defeat, click the link below.

Any club interested in Athletic Club’s Nico Williams know his price — his release clause is around €60million.

That figure will fluctuate somewhat with inflation but reflects the potential of one of the most highly-rated young players in European football.

The 22-year-old Spanish international was under consideration by Liverpool in the summer and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta would like to sign him this month.

However, the finances of the deal make that unlikely at this stage.

Read more about Williams’ Bilbao future and potential destinations on The Athletic’s Transfer DealSheet below.

The announcement of new signing Julio Soler earlier today will excite fans but it will do little to soften the blow of news of Evanilson's metatarsal injury for Bournemouth.

He has been central to Andoni Iraola's side in their climb to seventh in the Premier League, contributing five goals in his 19 appearances this season.

Bournemouth confirmed that the 25-year-old had “undergone a successful procedure to repair a fractured metatarsal” after he scans confirmed extent of the injury sustained during Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Everton.

With only Enes Unal now fit as a recognised senior striker in their squad, could Bournemouth's hand be forced this month as Evanilson enters a period of rehab and recovery?

They have already dipped into the market twice, for left-back Soler and centre-back Matai Akinmboni.

“Football is full of surprises,” says Neymar Jr, which is one way of describing a potential reunion with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

Neymar has been speaking to CNN about the possibility of playing with his former Barcelona team mates again, when the trio were dubbed 'MSN' for their goal scoring exploits as a front three between 2014 and 2017.

Though he insists he is happy at current club Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, the Brazilian has floated the idea of getting the band back together.

Messi and Suarez are team mates at Inter Miami in MLS these days so two thirds of the job of reviving MSN is already done.

💬 “They are my friends. We still speak to each other. It would be interesting to revive this trio,” Neymar said.

Mic drop.

As the Premier League becomes ever more transitional, it is easy to see why Randal Kolo Muani is attracting interest from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Although his minutes at PSG have been limited, Kolo Muani thrived in end-to-end games for former club Eintracht Frankfurt, enjoying his freedom at the top of an expansive team.

Despite standing at 6ft 1in (1.87m), he is quick enough to play across the front line, and caught the eye on the flanks throughout his youth career due to his blend of trickery, pace, and a rangy running style.

His shot map shows a range of finishes across the width of the box, able to both rise high for headers, but also sort out his feet and get good contact on crosses and cutbacks on either side.

Kolo Muani’s best seasons — in terms of outperforming his expected goals (xG) — have come in the campaigns where he has had a consistent run of minutes to build up a scoring rhythm.

Confidence is understandably low at present, but there is potential for the team that can provide Kolo Muani a new home.

We heard from Arne Slot earlier that he’s happy with his Liverpool squad as it stands and there may not be much business done this month at the Premier League leaders.

And that is fine — although I’d recommend the odd conversation about contract renewals…

But maybe the Liverpool boss should be looking to make one recruit during the transfer window: a set-piece coach?

The graphic above is fresh off the press from our senior data analyst Mark Carey, and has Liverpool — arguably the best side in Europe right now — as the WEAKEST team from dead-ball situations across the entire Premier League.

I know. I couldn’t believe it either. Although it means they are also scoring a huge amount of open-play goals.

For more context, give Andy Jones’ recent analysis a read below — and be thankful we got through two successive Liverpool posts without mentioning Trent Alexander-Arno… Oh.

Nottingham Forest have started contract talks with defender Murillo, who is enjoying an impressive spell in English football.

The 22-year-old’s current contract runs until 2028 but Forest know a good player when they have one and have added his name to their list set for contract talks.

Ola Aina and Chris Wood, who are both out of contract in the summer, are also in talks with the City Ground club.

If they can tie Murillo down it will be smart business from Forest, with clubs in Spain as well as Tottenham and Chelsea interested in him last summer.

Since signing from Corinthians in Brazil in 2023, Murillo has made 55 appearances in all competitions for Forest and has started all but one league game under Nuno Espirito Santo this season.

Bournemouth have their second signing of the January window and his name is Julio Soler.

The Premier League side has confirmed the arrival of the 19-year-old on a four-year contract from Argentinian side Lanus.

Left-back Soler made 58 first team appearances for Lanus’ senior team after progressing through the academy, and is also an Argentina under-23 international.

He joins centre-back Matai Akinmboni as a new arrival in Andoni Iraola’s squad, with Bournemouth seventh in the Premier League table.

