Sport Witness

On deadline day, Real Betis agreed a deal with Tottenham Hotspur to sign Giovani Lo Celso on a permanent transfer.

The midfielder didn’t have a key role at Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou last season. The Spurs manager had left him out of his plans for this season, forcing the 28-year-old to find a new club.

Lo Celso returned to Real Betis, where he spent one season, before joining Tottenham in 2019. He had his best season of his career at the La Liga side, managing 16 goals and six assist during the 2018/19 season.

On Wednesday, the former Spurs man scored a brace in Real Betis’ 2-1 win over Getafe. Mundo Deportivo claim ‘Lo Celso reigns again at the Benito Villamarín’, a place where he impressed during his first spell.

The newspaper has rated him 4/5 and he’s the only player to receive this rating. Lo Celso has had a good start since leaving the north London club and expressed his delight about returning to Real Betis.

“The day I returned to Seville it seemed as if time had not passed. I’m very happy to be here, from the first day I arrived they gave me that feeling. I’m very grateful to the people for the affection and love from the day I left until the day I returned,” he told Movistar, relayed by Mundo Deportivo.

Real Betis decided to bet on Lo Celso, after selling Nabil Fekir to Al-Jazira Club late in the window. Manuel Pellegrini has insisted it was vital for his side to replace the Frenchman with the South American.

Good news for Tottenham, Aston Villa and Brentford as some of your youngsters are the best born in 2005.

That’s at least according to scout Marco Palma, who has compiled his favourite youngsters into an 11 for TMW Radio today and named three from Tottenham, Aston Villa and Brentford among them.

Aston Villa’s Kosta Nedeljkovic is the first off the blocks, having made a positive impression early on this season and seemingly fallen onto Palma’s radar too.

He’s described as ‘really strong’ with good running and ‘attention in the defensive phase’ with an ability to provide assists at the other end too.

He already cost €8m and remains valued at that price but there’s a feeling that won’t remain the case for too long.

Tottenham’s Jamie Donley is the next to earn praise, slotting into the right-wing spot, where he is currently playing on loan at Leyton Orient.

He is described as a player who likes to cut inside as much as possible and ‘can make many assists’ as a result. He’s also labelled as ‘cold in front of the goal’, which feels slightly like a nod to Cole Palmer.

Las but not least is Brentford’s Gustavo Nunes, who arrived at the club in the summer from Gremio for €13m and is very much one for the future.

He is described as having ‘great technique and dribbling’ and may be one to keep a very close eye on in the coming weeks with Yoan Wissa set for a spell on the sidelines.

Palma certainly thinks so, backing him for an exciting future alongside the Tottenham and Aston Villa men.

The other eight named are Toulouse goalkeeper Guillaume Restes, Borussia Dortmund defender Filippo Mane, Valencia defender Yarek Gąsiorowski, Lanus left-back Julio Soler (who the scout said should be bought right now), PSV playmaker Enzo Geerts, Benfica midfielder Rafael Luis, Feyenoord midfielder Antoni Milambo, and Mainz striker Nelson Weiper.

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario could return to Italy, according to MilanLive.it.

The 27-year-old left Empoli to join Spurs in June 2023 and has been the first-choice stopper for Ange Postecoglou since then. He’s since kept nine clean sheets and conceded 66 goals from 44 games.

Vicario’s displays for Tottenham have convinced top Serie A sides to consider him for next season.

It’s claimed the 27-year-old is ‘ready for a big return’ to Italy next summer. His suitors include Inter Milan. The report adds the Nerazzurri ‘have no doubts in making an offer’ to snatch him away from the north London club.

Yann Sommer is currently the No.1 goalkeeper at the San Siro. The 36-year-old’s deal lasts until 2026. Due to his age, his side could look to bring in a new stopper next year.

Inter have already asked Tottenham for information about the Italy international. The Premier League side ‘firmly believe’ in the player, indicating they have no plans to let him go.

Simone Inzaghi’s side, on the other hand, would like to offer €30m. The report warns they will have to offer much more than that if Spurs are to sell Vicario.

And that could be where this idea dies.

Last week, we covered claims from Argentina that Tottenham Hotspur are keeping tabs on Boca Juniors’ Kevin Zenón. It was also stated he has a $15m [£11.4m] release clause in his contract.

