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Marti Cifuentes’ Queens Park Rangers side performed well in large spells but ultimately suffered a 2-nil defeat against Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur in a pre-season friendly at MATRADE Loftus Road on Saturday afternoon.

When asked whether going toe-to-toe against such a high-quality opponent would provide a morale boost to the camp, the Spaniard said:

“I said to the guys how important it was that they did not go home with a bad feeling because of the result.

“I am always chasing to win. I like to have a winning mentality. Whether it is a friendly at home or a friendly away I do not care,” Cifuentes continued.

“At the same time, I think we need to value the performance. We had some very good moments after a very tough week [of training].

“We need to take the positives and also learn where we need to improve.

“We conceded two cheap goals and conceded a few more chances than we would like.

“The target is to be prepared for West Brom.”

The 42-year-old was also asked about how important the experienced heads in the dressing room, like Steve Cook and Jack Colback, have been in helping the young duo of Liam Morrison and Hevertton Santos settle in following their arrivals in West London this summer.

“Massive. When it comes to working with young players, it is very important that they feel the support [from the dressing room].

“It is always good to have players like you mentioned as well as Morgan Fox and Lucas Andersen who are fantastic with young players and help to give them confidence and a platform to grow.

“We have a lot of talented players as well as Liam and Hevertton. I was impressed with the academy players who played today at a very high level.

“I think Rayan Kolli was excellent in the first half and Alfie Lloyd was very good when he came on.

“Alfie Tuck as well. [Lorent] Talla almost made a fantastic assist.

“I am very satisfied with all of them. It is just about making sure that they keep learning and that they keep competing because the opportunity is there for them to take.”

The Queens Park Rangers boss was also questioned on how the EFL differed from the wide array of other leagues he had managed throughout his career to date.

“I think that every league is different and has its own unique characteristics.

“There was a massive difference when I moved from Spain to Scandinavia.

“At the same time, in Sweden, there is a massive difference in the way they play football compared to Danish football or Norwegian football.

“In England, the data shows that the Championship is one of the most demanding leagues in terms of the rhythm of the game and how physical it is.

“That, together with the congested fixtures, makes it a very demanding league.

“When we plan how to prepare the squad and the way we want to play it is something we have to take into account.

“It is a very fun league, for sure.”

Writer’s View

Queens Park Rangers were impressive against a strong Tottenham team. They pressed aggressively and effectively to win the ball back in the Spurs half multiple times whilst also being brave themselves and playing out from the back. Ultimately, it was losing the battle in both boxes which left them on the wrong end of the scoreline.

New signing Zan Celar, who scored 21 goals for Lugano last season, will need to hit the ground running and become the talisman for Queens Park Rangers. With one or two more shrewd signings, Cifuentes’ men could easily turn what the bookies think is another season of lower mid-table mediocrity into a push for the playoffs.

Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur earned a hard-fought 2-0 win against Queens Park Rangers in their pre-season friendly at Loftus Road.

The game was QPR’s first at home since their emphatic 4-0 win against Leeds United in April and Marti Cifuentes’ side pressed high and tried to go toe-to-toe with the Premier League giants at the start of the game.

Pape Mata Sarr and Heung-Min Son combined well to get a shot away on the edge of the box 30 seconds in but the midfielder’s effort was blocked by Jake Clarke-Salter. Two minutes later, Timo Werner flashed a ball across the hosts six-yard box but the on-rushing Brennan Johnson could not make contact.

The first corner of the match was QPR’s after an Elijah Dixon-Bonner pass was deflected out of play 13 minutes in. The resulting set piece was initially cleared but Lucas Andersen and Paul Smyth combined well to get a cross into the box which went marginally over Rayan Kolli’s head.

Three minutes later, Spurs had a corner of their own which was worked short to Yves Bissouma whose shot from just outside the box sailed over the bar. Jamie Donley gave the ball away in his own half 19 minutes in and Andersen tried to catch out goalkeeper Brandon Austin with an audacious chip, but the 25-year-old was equal to it.

The game had to be halted 23 minutes in following an injury to Lucas Bergvall. Unfortunately, the 18-year-old had to be replaced by his compatriot Dejan Kulusevski. Not long after the injury, Johnson combined well with Pedro Porro down the right-hand side to get in behind, but Son’s shot was excellently saved by Paul Nardi, who was making his home debut.

Michael Frey played the ball to Kolli on the left wing 30 minutes in and the youngster cut inside, beat his man and took a shot from outside the box which had to be tipped onto the bar by Austin. A couple of minutes later, Dixon-Bonner combined well with Kolli and Kenneth Paal down the left-hand side before the left-back found Frey in the middle who thumped the ball into the net, only for the assistant referee to raise his flag for offside.

The deadlock was broken at 40 minutes when Yves Bissouma produced a bit of magic to wander through the QPR defence, with the aid of Kulusevski, and ghost past Nardi in goal to slot the ball into an empty net and give Spurs the lead.

Three minutes later, Porro played an inch-perfect ball in behind the defence to Johnson who was again able to fire the ball across the R’s six-yard box to Son. The South Korean legend opted to try a deft flick but failed to get sufficient contact on the ball.