The teenager will have competition in the form of regular starter Milos Kerkez.

Happy with that one, Bournemouth fans?

Randal Kolo Muani does not want to be remembered as the player who missed — which is why getting any move away from Paris St Germain right is crucial.

Kolo Muani enjoyed a breakthrough tournament for France at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and was the player who raced through on goal with the score against Argentina locked at 3-3 in the dying minutes of the final.

We all know how that ended: with a huge save from goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

But there is much more to Kolo Muani than just that moment, even if he has struggled for game time at PSG this season.

Since joining the French side from Eintracht Frankfurt in September 2023, the 26-year-old has scored 11 goals in 54 appearances but is now drawing interest from Manchester United, Tottenham and Juventus.

A loan deal could be on the cards with Kolo Muani under contract at PSG until 2028 and in need of game time.

Tottenham Hotspur have triggered the option to extend captain Son Heung-min’s contract until 2026.

The 32-year-old’s existing deal had been due to expire at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, meaning he would have been free to sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club from this January.

However, Spurs had always maintained they intended to exercise the option to keep him at the club for a further year.

Son joined Tottenham from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015 and has made 431 appearances — the 11th most in the club’s history — and scored 169 goals — putting him fourth in the club’s all-time top goal scorers list. He was named club captain in August 2023.

Son has made 23 appearances in all competitions this season, providing seven goals and six assists.

The South Korea international was one of four Spurs players whose contracts are set to expire at the end of the season, alongside Fraser Forster, Sergio Reguilon and Ben Davies. The Athletic reported in November Spurs intend to trigger Davies’ option to extend his deal for a further year.

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It's a difficult subject for Spurs fans, but it's time to talk about Son's form

‘Son Spurs extension no surprise’

The news that Tottenham have formally extended Son Heung-min’s contract comes as no surprise. Spurs have been very open all season that it was their intention to trigger the option, which ensures that Son is contracted to the club for the 2025-26 season, his 11th at the club.

The only issue was the timing. And there is still the possibility of a new, long-term deal being agreed to keep Son at Spurs for even longer than that.

This has not been a vintage season for Son at Tottenham. He has five league goals so far and does not look as sharp as he did last year, whether playing on the left or up front.

But he is still a highly valued figure at the club, the captain, the second-longest serving player (behind Ben Davies) and Tuesday’s news just underlines his importance to the whole organisation.

(Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur have signed goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague in a €16million (£13.3m; $16.5m) deal.

Our writers — experts in transfers, tactics, data and football finance — have come together to rate January’s senior Premier League transfers. This is a continuation of the project we launched last summer, but we have also made some significant tweaks to how we assess each deal.

Gone are the five scores out of 100, and in their place are 10 ratings of 50. This should allow for much more nuance to be reflected in the analysis and, importantly, much more variability in the overall figure each transfer ends up with. Follow the link below for more background on the changes.

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The Athletic 500: What we learned and why we've changed our transfer scoring system

Tactical fit — 42/50

Ange Postecoglou has an unwavering desire to play out from the back, and Antonin Kinsky will help facilitate that in Guglielmo Vicario’s absence.

Kinsky is part of the new breed of goalkeepers who instinctively look to play short passes from goal kicks and can receive the ball and make intelligent decisions under pressure to beat the opposition press.

As the graphic below demonstrates, Kinsky’s most frequently played pass for Slavia Prague in the Europa League this season — albeit a small sample size — was a square ball to the left-sided central defender. It also indicates Kinsky likes to play more direct clipped passes over the opposition’s attacking line and into the second third of the pitch, but he rarely plays long balls.

And he’s not just willing to play under pressure, he’s pretty good at it too. Across six matches in Europe this season, Kinsky averaged an 84.1 per cent success rate, including 90 per cent in a 2-0 win over Ludogorets of Bulgaria and 92 per cent in a 1-0 away defeat to Spain’s Athletic Club. What’s most impressive is that Kinsky has only misplaced one short or medium-length pass out of 140.

Injury record — 45/50

A major mark of approval for Kinsky is his perfect injury record.

Since making his professional debut for Dukla Prague in the Czech Republic’s second division in 2020, he has consistently been fit and available for selection and has been an ever-present for Slavia Prague in the league.

Market value — 38/50

For a club of Tottenham’s size and spending power, a €16million deal for a 21-year-old with significant potential represents low-risk business.

