Sport Witness

Strap yourselves in Tottenham fans because you’re about to have your mind blow. Why? Because Davinson Sanchez is better than Virgil van Dijk.

That’s at least according to Turkish coach Servet Çetin, who believes the former Tottenham man is a superior player to the Dutchman at this moment in time.

Çetin has been speaking to Ajansspor about Galatasaray, which led to praise of Sanchez and a lofty comparison indeed.

Sanchez has been playing for the Turkish since last summer, when he left Tottenham in a €9.3m deal following a miserable six years at the club.

The Colombian had arrived with a growing reputation and a big price tag of €42m from Ajax in August 2017 after an impressive year with the Dutch side following a move from Colombia.

He was never able to replicate what he showed in the Netherlands at Tottenham, though, with 207 appearances failing to bring out a player good enough to justify his big transfer fee.

Tottenham eventually cut their losses last summer and Sanchez has been enjoying himself in Turkey since, earning praise for his performances and being linked with a return to the Premier League over the last few months as well.

Çetin is one of those who has seemingly been won over, now going as far as to suggest he’s better than the Liverpool star, a man most would have among the best defenders of all time.

“Sanchez is a better centre-back than Dijk,” he said.

“In England, centre-backs play locally, they do not disturb their positions. They don’t get into the ranks of the right-back or left-back. They always take a position in the centre. They usually play heavy. Because they are physically good, they intercept the ball in the centre.

“But they falter when they have to open up. Van Dijk had a very difficult time against Barış Alper Yılmaz in the Turkey – Netherlands national match.

“Sanchez, on the other hand, has a one-on-one game. He has pace, plays in a wider area and doesn’t miss men. He does a much more difficult job. He gets off the ball very well. Sanchez is a much better stopper than van Dijk.

“Maybe people will say come off it, but it doesn’t matter if it’s Liverpool. For example, Sami Hyypia came to Turkey and was not liked. So, Sanchez is better than van Dijk and many other centre-backs in the Premier League.”

Giovani Lo Celso left Tottenham Hotspur and returned to Real Betis in the last window. As part of the deal, Spurs have obtained an option to buy Johnny Cardoso next summer.

Last week, Real Betis president Ángel Haro spoke about the Spurs clause. He also stated Tottenham will be entitled to receive a percentage of a fee, if the La Liga side were to sell Cardoso to another club.

AC Milan are in the picture to sign the 23-year-old in 2025, according to Calciomercato. They have included the American and Red Bull Salzburg’s Lucas Gourna-Douath in their target list.

The website points out Tottenham’s clause for Cardoso. This could be key for them to beat the Rossoneri, who lost 3-1 to Liverpool in the Champions League last week.

Estadio Deportivo are also discussing the Serie A side’s interest in the Real Betis player.

He’s been limited to 46 minutes from two league games this season. This hasn’t had an impact on his suitors as Cardoso continues to attract interest from Milan.

Estadio join Calciomercato in informing Paulo Fonseca’s side that Tottenham can sign the player by exercising the €25m clause next summer.

If Milan were to win the battle for signature, Tottenham would still benefit from the sell-on clause.

Tottenham Hotspur will this season play in the Europa League, after missing out on Europe for a year.

Spurs had to settle for domestic competitions during the last campaign, and finished fifth in the league. This saw them qualify for the second-tier European competition.

Guglielmo Vicario has told Sky Italia, relayed by Gianluca Di Marzio, that it was difficult for Tottenham without European football.

The 27-year-old arrived at the north London club from Empoli in June 2023 and replaced Hugo Lloris as Spurs’ first-choice stopper. He kept eight clean sheets and conceded 62 goals from 40 matches for Tottenham in his debut season.

Vicario has a clean sheet from five games this season, conceding five goals in the process. The Italy international has discussed his side’s ambitions for the 2024/25 season.

“We like to play every three days, that’s what we wanted. Last season, we were without Europe and for a club like ours it was difficult in terms of ambitions,” he said.

