Sport Witness

On September 9th, we covered claims from Italy that Tottenham are ready to launch an attack to sign US Lecce’s Patrick Dorgu.

Later that month, Gazzetta dello Sport stated Tottenham are leading the race for the 19-year-old.

Lecce sporting director Stefano Trinchera attended the Palermo Football Conference on Monday. TuttoMercatoWeb spoke to him on various topics, including the Tottenham target.

When asked if Dorgu has already been sold to another club, he said: “It’s not true that we had already sold him. He is one of our young players, who are being looked at by many important clubs.

“Today we are all thinking about salvation, but Dorgu’s future is in his hands. He can arrive at a top club due to the qualities he has.”

Pianeta Lecce have relayed the director’s comments and then provided their own updates on the Denmark international. Tottenham’s interest in the player is mentioned.

It’s claimed Spurs have him on their shortlist, but the ‘negotiations did not proceed’ due to Lecce’s refusal to sell him for a fee between €30m and €35m.

Dorgu mainly operates as a left-back, but he has been used mainly on the wings and at times as a wing-back this season. He has a goal from eight matches in all competitions for the Serie A side.

As well as Spurs, the report adds Chelsea are in the picture to sign the versatile player.

On September 9th, we covered claims from Italy that Tottenham are ready to launch an attack to sign US Lecce’s Patrick Dorgu.

Later that month, Gazzetta dello Sport stated Tottenham are leading the race for the 19-year-old.

Lecce sporting director Stefano Trinchera attended the Palermo Football Conference on Monday. TuttoMercatoWeb spoke to him on various topics, including the Tottenham target.

When asked if Dorgu has already been sold to another club, he said: “It’s not true that we had already sold him. He is one of our young players, who are being looked at by many important clubs.

“Today we are all thinking about salvation, but Dorgu’s future is in his hands. He can arrive at a top club due to the qualities he has.”

Pianeta Lecce have relayed the director’s comments and then provided their own updates on the Denmark international. Tottenham’s interest in the player is mentioned.

It’s claimed Spurs have him on their shortlist, but the ‘negotiations did not proceed’ due to Lecce’s refusal to sell him for a fee between €30m and €35m.

Dorgu mainly operates as a left-back, but he has been used mainly on the wings and at times as a wing-back this season. He has a goal from eight matches in all competitions for the Serie A side.

As well as Spurs, the report adds Chelsea are in the picture to sign the versatile player.

Dieter Hamann has never been scared to question current professionals at the top of their game, and appears to quite enjoy sticking the boot in… just like many well known – and many less well known – former footballers in the UK.

A few days ago Hamann took aim at Harry Kane and said he hadn’t yet proven he’s worth the money Bayern Munich sent to Tottenham Hotspur.

Kane arrived from Spurs with great fanfare, with Bayern having edged themselves into a transfer corner and ended up paying more than €100m to Tottenham. Hamann believes Kane hasn’t yet proven he’s been worth all that money, especially annoyed after the England captain failed to score against both Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa in quick-fire succession.

The point that Hamann was trying to make is that of course Kane has scored a lot of goals since arriving from the Premier League, but Bayern didn’t send €100m+ to Tottenham so could “score a hat-trick against Darmstadt”.

Bayern Munich’s Sporting Director Max Eberl has hit back, and is quoted by Bild as saying: “Didi Hamann is like tinnitus! He flares up every three days.”

Son Heung-min hasn’t featured for Tottenham Hotspur since their 3-0 win over Qarabag FK in the Europa League on September 26th. The South Korea international suffered a thigh injury in the same clash.

Last week, South Korea manager Hong Myung-bo included the forward in his squad for October’s international break.

The national team boss had also stated the 32-year-old is making gradual progress, but Spurs don’t want him to rush back. There’s been a new development around the Tottenham star in the last few hours.

The Korea Football Association [KFA] have now confirmed, relayed by FourFourTwo, that the Spurs attacker has been withdrawn from the squad. Son has been replaced by Mainz 05’s Hong Hyun-seok for the two World Cup qualifiers against Jordan and Iraq this month.