Spurs had another chance just before half-time as Kulusevski played an excellent ball in behind to Werner, but the German attacker failed to convert his one-on-one opportunity.

Half-Time – Queens Park Rangers 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs changed their entire eleven ahead of the second half whilst QPR brought on Hevertton Santos in place of Kolli.

Shortly after half-time, James Maddison slotted Will Lanksheaer through on goal and he rounded Nardi only to miss the target, albeit from a very narrow-angle.

The home side’s first shot of the half came from Michael Frey 57 minutes in after George Abbott lost the ball deep in his own half. However, the striker’s effort was blocked by Emerson Royal. Steve Cook had a headed chance from the resultant corner but the former Bournemouth man failed to keep his effort down.

Just after the hour mark, Kulusevski split the home side’s defence open with a pass to Mikey Moore. However, the teenage starlet failed to beat Nardi in goal with his strike. Maddison then tried to curl an effort past the goalkeeper in the 63rd minute but failed to get the necessary purchase on the strike and it was comfortably saved.

Another wave of changes was made 65 minutes in. Four by Marti Cifuentes and two by his Australian counterpart.

Lyndon Dykes pressed well to win the ball at the midway part of the second half and Andersen played a through ball to Smyth. However, Spence and Royal showed excellent recovery pace to make a block.

Andersen then put a dangerous low cross into the box but Dykes somehow failed to poke the ball into the net. Following this, QPR made five more changes.

Youngster Alfie Tuck produced some neat footwork to get the ball out to Alfie Lloyd with a quarter of an hour to go and the winger’s shot had to be blocked by a Spurs defender. The striker had another shot cutting in from the left just seconds later and this was also deflected wide.

Two minutes after that, the former Eastleigh loanee won the ball back from Emerson Royal and tried to play a ball into the box to Dykes, but Alfie Devine marginally beat the Scot to the pass.

With 85 minutes on the clock, Lloyd put another dangerous ball into the Spurs box and Hevertton’s attempt to put it back across goal had to be foiled by Abbott. From a corner not long after, Dykes had a free header which was saved by Luca Gunter in the Spurs goal.

Ange Postecoglou’s side went straight down the other end and Dane Scarlett tapped home a Mikey Moore cross from inside the six-yard box to double Spurs’ lead.

The visitors could have had a third as Alfie Devine tried to find Scarlett from the byline but Nardi intercepted the midfielder’s cross.

Full Time – Queens Park Rangers 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United midfielder Moussa Sissoko could be in line for a shocking return to Championship side Watford, according to the latest reports.

The France international, who was capped a whopping 71 times by his country, moved to the old White Hart Lane back in 2016 from the Magpies for a colossal £30 million fee following the latter’s relegation from the Premier League.

Sissoko went on to make over 200 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur and even started in a UEFA Champions League final defeat to Liverpool back in 2019 in which he conceded a penalty within the first minute of the game as Spurs suffered a 2-0 defeat on the grandest stage of club football.

Following his departure from North London in 2021, Sissoko moved to Watford, who had just been promoted to the top-flight but eventually left for French side Nantes twelve months later after the Hornets bounced straight back down to the second tier. However, he could be making a surprising return to Vicarage Road this summer.

Sissoko’s contract expired earlier this week with Nantes and Tuttomercatoweb, via Sport Witness, have revealed that the 34-year-old, who turns 35 next month, has an offer to sign as a free agent with Watford, claiming that the Hertfordshire outfit have tabled a one-year contract proposal with the option to extend his stay by a further year.

This claim has been backed by Foot Mercato, although their story slightly differs. The French publication are reporting that Sissoko will sign a two-year deal with the Hornets and is set to undergo a medical with the Championship side on Monday.

Writer’s View

This would be one of the most shocking transfers in the English Football League this summer if Watford do manage to re-sign Sissoko, although new head coach Tom Cleverley will certainly be a major factor in bringing the midfielder back as the duo played together in the middle of the park three seasons ago.

Sissoko may not be the best midfielder on the market, nor is he the best passer, goalscorer, creator or dribbler. However, he works incredibly hard as fans of Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle, and even Watford can attest to. It looks like this move will come to fruition.

Millwall have agreed a deal to sign former Japhet Tanganga on a free transfer following the expiration of his Tottenham Hotspur contract, according to Dharmesh Sheth.

Tanganga, who spent the second half of last season on loan at The Den, has been linked with a return to the Championship club since he was officially released by Spurs last month. The 25-year-old has now agreed to commit permanently to the club from South-East London and will have a medical on Monday.

The former England U21 international started 17 times for Neil Harris’ side as he became a key part of their eventual comfortable Championship survival. He also added the first two goals of his senior career, including a crucial 90th minute winner vs relegation rivals Birmingham City in early Match.

Tanganga made 50 appearances for Tottenham after breaking through in 2019 under Jose Mourinho but has since seen his minutes reduced season by season. It was then confirmed that the club would not trigger a one-year extension to his contract this summer and he would be allowed to leave in the hope of finding more regular football.