“Away games take away a lot of energy, you have to be good at recovering mentally and be ready to get back into the game right away.

“We are a big club, it’s normal that we play to win matches. Getting into the top eight in the Premier League is an objective, even if it’s difficult because there are so many strong teams to face, so it will be a sporting battle.”

Spurs missed out on European football last season, after finishing eighth the season before that. Despite insisting finishing in the top eight is an objective, the stopper still wants his side to qualify for Europe.

Ange Postecoglou’s side are now 10th in the table with seven points, trailing fifth placed Chelsea by three points.

Vicario’s performances for the Premier League helped him make his debut for Italy in March.

Emerson Royal has been subject to criticism since before even arriving at AC Milan from Tottenham Hotspur.

The Serie A side chased the right-back for most of the last window before agreeing a deal with Tottenham in August. The Rossoneri paid €15m excluding bonuses to Spurs.

He’s made five appearances for the Italian club. MilanNews.it were critical of the 25-year-old’s performance in the 2-2 draw against Lazio. They said he was one of the worst players on the pitch.

Journalist Gianni Visnadi suggested Tottenham would have been thrilled to have collected €15m from the defender’s sale to Milan. MilanLive.it now claims some of the criticism wasn’t justified. The Brazil international has responded in the ‘best possible way’ by impressing in the derby win over Inter Milan.

He played the full 90 minutes as Milan sealed a 2-1 win over their local rivals. Emerson was doubted by some after the first half, but he did well after the break. The website says he created chances, yet his teammates on the receiving end weren’t able to convert.

Emerson won 100% of his aerial duels, blocked 100% of shots and three out of his four tackles were successful. In this way, the player has responded to ‘prejudices and unfair criticism’ in the best possible way after his arrival from Tottenham.

This fixture could be a turning point for Emerson’s career at the San Siro, provided he continues to shine in the upcoming matches.

Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur are in the picture to sign Galatasaray’s Barış Alper Yılmaz, according to Monday’s edition of Sabah.

The winger impressed for Galatasaray last season, managing seven goals and 12 assists. He has extended his form into this season, with four goals and an assist from nine games.

His performances for the Istanbul club have caught the attention of Brighton, Tottenham and other clubs.

Brighton & Hove Albion signed Ferdi Kadıoğlu from Fenerbahçe in the summer window. He wasn’t the only player from the Turkish league on the Seagulls’ agenda.

It’s claimed Fabian Hürzeler’s side offered €20m to Galatasaray for Barış Alper Yılmaz. There’s no explanation provided if Brighton’s bid was rejected by the 24-year-old, his club or both this summer.

Sabah say Brighton and Spurs are still interested in the Turkey international. The Seagulls are ready to increase offer to €25m, to try and beat Tottenham and others to the player’s signature.

The Turkish press like to create hype around the Süper Lig players but were proved right with the Kadıoğlu transfer. Brighton certainly have their eye on the market, with signings available more cheaply than they likely would be from elsewhere.

Toby Alderweireld spent six years at Tottenham Hotspur before leaving them for Al-Duhail in 2021. A year later, the popular centre-back returned to Europe when he joined Royal Antwerp.

The defender was a regular during his time at Tottenham, making 236 appearances for them. Alderweireld was also a fan favourite at Spurs, largely due to his approach to the game. Prior to joining Tottenham, he had spells at Southampton, Atlético Madrid and Ajax.

Royal Antwerp will host Beerschot in their derby on Sunday. The 35-year-old and his side will start preparation for this clash from today.

Monday’s edition of Gazet van Antwerpen points out the Belgian has so far enjoyed a lot of success in various derbies.

At Tottenham, he faced Arsenal in the north London derby 11 times. The newspaper says the centre-back won five of them and settled for a draw on four occasions. He played 10 times for Ajax against Feyenoord and was on the winning side seven times.

Beerschot have returned to the Jupiler Pro League, after winning the second division last season. This allows Royal Antwerp to face their rivals in the league. The former Tottenham star is eagerly waiting for the big clash on Sunday.

