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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.

GO DEEPER

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.

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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.

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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.

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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)

In the era of managerial principles, you would be hard pressed to find someone whose philosophies have been scrutinised harder than Ange Postecoglou.

Should he sacrifice his belief system to prioritise results over performances? Should he tone down the all-encompassing, uber-proactive attacking approach and do a bit of defending with a deeper defensive line? He loves being asked about all this stuff, too.

Let’s be honest, it’s not even a debate as to whether he will tone down or double down. If that wasn’t already abundantly clear, then when he suggested after the catastrophic 3-2 defeat at Brighton that he didn’t want to be “falsely rewarded” by making substitutions to try to see out the game, well, there’s your answer.

The principles won’t change but how about the players? Can they adapt to what Postecoglou wants? And if not, why don’t Spurs just buy better ones?

Tottenham’s latest defeat to Nottingham Forest, which left them in the bottom half of the table and a remarkable 11 points behind Nuno Espirito Santo’s third-placed team, showcased contrasting styles between the two teams and two managers, both of which could have been forecast before kick-off.

Forest were incredibly physical, almost to the point of intimidation. They defended deep and in big numbers, they pounced gleefully on loose balls, countered at pace, and were generally vile to play against. These were traits Nuno also perfected in his time at Wolves (and never had time to at Spurs).

Spurs were the complete opposite defensively, leaving gaps for Forest to exploit. At the other end, they attempted to pick locks, having to forge and twist and scythe to create any opening through the red wall with combinations and brisk movement, via 70 per cent possession. With Dejan Kulusevski doubled-up on, it rarely worked. Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson just didn’t have it in them.

This all made the first goal so important… and in turn made the manner in which their soft centre melted to allow Morgan Gibbs-White space and time to venture forward and pick the pass that teed up Anthony Elanga’s winning goal all the more unforgivable. Kulusevski could only dream of such luxuries.

Forest are a team and a club having the time of their lives right now, with a buoyancy you can touch and feel (like the one Postecoglou generated at Spurs 15 months ago). It was no disgrace to lose here, especially given Spurs’ current absentee list, but watching them attempt to pry their way though Forest’s midfield, let alone their defence, you couldn’t help but ask: ‘Is this the best Spurs have got?’

This wasn’t a defeat centred on principles or even tactics. After falling behind, Spurs had 60 minutes to try to score a goal in an attack-vs-defence training drill and they didn’t really generate a great chance, let alone equalise. Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels was not unduly stretched in the second half.

With so many attacking players on the pitch, was that down to the instructions Postecoglou had given them or were the players just not up to it?

Son and Johnson were unable to create much of note, Kulusevski was crowded out and full-backs Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence weren’t too impactful in the final third. The bench couldn’t lift them either, with James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall not making much of a difference to a one-paced midfield, and Timo Werner thrown on in the closing minutes because he was the only attacker to choose from.

Spurs may at some point decide their manager isn’t for them and that they need to go through another cycle of purgatory, but if, as a club, they are short of players good enough to take them to the top end of the table — and short of the squad depth required to cope with the style and amount of football they are playing — then the cycle will only repeat itself.

Pragmatism, idealism, defence-first, attack-first; whatever the approach, the results haven’t consistently improved for some time now. And the only consistency in that time comes from above.

“I think the most important department in the club is the scouting department,” Pep Guardiola said in 2019. “Much more than managers and players. When they choose well, 80 per cent of the job is done.

“When we don’t choose well or they don’t choose the players we need for the way we want to play or the quality they have, you spend a lot of time and energy and sometimes you don’t have enough time, with the number of fixtures, to improve.”

Spending time and energy trying to improve and sometimes you don’t have enough time? Sounds pretty familiar.

Tottenham are paying for mistakes they made in the summer: mistakes like signing just one senior player in Dominic Solanke and spending more than half the budget on three youngsters.

Archie Gray may have showed yet again here why Spurs were so keen to spend big on him as one for the future with an accomplished display out of position at centre-back, but there is no doubt that Spurs needed a back-up goalkeeper, some back-up senior defenders, and another ready-made forward player or two with end product. None of those happened, despite the horrendous injury problems they suffered last season and despite having more fixtures to contend with this season.

“We’re asking a lot of this group of players,” Postecoglou said. “A lot of these guys are playing every three days. It’s only logical they are not going to be at their sharpest but they are trying and that’s all I can ask if them.”

They are trying. And they are playing for Postecoglou but the squad isn’t big enough, and the problems they are having were foreseeable.

With Spence now missing Tottenham’s game against Wolves on Sunday after being booked twice against Forest and Radu Dragusin potentially facing time out having suffered an ankle injury, their problems will be compounded even further.

Spurs have won two league games from eight since early November: both against two of the league’s out-of-form teams in Manchester City and Southampton. They are miles off the top four and hope is dwindling of having a decent season.

In the circle of blame, there is a sizeable portion that can be attributed to Postecoglou but recruitment, at the root of any team’s success, deserves the biggest scrutiny of all.

