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Timo Werner faces an uncertain future as he is seemingly unwanted by loan side Tottenham or parent club RB Leipzig.

The 29-year-old initially joined Spurs on loan in January last year and was extended last summer to run until the end of the this season.

While there was enough promise in the first six months for Tottenham to want to keep the German around, things have not gone well since.

It has been a very poor season for Spurs and Werner has not contributed much, with no goals in 18 Premier League appearances and one in 21 across all competitions.

Tottenham have an option to buy Werner in the summer for just £8.5m but it seems unlikely that they will take up that opportunity given his form and RB Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schafer appears to have confirmed that.

‘Timo Werner is currently at Tottenham. We spoke with his agent two or three weeks ago. I think the loan isn’t going quite as well as we might hope,’ Schafer told RB Live.

‘[Leipzig will] think about Timo Werner and all the players who are returning in the summer in due course.’

It does not seem likely that the forward has much of a future at Leipzig either, with Schafer adding: ‘We want to have a team on the pitch starting this summer that corresponds to what I’ve already answered several times.

‘We need a breath of fresh air, a new spirit, to recapture that attitude, that life, brutal energy that has distinguished this club.’

Even with Tottenham struggling with a lot of injury problems this season, Werner has started just four Premier League matches and has faced open criticism from manager Ange Postecoglou.

After a Europa League draw with Rangers in December, the Australian said of the former Chelsea man being subbed off.

‘When you’ve got 18-year-olds in the team, it’s not acceptable to me,’ Postecoglou said when asked about Werner’s withdrawal.

‘I said that to Timo, he’s a German 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 and trying to give the best of themselves.

‘His performance in the first half wasn’t acceptable. We need everybody, including him, to be contributing because we don’t have the depth to leave people out if they perform poorly.

‘I expect a level of performance from some of the senior guys, and tonight wasn’t that.’

Expanding on those comments at a press conference on Friday morning, Postecoglou said: ‘We’re in a fight here. I’m not going to go around worrying about bruised egos. We want to achieve things, we want to be successful and we’re down to the bare bones in players.

‘If someone is fit and able to contribute and someone who feels they need a bit extra [motivation], they are probably not the right person. If they can’t give me extra right now, that shows me where they are at.

‘We are in a difficult situation because of where we are squad wise. We have 15 fit players. If you want to make excuses there’s millions of excuses of them why they can’t be successful. If that’s you, move on, go somewhere else.

‘Last night wasn’t about Timo Werner wasn’t about him. It could have been someone else. Other players could have given more. It’s not about Timo, it’s about the situation we are in. It could be anyone. It’s not about bringing someone down or blaming someone.’

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Arsenal supporters have blasted the club’s ‘stupid’ decision to hold the first north London derby against Tottenham outside the United Kingdom.

The Gunners and Spurs both announced on Monday that they will play a pre-season match in Hong Kong at the 50,000-seater Kai Tak Stadium.

Arsenal’s friendly clash with their rivals will take place on Thursday, July 31 as the two Premier League sides get ready for the 2025-26 campaign.

There have been mixed responses from Arsenal fans across social media, with some fearful of heavy tackles and the risk of injury to key players.

‘Not a great fixture,’ Arsenal supporter @Electrical-Lab-9593 posted on Reddit. ‘Could be crunching tackles we don’t need.’

A second Arsenal fan, @lardoni, said: ‘I don’t like it! It’s gonna get messy!…. Can’t we just batter them as usual in [the] season?’

‘This is so stupid,’ @AlanMerckin added while @Imarnuel1702 posted: ‘Cos meeting that lot at least TWICE every season isn’t bad enough [sick emoji].’

Other Arsenal supporters praised the decision, seeing it as an opportunity to grow the fanbase in Asia and drive revenue to hopefully help the club in future transfer windows.

Arsenal’s managing director Richard Garlick explained the decision to play Spurs in Hong Kong via a statement on the club’s website.

‘Everyone at Arsenal is excited to be visiting Hong Kong in July,’ he said. ‘It’s great to be back with our men’s first team squad after 13 years, and gives us the opportunity to meet so many of our fantastic supporters in the region again.

‘As well as training hard and playing the match, we cannot wait to connect with our Hong Kong supporters in this wonderful part of the world.

‘Playing against Tottenham Hotspur in the magnificent new Kai Tak Stadium will be a great experience for both teams and supporters, and will be a very important part of our pre-season preparations ahead of the new season.’