With Vicario unlikely to be back in action until late February or early March, Spurs are effectively signing a first-choice goalkeeper for the short term. After the Italy international returns, Kinsky will likely drop to the bench unless he impresses enough to keep his place ahead of his more senior team-mate, but there are long-term benefits too.

If he makes good on his highly-touted potential, the initial outlay will be looked back on as a bargain.

Contract rationale – 40/50

Kinsky has signed a contract until 2031, allowing him the time to flourish from a top prospect to a potential No 1.

The long-term nature of the deal represents a significant commitment to the Czech Under-21 international, indicating they believe in his chances to become a starter or a high-value asset they can move on in the future. Injury and stunted development make any long-term deal a risk, but it’s a calculated one given his age, potential and impressive injury record.

Recent form – 37/50

Slavia Prague sit at the top of the Czech first division with 50 points from 19 matches, and Kinsky is a big reason why.

Across those 19 games, Kinsky has conceded just seven goals and kept 12 clean sheets. His impressive record is largely due to an excellent defence by Czech standards, as well as an 80 per cent save percentage. For context, no Premier League goalkeeper has higher than 78.7 per cent this season.

His form in the Europa League has not been as strong, conceding seven goals from six matches with a save percentage of 62.5 per cent. However, two excellent saves against Eintracht Frankfurt forwards Omar Marmoush and Hugo Etikite in front of Spurs scouts in a 1-0 defeat will provide confidence that he can produce against more elite competition.

Gap-filling – 45/50

There’s been a gap in quality between the sticks at Spurs since Vicario’s injury, and Kinsky provides a much-needed potential relief to that problem.

Given Kinsky is at the beginning of his career and has yet to face Premier League-level competition consistently, there’s no guarantee he will be an immediate solution. Still, he is a significant improvement on Fraser Forster (who is out of contract at the end of the season) and Brandon Austin (who made his first-team debut for Spurs on Sunday) — particularly in terms of distribution — and provides competition for Vicario with the attributes that Postecoglou demands from his goalkeeper.

Excitement factor – 30/50

Kinsky does not address all of Spurs’ current issues, but there should be excitement within the fanbase that he potentially provides a solution to one of their most glaring.

A backup goalkeeper who had likely not been on the radar of most of the Spurs faithful before the signing was announced will never inspire the kind of reaction that Dominic Solanke did in the summer, but he’s a player who is extremely highly rated in his home country and could help to elevate Postecoglou’s side in the short and long term.

Future-proofing – 37/50

While the transfer fee is not small for a player with such little top-level experience, the opportunity to sign a highly-rated prospect from a club in European competition does not often come cheap.

Still, if Kinsky flourishes into a Premier League and international-level goalkeeper, there is more than enough room for Spurs to make a significant profit should he ever leave.

Rival impact – 25/50

While it’s unlikely executives at Premier League clubs are losing sleep over this deal, it represents a young goalkeeper with the skills to succeed at the top level being taken off the market.

A look across north London, where on-loan Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto is warming the bench for David Raya, provides one example of several unresolved backup goalkeeper situations in the Premier League. What’s even better, however, is that many believe Kinsky will do more than deputise for Vicario; he will potentially offer serious long-term competition for his shirt.

Marketability – 10/50

Despite his exciting potential, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium megastore is unlikely to sell many Kinsky shirts this week. Still, it might be fun to keep an eye out for Czech supporters flying over from Prague to watch the potential heir to Petr Cech’s goalkeeping throne in the coming matches.

Overall rating — 349/500

(Top photo: Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur are close to signing Czech goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky to a long-term deal.

The 21-year-old plays for Czech First League leaders Slavia Prague, where he has kept 12 clean sheets in their 19 league matches.

Sources close to Tottenham have indicated that the Premier League side will pay a fee of more than £10million ($12.4m) including bonuses and add-ons for Kinsky.

The move is expected to be completed later today (Saturday) with Kinsky signing a contract with Spurs until 2030. Kinsky is expected to challenge for the No 1 spot while at Tottenham and is not viewed as a backup.

Spurs lost first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario to a right ankle injury in November, with Fraser Forster deputising in the Italian’s absence in their last 10 games.

Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou confirmed at a news conference on Friday that Vicario was not expected to return to action until the end of February.

Having previously ruled out signing a free agent goalkeeper to challenge Forster in Vicario’s absence, Postecoglou was also again asked about possible additions in the winter transfer window.