Tottenham’s interest in the midfielder is backed up by Pasión Fútbol, who then provide the latest on this case.

His preferred position is midfield but he can operate across several other positions. The 23-year-old arrived at the Argentine club from Unión de Santa Fe in January. Zenon has made 34 appearances for Boca Juniors, managing four goals and seven assists in the process. His performances have caught the attention of the European clubs and Spurs are one of them.

It’s claimed Tottenham have ‘decided to join the fight’ for the Argentina U23 international.

His contract lasts until December 2028. Despite this, the report states Boca Juniors president Juan Román Riquelme is aware the player ‘can leave for the Premier League’.

The official knows that he ‘can lose’ Zenón, who is closely followed by Tottenham. Pasión Fútbol add Ange Postecoglou’s side aren’t the only club that want him. Newcastle United are also in the picture to sign the player.

Zenón’s $15m release clause would be affordable for both Tottenham and Newcastle.

Earlier this month, Real Betis president Ángel Haro and sporting director Manu Fajardo revealed Tottenham Hotspur’s interest in Johnny Cardoso.

Tottenham have an option to buy the midfielder in the summer of 2025. They sold Giovani Lo Celso to the La Liga side and as part of this deal, Spurs negotiated a purchase option for Cardoso.

AS report Tottenham are ‘closely monitoring’ the 22-year-old, who arrived at Real Betis from Internacional in January.

The American enjoyed regular game time in the second half of last season. He’s been limited to four substitute appearances this season.

With Ange Postecoglou’s side keeping tabs, AS state he’s asking Manuel Pellegrini for a place in his starting lineup.

Cardoso was involved in the Copa América in the summer and was the last one to return from September’s international break. He should start to feature regularly in the coming weeks.

Tottenham have a ‘preferential purchase option’ and Haro echoed this on Monday.

“It would be something interesting for everyone, it would mean that we would also have an added value,” he said, as quoted by AS.

“In short, if there is a transfer in which there is a capital gain for Betis, Tottenham would have a percentage of it. There is also a purchase option for them, but it would be high and positive for us if it were to happen.”

Tottenham could benefit financially even if they decide against exercising the purchase option.

Tottenham Hotspur allowed Pierre-Emile Højbjerg to join Marseille on a loan deal with an obligation to buy in July.

The Denmark international decided to leave Tottenham after struggling for regular game time under Ange Postecoglou last season.

Marseille wanted to sign the Tottenham owned player at the start of this year. That’s at least what their advisor, Medhi Benatia, indicated during an interview with beIN Sports, relayed by Le10 Sport.

During Benatia’s playing career, he played alongside the 28-year-old at Bayern Munich. The Ligue 1 side’s official knew the midfielder’s qualities and wanted to sign, months after he arrived at the club in November 2023.

The Moroccan has now revealed the French club couldn’t make an approach earlier due to their financial situation.

When asked to give an insight into the deal for the Tottenham man, he said: “Behind the scenes of the recruitment of Pierre-Emile Højbjerg? Pierre was a bit like my little one already at Bayern, and I really liked this little fiery young man, a fighter in training. He didn’t give up.

“When I arrived here, he was one of the first names. We had financial problems, so it wasn’t possible. When we wanted to change the entire squad a little, he was a priority for me to try to relaunch the file [project]. When we talk about Pierre, he’s the one who improves others for me.”

The defensive midfielder has clocked in 356 minutes from four games for Roberto De Zerbi’s side this season. The Dane’s time at Tottenham will come to an end when Marseille exercise the mandatory purchase option.

Giovani Lo Celso returned to Real Betis after they agreed a deal with Tottenham Hotspur on deadline day.

As a part of this deal, Tottenham have an option to buy Real Betis’ Johnny Cardoso. This was confirmed by the La Liga side’s president, Ángel Haro, earlier this month.

Recent claims have stated the purchase option is set at €25m and Spurs have to exercise it during a two-week window in June 2025.

According to Calciomercato, Tottenham could risk losing out on the midfielder to AC Milan.

The Serie A side are expected to be without Ismaël Bennacer for the rest of this year due to an injury. This has forced them to look for a new midfielder in the winter market.

Cardoso has been identified as one of the targets. It’s claimed he was hoping for a call from the Rossoneri in the summer window, but that didn’t happen.