Tottenham’s chief revenue officer Ryan Norys added: ‘There are few bigger occasions in English football than a north London derby.

‘To play this fixture in Hong Kong will be a huge occasion for our passionate fanbase across Asia, as well as providing ideal preparation for the team ahead of the new season.

‘As is tour tradition, the Club will be involved in so much more than the match itself when we visit, supporting charitable causes, celebrating local culture, delivering football clinics for young people and engaging with fans and partners.

‘We cannot wait to visit such a beautiful place once again.’

Arsenal beat Spurs twice this term, winning the first north London derby of the 2024-25 season 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September.

The Gunners emerged victorious again when the two rivals met at the Emirates in January, with Mikel Arteta’s men registering a 2-1 victory.

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Chelsea look set to receive a triple injury boost as Enzo Maresca’s side prepare to face London rivals Tottenham in the Premier League on Thursday.

The Blues fell to a 1-0 defeat against Arsenal prior to the international break to leave them just one point above Manchester City in fifth place.

Maresca’s side are now firmly in a battle to hold on to a top-four finish, but have been dealt some positive news with Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson all returning to first-team training over the break.

Palmer missed the defeat to Arsenal after picking up a muscle injury and was unable to feature in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad.

However, the talismanic midfielder has now been given the all-clear after two scans and will likely be welcomed straight back into the starting XI as Chelsea look to rediscover their attacking impetus.

Madueke, meanwhile, has missed Chelsea’s last six games since suffering a hamstring injury but will also be in line to start on the weekend.

Jackson has been the longest attacking absentee from Maresca’s side having not featured since the start of February against West Ham.

Despite his hit-and-miss first half of the season, the Blues have sorely missed the Senegalese striker’s presence at the top of the pitch but could throw him straight back into the starting lineup despite his lengthy layoff.

Elsewhere, Chelsea have a largely clean bill of health, although Marc Guiu and Omari Kellyman remain sidelined with their respective longer-term injuries.

Moises Caicedo remains one yellow card away from a two-match suspension, but the Ecuadorian is still likely to partner Enzo Fernandez in the middle of the park.

Reece James could slot straight back in at right-back after his impressive showing for England during the international break, while Robert Sanchez is expected to continue in goal despite his mixed performances this season.

Tottenham, meanwhile, will be hoping to welcome back Dejan Kulusevski and Kevin Danso, while Lucas Bergvall is expected to have recovered from an illness that saw him play no part in Sweden’s international break.

Predicted Chelsea XI to face Tottenham

Sanchez; James, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson.

Predicted Tottenham XI to face Chelsea

Vicario; Spence, Van de Ven, Romero, Udogie; Bentancur, Bergvall, Sarr; Tel, Solanke, Son.

Where to watch Chelsea vs Tottenham? Kick-off time and TV channel

Chelsea vs Tottenham kicks off at 8pm on Tuesday 1 April.

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The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League with coverage starting at 7pm. Viewers can also tune into the action online via Now TV or the Sky Go app.

You can also follow all the action with Metro’s LIVE matchday blog.

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Andoni Iraola insists he will not be distracted by speculation linking him with a summer move to Tottenham.

The Spaniard has worked wonders on the south coast, transforming Bournemouth from relegation candidates into a side threatening to qualify for Europe next season.

Iraola’s side are preparing for an FA Cup quarter final against Manchester City on Sunday and Iraola is adamant he won’t look focus amid reports he has been lined up as a replacement for Ange Postecoglou as Spurs’ next manager.

‘I want to do my job the best I can. I don’t know how far we can go, where we will finish,’ Iraola said speaking ahead of this weekend’s game agianst City.

‘If I don’t do the job very well, they (Bournemouth’s owners) will find someone else who does the job – it is like this in every job.

‘I am really happy here. We have a great opportunity for the first time in the (club’s) history to go to (the FA Cup) semi-finals. That would be amazing for me personally and for the club to achieve new heights.

‘But we know that we have to also be realistic, that there are better teams than us and we have to fight against teams that are very good, so we will try to give the best level we have.’

Iraola, meanwhile, feels his current club now have all the tools needed to push on to new heights after moving into a state-of-the-art £32million training centre.

The Cherries used the international break to relocate the first-team squad to Canford Magna, which has an indoor dome as well as outdoor full-sized pitches and rehabilitation facilities across the 57-acre site.