“That is the tricky bit around January. Whether that is Spurs or anyone else, if anyone is looking to supplement in January, usually it is because of some sort of need,” Postecoglou said. “Most clubs don’t plan for January reinforcements and that’s why January is always tricky. Not just for us but all clubs.

“You can still hopefully find some common ground where you can get the right kind of player to come in and help the playing group at the moment because they do need that support.

“The club is working as hard as it possibly can, trust me. They are not having New Year parties, they are out there working trying to improve our situation and they’ll continue to do so.”

Kinsky is a Czech youth international but has been called up to their recent senior squads, remaining on the bench for his country’s Nations League fixtures in October and November.

Slavia Prague have been approached for comment.

GO DEEPER

Why Levy, not Postecoglou, is feeling the snap of Spurs' winter of discontent

(Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

When Tottenham Hotspur appointed Ange Postecoglou as their head coach 18 months ago, the dream was that he would bring back the sense of unity and togetherness the club had misplaced. That a fanbase which had been turned off by negative football on the pitch and negative energy from the dugout would be powerfully re-energised.

And there were certainly moments last season — and a few in this one — when it felt like that dream had come true.

On a good day, those where Postecoglou’s Spurs were at their intense, expansive best, the crowd and the players would feed off each other’s energy. Everything felt aligned again.

But now, halfway through the Australian’s second season, all that talk of unity and alignment sounds like wishful thinking from another age. Not just because Spurs are down in 11th place in the Premier League table, currently on course for their worst league season for a generation (14th in 2003-04). But because so much of the optimism, hope and positivity has drained out of the fanbase over the last few months.

Speak to any Tottenham supporter about the state of their club right now and the one word that keeps coming up is “apathy”.

The fans are tuning out. Saturday’s home league game against Newcastle United could be one of the flattest atmospheres of the season. Many have tried to sell their tickets for the match on the club’s official Ticket Exchange. On Thursday, 48 hours before kick-off, there were still broad swathes of purple on the club website’s stadium map, indicating available seats.

Most of those will probably be taken up between now and the match starting tomorrow lunchtime. And it is worth remembering that Tottenham have another home game on Wednesday night — a Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Liverpool. In the context of Spurs’ season, the Liverpool match is far bigger than the Newcastle one. And Tottenham fans who can only afford to attend one of the two games so soon after Christmas may understandably choose to forego Saturday’s Premier League offering.

Then there is the fact that Newcastle’s visit is a Category A fixture — a status it acquired at the start of last season when the men from St James’ Park were a Champions League side. This means that match tickets for Spurs vs Newcastle cost between £71 and £109. If you successfully sell your ticket on the exchange, you can in theory afford to take a whole family to the Liverpool cup tie, where adult tickets are £37 and juniors’ just £10.

Many Tottenham supporters talk about the atmosphere in the club’s new stadium, which opened in the spring of 2019, not being as good as they had hoped. Some fan groups have tried to work with the club to improve this. Spurs have been keen on this too, setting up the matchday atmosphere working group at the start of last season, trying to implement the fans’ ideas where possible, such as a singing section for the recent Europa League match against Roma.

But recently, some of that work has fallen apart.

Last month, Matty (he chose not to give his surname), the head of THFC Flags, which organises the tifo presentations at the ground, stepped aside from the role after years of tiring negotiations with Tottenham about planned displays. Two days after that, @SpursSongSheet wrote on X that it would stop working with the club, saying the two were “misaligned”. And a further two days later Return of the Shelf, a 1,600-strong group, said it had “unanimously voted to step away” from its relationship with Spurs.

But this is not just about especially-motivated fans’ groups. There is something bigger going on here, broader than specific issues with choreography, ticket prices and scheduling, as real as they are. And that is the sense that supporters are not just selling their match tickets, but are emotionally disengaging from this particular campaign.

Some reported feeling more apathetic rather than angry at Spurs’ past two home games: a 6-3 defeat by Liverpool just before Christmas that should have been even more lop-sided and Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers where Spurs conceded an 87th-minute equaliser.

Under normal circumstances, you might expect fans to be furious about results like those, specifically with the players and the manager, but that is not the mood right now. Even though results over recent months, or even the past year (Tottenham have 37 points from their last 30 league games going back to March) are worse than those that got previous managers Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo or Antonio Conte the sack.