GO DEEPER

The Briefing: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Tottenham - Nuno has the last laugh, Spence sent off

(Top photo: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

To put it bluntly, Spurs got ‘Nunoed’ at the City Ground.

Tottenham’s former manager Nuno Espirito Santo has set up his Nottingham Forest side to be regimented, sit deep, set traps and pounce on the slightest of weak, misplaced or under-hit passes. Then they break with pace and purpose.

And that’s just what happened when Anthony Elanga struck in the first half.

Despite enjoying 70.4 per cent of possession, Spurs were consigned to their ninth Premier League defeat of the season in the mist by the River Trent, and saw Djed Spence sent off for a second yellow-card offence in stoppage time.

Tim Spiers discusses the key talking points…

Beware going behind against Forest…

Ange Postecoglou reiterated in his pre-match interview that Spurs had to be wary of how strong, organised and physical Forest are.

Nuno’s team — as was the case when he was in charge at Wolverhampton Wanderers — are one of the hardest and most horrible to play against in the Premier League.

That makes them difficult opponents when the scores are level, but the last thing you want to do is concede the first goal of the game to them. And yet, there it was after 28 minutes.

Spurs lost possession when a dawdling Spence was crowded out. Morgan Gibbs-White was afforded the time and space Spurs’ attackers could only fantasise about when he ventured forward and picked his pass for Elanga to get half a yard on Destiny Udogie and slot home for 1-0.

Why did Spurs fail to score?

Spurs’ defence has been more wide open than the Grand Canyon lately but scoring goals hadn’t been an issue… until today.

They had scored 15 in their previous four domestic outings but found themselves up against, yes, a stubborn and incredibly committed Forest defence, but also lacked the nous to break them down.

The tone was set when Son Heung-min wasted what turned out to be one of their best chances of the match, shooting too close to Matz Sels during a rare Spurs counter-attack.

Otherwise, they spent most of the match trying to thread a needle, enjoying endless possession with little end result. Forest doubled up on Dejan Kulusevski, leaving Spurs’ main route to goal being from the flanks, via combinations and lock-picking against a wall of red shirts. But other than an outstanding Sels save from Brennan Johnson’s top-corner-bound effort from the right, the Forest goalkeeper wasn’t unduly stretched.

It wasn’t a poor Spurs performance but they lacked the ingenuity or that one special moment to break the deadlock against one of the league’s best defences.

Postecoglou tried to change things from the bench, but Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison didn’t lift Spurs’ one-paced midfield, while Timo Werner was reluctantly sent on for the closing stages and didn’t have much time to contribute.

It reiterated the need for January reinforcements.

No joy for the Forest old boys…

Spence and Johnson were hoping to repeat their Forest vintage of 2021-22 when they lined up together against their old club on Spurs’ right flank.

The pair received a warm welcome from the home fans before kick-off and were watched on by Spence’s parents and Johnson’s father David, himself a former Forest player.

Spence, finally enjoying regular game time at Spurs after two and a half years on the fringes, looked nervous early on when he played a short pass to Rodrigo Bentancur, but soon got into his stride gallivanting down the right and overlapping Johnson, who was targeted for some rough and ready treatment via robust challenges (he gave some back, too).

Johnson (below) also came closest to scoring for Spurs via his excellent first-half effort but otherwise, this wasn’t quite the performance Spurs fans have been hoping for from the 23-year-old winger. His end product has improved this season but his decision-making and intricacy in general play are still below the level required.

Spence had been fine, shutting down Forest’s attack on their left, but his afternoon ended miserably when he was shown a very late second yellow card for fouling Jota Silva to prevent a Forest counter.

He was applauded off by the home fans, although they also sang, “You used to play for a big club,” in his direction. With Spurs now 11 points behind third-placed Forest, Spence had no comeback.

What did Ange Postecoglou say?

“It’s obviously disappointing the defeat, a tight game,” Postecoglou told Amazon Prime. “It was a disappointing goal to concede, but the boys worked hard and we tried to generate as many opportunities as we could considering the context of the game and how Forest play. We just couldn’t get over the top of them.

“We’ve asked a lot of this group of players, they’re playing every three days so it’s logical they’re not going to be at their sharpest. We just needed a goal to break them open.”

Spurs’ injury problems at centre-back could be continuing, too, with Dragusin being substituted in the 87th minute. “Radu hurt his ankle and said he couldn’t continue,” Postecoglou added. “We’ll have to wait and see with him.”

What next for Tottenham?

Sunday, December 29: Wolverhampton Wanderers (home), Premier League, 3pm UK, 10am ET.

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(Top photo: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images))

Pressure has been building around Ange Postecoglou, with inconsistent results being a key frustration among the Tottenham Hotspur fanbase.

Spurs’ manager needed his players to show they have the character to build some momentum, with a Europa League trip to Rangers’ fiery Ibrox stadium being as good of an examination of any player’s quality and commitment.

While the result was disappointing, Thursday evening’s hard-fought 1-1 draw was not catastrophic to their hopes of progressing. However, in Postecoglou’s eyes, one player comprehensively flunked that test of responsibility.

Timo Werner was hauled off at half-time, with his manager particularly scathing about the 28-year-old’s performance.