The ambitious project, first approved in October 2019, will also be a base for the women’s teams as well as Bournemouth’s academy set-up, which now meets requirements for Category Two status.

And the 42-year-old Spaniard feels everything is now in place behind the scenes to continue progress on the pitch.

‘It has been a big change for us,’ Iraola said. ‘We still have to familiarise (with it all), but obviously it is a big improvement for the team and for the club.

‘(Making a change of base) during the season sometimes is not the best moment, but I think this (international) break has been very good to do it and you can see (that) from the faces of the players.

‘The (training) pitches are perfect – we have all the tools we need. The most important thing is the football, but at least we cannot now use any other excuses because we have the best tools.”

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Cole Palmer remains a doubt for Chelsea’s Premier League clash with Tottenham next week as he has still not returned to full training.

The 22-year-old is still suffering with the muscular problem which saw him miss Chelsea’s defeat to Arsenal last time out.

He was named in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad but could not be involved due to the issue and missed the wins over Albania and Latvia.

The forward was expected to return when the Blues host Spurs on Thursday April 3 but there are lingering doubts over whether that will happen or not.

The Daily Mail report that Palmer is yet to train with his teammates since picking up the injury and while those not away on international duty have been training at Cobham, the former Manchester City man has not been involved.

Clearly there is still time for Palmer to prove his fitness, with the match the best part of a week away, but Enzo Maresca will want to see him back in training as soon as possible.

Palmer is not only dealing with injury but also his first dip in form since joining from City in the summer of 2023.

His move to Stamford Bridge has been a stunning success for him but he has hit something of a drought in front of goal for the first time, last netting on January 14 against Bournemouth.

Maresca has downplayed Palmer’s struggles, saying last month: ‘It’s normal. It’s like a team. You cannot expect Cole Palmer, every season or every game, to be like last season or like the first part of the season. It’s normal, it’s something normal.

‘He’s a human being, he’s missing some things and now it’s how we react. So I was telling him that. Everything is normal. He’s happy, he’s okay.

‘I’ve said already that he has been lucky in his career, even if he is young, because he’s shared moments, changing rooms, with top players.

‘He knows that any top players go through bad moments.

‘It’s how you react. Keep calm, keep working, keep laughing. Be calm, be happy, enjoy the football. It’s the only thing you have to do.’

While Palmer remains a doubt for next week, Nicolas Jackson is expected to be involved after missing two months through injury.

The striker is back in training after a hamstring injury and should at least be on the bench against Spurs.

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Tottenham have not made a final decision on Ange Postecoglou’s future, but if they axe the Australian they want Andoni Iraola as his replacement.

Spurs are having an extremely disappointing season, sitting 14th in the Premier League table with just 10 wins from their 29 outings.

They have suffered with a lot of injuries, but even with those problems there is no arguing that Postecoglou’s side has underperformed.

There is a chance to save the season as they remain in the Europa League, where they will take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals.

Postecoglou’s job may well depend on how Spurs do in that competition as lifting the trophy would certainly see him stay at the club but anything less may not be enough.

If the Spurs hierarchy decide to swing the axe at the end of the season then they have already identified Bournemouth boss Iraola as their number one target, report The Athletic.

The 42-year-old has impressed since moving to the Premier League with the Cherries in 2023, launching a challenge for a European football at the south coast club.

The Spaniard won seven caps for his country during his epic playing career with Athletic Bilbao, before moving into management in 2018.

His CV includes stints with AEK Larnaca, Mirandes, Rayo Vallecano and now Bournemouth so it would be a step up to a club the size of Spurs, but they feel he is ready to make the jump.

Iraola has a contract until next year at Bournemouth so Tottenham would need to meet his £10m release clause if they want him this summer.

It could be that Iraola does not fancy the move and Spurs have other targets, with Fulham’s Marco Silva and Brentford’s Thomas Frank also believed to be candidates.

Clearly proven Premier League experience is a key factor for the decision-makers at Tottenham after appointing the current boss who had never managed in a top European league previously.

Silva and Frank have both regularly been linked with moves to bigger clubs due to the jobs they have done with the Cottagers and the Bees respectively.

Frank was linked with both the Manchester United and Chelsea jobs just last year and spoke out about how content he is at Brentford, but admitted it would be silly to rule out the possibility of a move in future.

‘I’m happy here. I’ve said it many times and I mean it,’ the Dane told The Athletic.