Spurs followers are not as unanimously pro-Postecoglou as they were last season — how could they be? — but there is still a broad range of opinion among the fanbase. And there are plenty out there who take the view that the struggles of the team this season are the fault not of the coach but of the board and of the recruitment (sending Postecoglou into the 2024-25 season with only three specialist centre-backs, without senior reinforcements in midfield and without enough reliable goalscorers are the main criticisms). The fact that Postecoglou has to defend club strategy in public twice a week, rather than any of Spurs’ leading executives, also makes people more sympathetic to his cause.

GO DEEPER

Tottenham Hotspur Transfer DealSheet: What to expect from the January window

Perhaps this is the biggest single shift in the fanbase this season.

Opposition to chairman Daniel Levy has always been a fringe view, but one that would at times go mainstream. Like at the end of the 2020-21 season, when Spurs tried to join the mooted European Super League. Or again at the end of the 2022-23 season, when Spurs sacked Conte, and then, four games later, his assistant turned replacement Cristian Stellini.

But the discord of spring 2023 was effectively solved by that summer’s appointment of Postecoglou. Or so it felt at the time.

The hope inside the club was that the fans’ anger was specifically about the defensive style of play under Mourinho and then Conte. Change that, give them some “free-flowing, attacking and entertaining” football, and then Spursworld would be a happy place again. And maybe that felt true last season, as fans fell in love with what they were watching, and fierce opposition to the board became a fringe view again.

GO DEEPER

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This feels different.

Nobody would doubt that Spurs’ football is “free-flowing, attacking and entertaining”; in fact, it is often now excessively so. But that alone has not pacified the fans, and it has not spared Levy from their criticism. In fact, the striking thing about right now is that the failures of the team are being pinned as much on Levy by the fans as on Postecoglou himself. That was never the case with Mourinho or Conte. And maybe that dynamic will grant Postecoglou more time to turn things around.

It is perhaps telling that his name has still been sung at matches in recent weeks, including in the second half of that Liverpool defeat.

But the most widely-heard chant on the terraces has been about this season’s star man, and the chairman: “I don’t care about Levy. He don’t care about me. All I care about… is (Dejan) Kulusevski.”

At least as far as matters on the pitch are concerned, this brief winter of discontent may soon pass and be replaced by sunnier times. If Cristian Romero, fellow centre-back Micky van de Ven and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario can all get fit after injuries then suddenly Tottenham, and even Postecoglou, look like a different proposition.

GO DEEPER

Tottenham Hotspur's 2024: Dejan Kulusevski comes to the fore but inconsistency lingers

Whenever Spurs have been in choppy waters in the recent past, they have tended to find a way out. And maybe all of these questions about ‘atmosphere’ are fundamentally downstream from the simple fact of whether the team are winning matches or not.

But there is another possibility too, which is that they do not snap out of this, and do not turn results around. And that this bad form becomes a bad year. And what now just feels like a cold snap could be a long winter indeed.

(Top photo: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur entered 2024 on an impressive run of four wins from five games. They were back on track, after injuries to Micky van de Ven and James Maddison ground their momentum to a halt in November 2023… or so it seemed.

Spurs struggled to match their blistering start to the 2023-24 season and became frustratingly inconsistent. They narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Champions League but the signs suggested they were heading in the right direction under Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham signed Dominic Solanke for a club-record fee of £65million in the summer to upgrade a key position on the pitch and he has been an instant success along with 18-year-old Archie Gray who has impressed in the unfamiliar role of centre-back. However, a relentless injury crisis means it now feels like they did not strengthen enough in the transfer window.

As we approach the midway point of the campaign, Postecoglou’s side continue to impress and bewilder their fanbase in equal measure. For every emphatic victory over Manchester City or Aston Villa, there have been dismal defeats to Crystal Palace or Ipswich Town.

They end the year still in three cup competitions, but having just lost at Nottingham Forest, then drawn at home to Wolves.

Here is The Athletic’s breakdown of 2024 and a look ahead at what is to come over the next 12 months.

Best moment

Last month’s stunning 4-0 win against Manchester City at the Etihad will live long in the memory. Pep Guardiola’s side are in turmoil but that should not take anything away from such an impressive performance.