The 20-year-old could be a hot topic again at the San Siro because of Bennacer’s injury. The report claims the Italian club have ‘every intention of initiating’ contacts with the American.

Milan signed Emerson Royal from Tottenham in the last window. The right-back and Cardoso share the same agent, and this could help the Italian club to sign the Real Betis player.

Calciomercato haven’t taken into account Tottenham’s purchase option to buy Cardoso at the end of this season. This is likely because Milan are looking to sign him for January, but then Spurs will have surely secured a clause which means they could have a say in that.

Otherwise, it would be pretty useless to get a buying option only to see a player move before there’s a chance to use it.

Arsenal favourite Fredrik Ljungberg believes the Gunners were lucky to finish the match against Tottenham Hotspur with 11 men.

The Swede was analysing the north London derby for Viaplay, relayed by Aftonbladet.

Gabriel Magalhães’ second half header helped Arsenal secure a 1-0 win over Tottenham on Sunday.

Mikel Arteta was without a few key players, but his side managed to secure three points. The result could have been different if Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber was sent off in the first half.

Referee Jarred Gillett issued eight yellow cards, of which five were for Tottenham players. This includes the cards for the Netherlands international and Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario in the space of two minutes.

The 23-year-old defender was cautioned for his tackle on Tottenham’s Pedro Porro in the 35th minute. The match official stopped the game, but Timber continued to play. This didn’t please the Italian, who confronted the former Ajax man.

Timber then grabbed Vicario’s shirt, and the referee issued a yellow card to the stopper. Ljungberg claims the Dutchman should have been sent off for his reaction towards Vicario.

“There he’s lucky not to get two yellow cards. It’s clear that he grabs Vicario’s shirt,” he said.

On September 1st, Micky van de Ven missed Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat to Newcastle United due to a knee injury. This also forced him to withdraw from the Netherlands squad for this month’s international break.

The centre-back returned to action in Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday and played the full 90 minutes in the north London derby.

Van de Ven was seen with an ice pack after the loss to Arsenal. That’s according to Voetbal Nieuws, who state there is ‘no reason to worry’ about the 23-year-old’s fitness.

The defender has played down any concern over his fitness. He revealed his during a chat with Viaplay Nederland. “It’s of course nice to be back, important to be back, but of course you want to come back with a win. It’s going well, but the recovery will start before Wednesday,” he said, relayed by Voetbal Nieuws.

Tottenham had more possession and more attempts against Mikel Arteta’s side. The former VfL Wolfsburg says a home defeat to Arsenal “certainly hurts”, especially because he believes his side dominated aspects of the game.

The Gunners were without several key players for the north London derby. Van de Ven has insisted this didn’t ‘create more optimism’ at Tottenham.

“If the absent players had been there, we also had the feeling that it could work. I think we were definitely the better side today and dominated the ball every time: every time the last chance, the last pass, every time it wasn’t [in] the net,” Van de Ven explained.

The Netherlands international has made three appearances for Spurs this season.

On September 1st, Micky van de Ven missed Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat to Newcastle United due to a knee injury. This also forced him to withdraw from the Netherlands squad for this month’s international break.

The centre-back returned to action in Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday and played the full 90 minutes in the north London derby.

Van de Ven was seen with an ice pack after the loss to Arsenal. That’s according to Voetbal Nieuws, who state there is ‘no reason to worry’ about the 23-year-old’s fitness.

The defender has played down any concern over his fitness. He revealed his during a chat with Viaplay Nederland.

“It’s of course nice to be back, important to be back, but of course you want to come back with a win. It’s going well, but the recovery will start before Wednesday,” he said, relayed by Voetbal Nieuws.

Tottenham had more possession and more attempts against Mikel Arteta’s side. The former VfL Wolfsburg says a home defeat to Arsenal “certainly hurts”, especially because he believes his side dominated aspects of the game.

The Gunners were without several key players for the north London derby. Van de Ven has insisted this didn’t ‘create more optimism’ at Tottenham.

“If the absent players had been there, we also had the feeling that it could work. I think we were definitely the better side today and dominated the ball every time: every time the last chance, the last pass, every time it wasn’t [in] the net,” Van de Ven explained.

The Netherlands international has made three appearances for Spurs this season.