GO DEEPER

Postecoglou labels Werner performance 'not acceptable' in draw with Rangers

“He wasn’t playing anywhere near the level he should,” Postecoglou said after the game. “When you’ve got 18-year-olds, it’s not acceptable.

“I said that to Timo. He’s a senior international. In the moment we’re in right now, it’s not like we’ve got many options. I need everyone to at least be going out there trying to give the best of themselves. His performance in the first half wasn’t acceptable.”

Perhaps there were actions Postecoglou was witnessing in Werner’s performance that were not captured in the television coverage — be it his body language, his communication, or his out-of-possession positioning.

Whatever the reason, a lack of consistent game time is likely to be a symptom and a cause of Werner’s lack of cutting edge, with just 15 league starts since the start of last season — completing a total of two games in that period.

So, what exactly was Postecoglou referring to when chastising Werner’s performance in Glasgow? Crucially, was it a fair assessment from Spurs’ manager?

GO DEEPER

The Briefing - Rangers 1 Spurs 1: Werner and Johnson displays, Kulusevski and Solanke reliance

It was not as if Werner was shying away from the action in the first half, with 39 touches being the fourth-most of any Spurs player in the opening 45 minutes.

As The Athletic’s player dashboard shows below, the Germany forward made more progressive carries than anyone on the pitch across the whole game. The issue was, of his 29 passes attempted, just 18 of them were complete — the lowest pass completion of any Spurs player in the first half.

Pacy forwards are not known — or relied upon — for their ball retention. Still, in an aggressive, daunting atmosphere, there were early opportunities to set the tone with good decision-making. Unfortunately for Werner, those opportunities were not taken.

Within seconds of kick-off, Werner found himself in space to receive the ball on the left flank after a simple switch of play. Driving towards Rangers’ captain James Tavernier, there was a chance to lift his head and play a cross towards the penalty spot (black arrow, slide 2). Instead, Werner kept his head down before a loose touch saw Tavernier win the first duel of the game.

That was the theme of the first half, with Werner struggling to push past Tavernier in possession as he repeatedly ran into an attacking cul-de-sac.

There was a similar example after nine minutes. Werner’s head is down — unable to assess his options — with Rangers’ right-back duly stepping in to stifle the attack.

The mitigating factors here are that Tavernier is a strong one-v-one defender and Spurs did not have sufficient support on the left flank during this attack, yet Werner did find himself running into dead ends.

Going the other way, Tavernier had some joy, running beyond Werner on multiple occasions. A weak tackle against right-winger Vaclav Cerny didn’t help either, with Werner lacking the aggression to stifle an opposition attack.

When attacking support did arrive for Werner, he played some positive passes to James Maddison and Rodrigo Bentancur, who made underlapping runs. His best action also came after getting the better of Tavernier in the penalty area, before driving a low cross to the onrushing Brennan Johnson, whose shot was saved excellently by Jack Butland.

Postecoglou’s biggest frustration must have been Werner’s decision-making as Spurs were building attacks. Forwards are expected to lose possession when looking to create, but there were too many occasions when Werner lost the ball under little pressure.

There were growing frustrations from his team-mates, with the example below showing Yves Bissouma drifting over to the left flank with the ball in an attempt to release Werner. Rangers’ Cerny did a good job of blocking the passing lane, but Werner made little attempt to shuffle along to offer an option for the pass.

The result? A backward pass from Bissouma and a berating comment to Werner for his troubles (slide 4).

Another notable frustration came at the end of the first half when Bentancur found himself in a position to cross from the right. Postecoglou places a lot of focus on back-post chances from his wingers, and being in a position to get on the end of crosses is crucial.

When Bentancur plays the cross, Werner is not even in the frame, never mind the penalty area. As the ball bounces up for Tavernier to clear for a corner, Werner is well behind the play with no chance of receiving from the cross.

The final straw might have come from the most salient example of the evening.

With an opportunity to counter-attack after Fraser Forester claimed the ball, a driven pass from Spurs’ goalkeeper found the path of Werner scurrying over the halfway line. Instead of keeping the move alive, Werner saw the ball run out of play after a first touch that would not have been out of place on a Sunday league pitch at Hackney Marshes.

Such frustration is probably also compounded by Werner’s past displays of talent.

He was highly coveted by Europe’s elite clubs after 28 Bundesliga goals for RB Leipzig in the 2019-20 season. Following a move to Chelsea, a return to Leipzig, and a subsequent loan to Spurs, he has come nowhere near to replicating that blistering form.

He has not been given a consistent run in the team during much of that period but the increasing evidence suggests his 2019-20 season was more of an exception than the rule when assessing his overall career output.

So, was Postecoglou harsh to single Werner out? A little, especially during a half where mistakes were littered across the team as Spurs failed to exert any consistent dominance.

However, the cold fact is that Werner does not have enough credit in the bank in a Spurs shirt to warrant a justifiable defence for his ongoing struggles.

The most worrying thing is arguably that the comments were not a huge surprise.

(Top photo: Robbie Jay Barratt — AMA/Getty Images)