He is therefore set to become Millwall’s first summer signing as they look to build on last season’s 13th placed finish. Tanganga would be a likely candidate to start alongside Millwall stalwart Jake Cooper in the centre of defence, which would reunite a partnership which brought reasonable success towards the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

There is however one small caveat to the transfer in that Tanganga will be unavailable for the Lions’ opening game of the new campaign against Watford after he was sent off for an altercation with Swansea’s Jerry Yates on the final day of last season.

Writer’s View

Japhet Tanganga is a quality defender, his player of the match performance against Manchester City in 2021 as well as numerous Champions League appearances are just a small snippet of his time at Tottenham but prove Millwall have got a gem if he can re-find similar form. His experience around top-quality Premier League players and staff can only be beneficial knowledge to take into this new chapter of his career.

From a Millwall point of view it is an important piece of business to allow for some continuity from their encouraging end to the season under Neil Harris. If they are to progress further though they undoubtedly need more in attacking areas and with rumours of rejected bids for Reading’s Femi Azeez there will understandably be plenty of supporters still sceptical if this season can be a successful one.

Leeds United now look highly likely to lose Archie Gray this summer, with reports that Tottenham Hotspur are ready to hijack a deal from Brentford, according to David Ornstein.

Gray, who has already played 54 times for the Yorkshire based club despite only turning 18 in March, was one of the hottest prospects in the Championship last season, as he helped Daniel Farke’s side to the play-off final.

However, with narrow defeat to Southampton at Wembley in May it ignited a frenzy of transfer rumours surrounding the Leeds midfielder and several Premier League clubs have been circling since.

On Saturday (June 29th) it seemed Brentford were going to pull off a shock deal for the England U21 international, with David Ornstein revealing he had agreed terms to join the West London club for a fee of around £35 million.

Then on Sunday (June 30th) David Ornstein revealed that Brentford’s bid had been officially rejected by Leeds and that Tottenham were now working on a deal to secure the 18-year-old’s signature this summer. Gray is said to be leaning towards joining Spurs if he is to leave his boyhood club in this window.

Despite his youth, Gray has already been trusted to play in a variety of positions by Daniel Farke, something that could suit Ange Postecoglou’s demanding system at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He has been deployed mainly as a midfielder during his first season as a professional but also at right back, again something that could suit a move to Spurs with their emphasis on inverted wingbacks.

Although there is an expectation from both sides that an agreement can be reached, it is reported a deal is not yet finalised for Gray to join the North London club so there may well be further twists and turns to come.

Writer’s View

Leeds United would have been desperate to hold on to what is their brightest academy starlet since Kalvin Phillips, but with a failure to get promoted it seems a matter of when Archie Gray leaves, not if. They will however hold out for the biggest fee possible and with a top six club such as Tottenham at the negotiating table, a larger fee could well be in the offing.

For Archie Gray himself, it is a shame that at such a young age he already feels the need to move on from a club he has been at since he was a child, and that runs through his blood with father, grandfather and great uncle all being former Leeds players. Despite that, Gray is set for a hugely successful career if the stars align and his talent is certainly already Premier League level. And with the additional draw of minutes in the Europa League with Tottenham, Daniel Levy may well hold all the right cards to get this deal over the line.

Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough are keen to strike a deal with Tottenham Hotspur for 19-year-old striker Will Lankshear, as per London World.

Lankshear came through Sheffield United’s youth system but he did not make a first-team appearance for the Blades before moving to Spurs in the summer of 2022 for an initial fee of just over £1 million.

The Englishman began his first season in North London playing for Spurs’ under-18 team, scoring a brace on his debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers and his first hat trick two months later against West Ham United.

Lankshear was promoted to the under-21 squad at the end of the 2022/23 season. However, the centre forward was unable to get on the scoresheet after a handful of brief cameos.

Last season, the attacker was trusted to lead the line for Spurs under-21s and he more than delivered. He scored 23 goals in 23 games across the regular Premier League 2 season and the play-offs, including a brace in the final as Tottenham’s under-21 side won the competition.

Additonally, Spurs’ number 62 has made five appearances for England at under-19 level, scoring three goals in the process.

Lankshear has also got a small amount of experience playing men’s football in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, where he has two goals in four appearances against sides from England’s third and fourth tier.

After a strong 2022/23 campaign, Middlesbrough faltered slightly last season and only managed an eighth-place finish, missing out on the play-offs by four points.

Writer’s View

Tottenham have had a couple of highly-rated strikers come through their academy in the past few seasons, namely Dane Scarlett and Troy Parrot, both of whom had their chances at Spurs scuppered by unimpressive first loan spells in senior football. It is vital that Lankshear picks a club that will suit his style and give him opportunities, especially if he is considering moving permanently.

Michael Carrick has worked with a number of young players at Middlesbrough and has a proven record of coaching goalscoring strikers in Chuba Akpom and Emmanuel Latte Lath, though it will be interesting to see if Lankshear gets into the Boro team over the latter.