“It was decided that Son Heung-min, who suffered a left thigh injury, needs rest and has been excluded from the squad to protect the player. Hong Hyun-seok has been selected to replace Son Heung-min,” a statement from KFA read.

Ange Postecoglou has been without Son for Tottenham’s last two wins against Manchester United and Ferencvárosi.

The north London club will face Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday and Son is unlikely to be available for the weekend’s league tie. He has scored two goals and registered two assists from seven games for Tottenham this season.

Peru international Paolo Guerrero has opened up about his failed move to Tottenham Hotspur.

The 40-year-old is currently at Peruvian side Club Alianza Lima. He had a chat with DyT’s Diego Rebagliati and Talía Azcárate, reviewing his long career. This is when he revealed Tottenham’s approach, and his comments are relayed by Infobae.

Tottenham made an offer for Guerrero when he was at Corinthians between 2012 and 2015.

He won the FIFA Club World Cup with the Brazilian side in 2021, beating Chelsea in the final. The striker’s goal proved to the difference between the two clubs.

The frontman joined Corinthians in 2012, after spending 12 years in Germany with Bayern Munich and Hamburger SV. He had made up his mind to leave them in January 2013 and was determined to join the north London club.

Arsenal technical director Edu Gaspar was then director at Corinthians. Guerrero took Tottenham’s proposal to the Brazilian, who didn’t let him join the Premier League side.

“When I arrived at Corinthians, I said to myself: ‘I win the Club World Cup and I’ll go back’,” he said.

“Did I have opportunities to return to Europe? Many, but Corinthians didn’t want to sell me or didn’t want to negotiate. The last offer came from Tottenham, which was a loan-purchase [option].”

“I went with the proposal to talk to Edu Gaspar, who is now Arsenal’s director, and I said ‘I have this, please’. His response was: ‘Do you want the crooked thing to kill me, Paolo? Rest assured that here you will be the highest paid footballer in South America’.”

The Peruvian has revealed Edu and Corinthians failed to offer him a convincing renewal proposal.

“He didn’t comply. I didn’t renew with Corinthians because the proposal they made me wasn’t within what I think I deserved. I believed that because I was Peruvian, they were not valuing me. That’s how other proposals [Flamengo] arrived, and I left,” Guerrero explained.

The experienced striker hasn’t returned to Europe since leaving Hamburger SV more than a decade ago.

According to a report in the Swedish media, Djurgårdens IF are set for a substantial windfall after selling Lucas Bergvall to Tottenham Hotspur.

The young midfielder signed for the Premier League side during the last transfer window for an initial transfer fee of £8m.

Fotboll Direkt have reported on the extra bonuses Djurgårdens IF will bring in from the transfer of the 18-year-old. The Swedish media outlet say the Allsvenskan club will soon receive £2.5-3m from Tottenham, and they say that’s due to the player making his Premier League debut.

Whether they mean that’s already been triggered or is instead related to a full debut isn’t made clear.

The transfer fee for Bergvall could potentially rise to £16m if all the add ons are met, with some of the bonuses said to be quite achievable.

Bergvall’s first club IF Brommapojkarna will also benefit from his move to Spurs, with claims they will receive 20% of the Swede’s basic transfer fee.

This summer the Sweden international signed a five-year contract with Tottenham, reportedly worth £1.5m a season. The youngster has yet to start in the Premier League since joining, but has been involved in five of Spurs’ opening six games.

Sandro is disappointed that Tottenham Hotspur didn’t beat Chelsea to Palmeiras’ Estêvão Willian.

The 17-year-old initially joined the Brazilian club’s academy in 2021 and made his way into their first team last year.

Back in June, Chelsea agreed a deal with Palmeiras for the winger to arrive at Stamford Bridge next year.

Sandro first arrived in Europe when Tottenham signed him in 2010. He’s been speaking about various topics in a media appearance this week, and expressed his annoyance over the north London club missing out on the youngster to Chelsea. PL Brasil have relayed his comments.

Estêvão has scored 11 goals and registered eight assists from 37 matches for Palmeiras’ senior team so far. His performances, profile and potential attracted interest from top European clubs.

Chelsea were able to secure a deal, but Sandro believes Ange Postecoglou’s side should have overcome their local rivals for Estêvão.