‘It’s close to the perfect football life. I’m not in any rush or searching to do something else but I also think I’ve learned in life I’m open for what can happen.

‘I can see myself being here for a long period. Can I stay here for seven more years? I don’t know and that’s not that I don’t love Brentford, it’s just: do I want to try something different?

‘But I’m very aware the grass is not greener in the garden next door even if it looks like it. Then you get in there, take a closer look and see there are a lot of weeds in the grass.’

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Chelsea have received a welcome boost ahead of their return to Premier League action against Tottenham, with Nicolas Jackson pictured in training on Wednesday.

Jackson suffered a thigh injury during Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over West Ham last month and the 23-year-old forward has missed the club’s last eight matches in all competitions.

While Jackson has faced his fair share of criticism since arriving at Stamford Bridge, Cole Palmer is the only Chelsea player to outscore the Senegal international this season and his absence has left Enzo Maresca desperately short up front.

Pedro Neto has deputised through the middle for Chelsea’s last four league matches with some success, but Maresca will no doubt be relieved to see his number one striker, Jackson, closing in on his return.

The Blues confirmed on their official website that Jackson had trained both in the gym and on the grass at Cobham, along with the likes of Malo Gusto, Jadon Sancho and Chrisopher Nkunku who had not been selected for international duty.

After the session, Jackson shared a photograph showing him surrounded by his Chelsea team-mates in a huddle along with the praying hands emoji, a possible nod to his impending comeback.

It remains to be seen if Jackson will be deemed fit enough to feature against Spurs, with fourth-placed Chelsea looking to make it five wins from their last six matches in next week’s London derby.

There was still no sign of Palmer in Wednesday’s training-ground pictures, though, after a muscle problem ruled the forward out of Chelsea’s defeat to Arsenal.

The injury also meant Palmer could not be considered for selection for England’s World Cup qualifying wins over Albania and Latvia.

‘Cole will not be with us. He was not on the pitch with Chelsea,’ England head coach Thomas Tuchel said of Palmer’s fitness ahead of the Wembley double-header.

‘We’ve waited quite a while now for feedback and for the chance, maybe, to call him up.

‘But he’s not on the pitch and not available. It makes no sense to call him up now.

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‘We stay with this group that we have. Everybody is in training today, all 26 players, so it gives us the full choice.

‘Hopefully nothing happens in this training session and we will have to tough choices to make for tomorrow.’

There remains some uncertainty surrounding Noni Madueke’s fitness, though Maresca is hopeful the winger – who has been struggling with a hamstring issue – will return to face Tottenham.

Marc Guiu, meanwhile, has been sidelined since early February with a similar problem but the 19-year-old has stepped up his rehabilitation during the break and is believed to be nearing full fitness again.

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Atletico Madrid are considering a summer move for Tottenham defender Cristian Romero, in what would be a blow for manager Ange Postecoglou.

The Argentina international has had an injury-hit season, making just 14 Premier League appearances, thanks largely to a hamstring problem.

However, he is fit again and has been in action with Argentina in the current international break, starting against Uruguay on Saturday.

He will be back in the Tottenham starting XI when they go to Chelsea next week, but he may not be at the club much longer.

Sky Sports report that Atletico Madrid are very interested in signing the centre-back and have a decent chance of getting the 26-year-old in the next transfer window.

The former Atalanta defender is out of contract in 2027, meaning Spurs will soon start running out of time to cash in on him, unless he signs a new deal with the club.

With the north Londoners struggling in 14th in the Premier League table, the club may well struggle to convince him to sign a new contract, unless they can fight their way back into the Champions League by winning the Europa League this season.

Romero was a substantial investment at £43m and this summer could be Tottenham’s only chance to make a profit on the tough-tackling centre-back.

The Argentine may well be tempted to make the step up to Atletico Madrid and work with his countryman Diego Simeone at a club which is regularly in the Champions League and challenges for La Liga titles.

He has already voiced his frustrations with the way Tottenham is run, pointing out that the club struggles to strengthen the squad on a regular enough basis to compete with the biggest teams in the land.

Speaking earlier this season Romero told Telemundo Deportes: ‘Manchester City competes every year, you see how Liverpool strengthens its squad, Chelsea strengthens their squad, doesn’t do well, strengthens again, and now they’re seeing results.

‘Those are the things to imitate. You have to realise that something is going wrong, hopefully, they (the board) realise it.