“I’m very happy that I can finally experience one. I’ve played enough big matches,” he told Gazet van Antwerpen.

“Think of Ajax-Feyenoord. Not a city derby, but a very charged match. Tottenham-Arsenal and Atlético Madrid-Real Madrid, those were real city derbies. But this means more to me. In terms of importance, the Antwerp city derby cannot be surpassed.”

Tanguy Ndombele ended his disappointing spell at Tottenham Hotspur after the parties mutually agreed to terminate his contract in the summer.

The midfielder was once Spurs’ club-record signing when he arrived from Lyon in 2019. He struggled at Tottenham, and they sent him out on loan to Lyon, Napoli and Galatasaray since the start of 2022.

Tottenham’s decision to release the 27-year-old allowed OGC Nice to sign him on a free transfer in July.

Ndombele has clocked in 431 minutes from five matches, managing a goal and an assist in the process. He scored in the Ligue 1 side’s 8-0 win over Saint-Étienne on Friday.

Saturday’s edition of Le Figaro stated the Frenchman played his best game for Nice since arriving at the club.

The former Tottenham man’s recent performances are enough for the newspaper to insists he ‘confirms his return to form’. They state the good environment at Nice ‘suits him’ and this has been key for him to impress at Nice.

The Turkish press were critical of his fitness and weight whilst he was on loan at Galatasaray last season. There seems no concerns now about these factors at the French club.

Wilson Odobert has made three Premier League appearances for Tottenham Hotspur since joining them from Burnley on August 16th.

Earlier this week, the winger suffered an injury in Spurs’ EFL Cup win over Coventry City. He was replaced by Brennan Johnson in the 18th minute.

In his pre-match press conference on Friday, Ange Postecoglou said the Tottenham man’s hamstring injury “doesn’t look good”.

L’Equipe pick up on that and then give their own information on the Frenchman’s setback.

They state it was a ‘almost a dream’ start to his Tottenham career, and that has been ‘thwarted’ by the injury. The 19-year-old underwent initial tests on Thursday and the report adds he’ll carry out more tests, once the swelling subsides.

It’s claimed the north London club’s medical staff have ‘estimated’ Odobert will be out ‘for a month’. He’s expected to return to action in mid-October. There should be more clarity after he undergoes more tests.

Odobert represented France U21s in the European qualifiers against Slovenia and Bosnia & Herzegovina earlier this month. The attacker’s latest blow means Les Bleuets manager Gérald Baticle can’t rely upon him for October’s international break.

Espanyol sporting director Fran Garagarza has told AS that Tottenham Hotspur’s Alejo Véliz rejected Champions League clubs to join them.

The striker arrived at the La Liga side from Tottenham on a loan deal in the summer window.

Espanyol signed eight new players in the summer and seven of them are loan signings. Álvaro Tejero joined them on a free transfer.

Garagarza has explained the club’s financial situation and La Liga’s salary limit meant they had to sign players on temporary deals.

The director has revealed he’s been following the Argentina U20 international after his fine displays at the U20 World Cup in 2023, where he scored three goals from four matches.

Véliz struggled for a prominent role under Ange Postecoglou in the first half of last season. The Premier League side let him join Sevilla in January. His game time was restricted to 31 minutes from six games at the Andalusian club.

If he had impressed at Sevilla, Espanyol wouldn’t have been able to sign him. That’s at least what the Espanyol sporting director now claims.

When AS pointed out that the Tottenham owned player comes from a difficult spell at Sevilla, he said: “We understood that we had to go for that type of player who was more out than in at his clubs.

“In the case of Véliz, for example, he came from a somewhat complicated loan at Sevilla. He didn’t play much. It’s true that if he had played his level there, we wouldn’t have had any chance of having him with us.

“He had several Italian teams and Champions League clubs after him, but Tottenham helped us. They understood that with us the player’s value would increase because we made them see that he was going to be important. Having a young boy of that profile, even with money, is difficult.”

Véliz has a goal from five matches for Espanyol this season.

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.