“All I can say about Estevão Willian is that Spurs should have bought him first. I’m not happy that he signed for Chelsea, but he’s the kind of player who can change Brazil’s future,” he said.

The former midfielder spent four years at Tottenham between 2010 and 2014. He’s of the belief the Brazil international can have a bright future at Chelsea, provided they give him enough time.

“He’s a top player and I think he’s ready to play in the Premier League, as long as Chelsea give him time to find his best level and take the next step,” Sandro explained.

“He is a great player and has shown in recent years that he can face players, shoot and is very skilled. He is an exciting player to watch. There is a huge difference between football in Brazil and the Premier League, but if he trains hard, he could be one of the best players for Chelsea and Brazil.”

Estêvão will turn 18 years of age next April and will arrive at Chelsea in the summer of 2025.

Tottenham Hotspur are in the picture to sign Hertha Berlin youngster Boris Mamuzah Lum, according to Bild.

The 17-year-old came up through the ranks of the German club’s youth system and made his senior debut against SV Elversberg at the weekend.

Bild say he became Hertha Berlin’s youngest player at 16 years and 363 days.

The Germany U18 international can operate as a defensive midfielder, in the middle of the pitch and also as a right-back. This hasn’t gone unnoticed as several top clubs, including Tottenham, have been ‘interested in him for a long time’.

As well as Spurs, Manchester City, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Ajax, Red Salzburg and Barcelona are chasing the teenager.

It’s claimed that at ‘Tottenham’s invitation’, Boris Mamuzah Lum has visited their training facilities and attended three home games. This would suggest the north London club have a concrete interest in him.

Boris Mamuzah Lum is managed by British agency CAA Stellar. This may give the Premier League sides an advantage over other clubs.

His deal lasts until 2026, with an option for another year. Bild state it has a €5m release clause, which should be affordable for Tottenham.

Giovani Lo Celso spent five years at Tottenham Hotspur and made a cut-price switch to Real Betis on summer transfer deadline day.

Tottenham initially took the midfielder on loan from the La Liga side in 2019 and made his stay permanent the following year. In his first spell at Real Betis, he managed 16 goals and six assists from 45 games.

Lo Celso wasn’t able to replicate the same form at Tottenham, managing 10 goals and eight assists from 108 matches for Spurs.

The Argentine international has enjoyed a good start to his second spell at Real Betis. He has five goals from five league games and today’s edition of Marca focuses on his displays. Lo Celso has collectively scored 22 goals for Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Rosario Central from 267 matches. This is one more than the number of times he scored for Real Betis in 50 games.

The newspaper says the player becomes lethal every time he wears the Real Betis shirt. They add the South American’s statistics at Real Betis represent something he has ‘never seen in his career’.

Lo Celso struggled for a prominent role under Ange Postecoglou at Spurs last season. He’s put that difficult phase behind him as the midfielder is now having unprecedented success at Real Betis.

On Sunday, Son Heung-min missed Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford due to an injury.

The forward suffered an injury in Spurs’ Europa League win over Qarabag last Thursday. A day later, Ange Postecoglou said the 32-year-old is struggling with a “fatigue in his hamstring’.

This didn’t stop South Korea manager Hong Myung-bo from including the Tottenham star in his squad for October’s international break.

The Taegeuk Warriors will take on Jordan and Iraq in World Cup qualifiers next month. After announcing the squad for these two fixtures earlier today, Hong Myung-bo spoke to reporters and his comments are relayed by Chosun.

According to the national team manager, Son is making progress on his recovery. At the same time, he has insisted that both the player and the north London club want to avoid rushing him back.

“I communicated directly with Son Heung-min about his participation. I feel that he is gradually improving. Of course, I heard from him and the club that he is not in a position to play right now. He still has a few [club] games left. We’ll see whether he can play or not,” he said.

Tottenham will travel to Hungary to face Ferencváros in the Europa League on Thursday and then take on Brighton & Hove Albion in the league on October 6th. It’ll be interesting to see whether Son will be involved in these two matches.

The South Korean has scored two goals and registered two assists from seven games for Spurs this season.