James Maddison was sensational throughout, Guglielmo Vicario played the entire second half with a broken bone in his right foot while Erling Haaland could not find a way past the makeshift centre-back partnership of Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies. Spurs calmly moved the ball around at the back and lured Man City’s players forward before they punched holes in the midfield with crisp passes. When Brennan Johnson scored in stoppage time, Postecoglou raised his first triumphantly in the air. For the second time in a few weeks, he masterminded victory over the champions.

Worst moment

When Tottenham beat Aston Villa 4-0 in March, it felt like they were in complete control of the race for fourth place and the final Champions League spot. Villa had been humbled in front of their own fans and looked beaten even before John McGinn’s red card in the second half.

What nobody expected was for Spurs to then suffer a 3-0 defeat at Fulham less than a week later. That game represented the start of a collapse which saw them lose six of their final 11 games. They stumbled over the finishing line and ended up two points behind Aston Villa. Instead of coming up against Bayern Munich and Juventus in the Champions League they would have to be content with trips to Ferencvaros and Rangers in the Europa League.

There have been some particularly painful results in the last couple of months, but that week — from Villa Park on Sunday to Craven Cottage the next Saturday — was perhaps the first glimpse of the wild inconsistency that has dogged Spurs this season.

Best game

We have already mentioned the 4-0 victory over Manchester City so let’s go for something different. October’s win at Manchester United was Postecoglou’s first away to one of the big six, but for pure entertainment and drama it’s tough to look beyond the 4-3 League Cup quarter-final victory over the same opponents.

Spurs looked to have swept aside United again, racing into a 3-0 lead even quicker than they had at Old Trafford, but this time there was a sting in the tail. Or maybe a couple.

With stand-in keeper Fraser Forster struggling to play out from the back, United were gifted two comical goals and things suddenly got extremely tense.

Even Son scoring directly from a corner in the 88th minute wasn’t the end of the drama, with Jonny Evans nodding in to inject yet more chaos into the final minutes of added time. But Spurs held on to set up the first big game of 2025 against Liverpool in the first leg of a League Cup semi-final.

Best player

Kulusevski rotated between a few different positions last season. The 24-year-old would function as an emergency striker, a right winger or an attacking central midfielder depending on what Postecoglou required. He would even perform multiple roles during the same game.

He needed to find somewhere to settle and since the second week of the season he has been phenomenal as a No 8. Kulusevski’s ability to glide past opponents creates space for his team-mates to exploit. It is incredibly difficult to steal the ball from the Sweden international and his running capacity is ridiculous. Nine direct goal contributions in 19 games underlines that he is Tottenham’s best and most influential player right now. If you still don’t believe us, this piece should prove it.

The stat that sums up 2024

Spurs finished the calendar year in the bottom half of the table for the first time since 2008-09. Back then Juande Ramos had been sacked by mid-October after they failed to win any of his last eight league games in charge.

Favourite quote

“Are you not entertained?” Postecoglou asked Sky Sports’ Patrick Davison after that thrilling League Cup win over Manchester United.

Yes, Ange, we were. And not for the first time.

Did that really happen?

Tottenham were heading towards an embarrassing exit in the third round of the Carabao Cup for the second year in a row. Coventry City were leading 1-0 in the 88th minute and Spurs looked bereft of ideas. Postecoglou threw on Maddison, Son and Kulusevski in search of an equaliser but Coventry remained on top. Then Kulusevski poked the ball into the box and Djed Spence came out of nowhere to prod it past Ben Wilson. A couple of minutes later, Brennan Johnson scored on the counter to seal a dramatic comeback.

After underwhelming loan spells with Leeds United and Genoa last season, it felt like Spence was destined to leave in the summer, yet he became an unlikely hero that night in August. He may have had to wait until December to make his first start, but recent signs suggest the Djed Spence redemption arc will continue into 2025, despite that unfortunate red card at the City Ground.

Player to watch in 2025

After becoming the youngest player to represent Spurs in the Premier League when he came off the bench against Manchester City in May at the age of 16 years and 277 days, Mikey Moore has received even more first-team exposure this season. He has started a couple of times in the Europa League and made his full top-flight debut in the 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in October. A nasty virus has temporarily halted the 17-year-old’s progress but expect him to shine on his return.

A wish for 2025

It would be nice to head into an international break following a win instead of a defeat and for Solanke to score goals at the rate his performances merit. The real answer though is for Micky van de Ven to avoid any more pesky hamstring injuries which have such a significant impact on how the team performs.

(Top photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)