‘The last few years, it’s always the same – first the players, then the coaching staff changes, and it’s always the same people responsible.

‘Hopefully they realise who the true responsible ones are and we move forward because it’s a beautiful club that, with the structure it has, could easily be competing for the title every year.’

Postecoglou did not entirely condemn Romero for his words, but said he spoke to him about them and his defender apologised for the way he went about things.

Speaking in December, the Australian said: ‘He realises that a lot of what he said was good but some wasn’t the right way of dealing with it. The same way I wouldn’t criticise a player publicly.

‘I’ve spoken to Cristian about it and he’s apologised for it. It wasn’t the right way to do it. It shows he cares. There’s a way to do it and this wasn’t it.’

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Enzo Maresca has revealed one Chelsea star is set to start against Leicester City despite being at risk of picking up a two-game ban.

Fresh off beating FC Copenhagen in the first leg of their Conference League last-16 tie, Chelsea host struggling Leicester in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Blues are fifth in the table but have won just three of their last 11 games and must rediscover their best form if they are to qualify for the Champions League.

Given the Foxes’ disastrous form under Ruud van Nistelrooy – three wins in 16 – many are expecting an easy win for Maresca’s side before they navigate three tricky games.

After the second leg against Copenhagen next Thursday, Chelsea take on Arsenal and Tottenham either side of the March international break.

And there is a risk that Maresca will be without one of his key players for the London derbies, with Moises Caicedo one booking away from a two-match suspension having already accumulated nine yellow cards this season.

With that in mind, one would understand if the head coach wanted to bench the defensive midfielder for the ‘easier’ Leicester game, but Maresca insists that will not happen.

‘No, no, no. I know that they said this to me, but at this moment for us, it’s about winning games,’ the Italian said in a press conference as he previewed the clash against his former club.

‘We need to win games, so we cannot plan giving Moi a rest thinking that he can play Arsenal. We need to win against Leicester and then we need to focus on how we can beat Arsenal.

‘It’s just game by game and we need our best players on the pitch.’

After a difficult first season following his £97million transfer from Brighton, Caicedo has found his feet at Stamford Bridge, though he is somewhat of a yellow card magnet.

The 23-year-old has been booked 25 times in 79 appearances for Chelsea, while only Crystal Palace’s Will Hughes and Fulham’s Sasa Lukic have more yellows in the Premier League this season.

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Maresca isn’t concerned by the risk of suspension however, adding: ‘The position of Moises, if you see his background, last year he had 11 to 12 yellow cards, the year before the same, because he’s a midfielder.

‘You are in the traffic. Sometimes you have to make some fouls. It’s normal.

‘Hopefully, he can avoid that until the end. Knowing that probably it’s difficult, but the good thing is that we have also Romeo [Lavia] now, he’s started with us already.

‘He can be back. We need to be ready. Reece can be a midfielder like tonight so we’ll see.’

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Dominic Solanke limped out of Tottenham’s defeat to AZ Alkmaar after coming on as a second half substitute on his return from a previous injury.

The striker had been out since January with a knee problem but came off the bench on 72 minutes in Alkmaar, replacing captain Son Heung-min.

However, he lasted just 20 minutes, limping off the field, replaced by Dane Scarlett in injury time of the 1-0 loss.

The injury came after a collision with AZ goalkeeper Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro, with Solanke jumping for a header and coming off badly from the impact with the stopper.

It looked like the Spurs man got a knee in his lower back or possibly his hip and was clearly in serious discomfort as he writhed on the ground.

There seemed every chance that it was just an impact injury and that Solanke may be able to run it off but he limped out of the match and looked in a lot of pain after he left the field.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is hopeful it is nothing serious, saying after the match: ‘We think it’s a knock, so hopefully nothing too bad. He’s a bit sore.’

It was a bad moment on a bad night for Spurs as they lost thanks to a Lucas Bergvall own goal early in the first half.

The midfielder was unlucky as a sliced clearance looped into his own goal on 18 minutes, but Tottenham were unable to recover.

Captain Son didn’t pull any punches in his assessment of the performance, which needs to be much better in the second leg of the tie next week.

‘It’s nowhere near where we should perform,’ Son told TNT Sports. ‘It was very disappointing that we performed like this, including me. It’s a big wake up call because next week is the biggest game of the season.

‘I really don’t think there was too much caution. It’s always tough to play away in the Europa League. We didn’t create anything in the first half, sloppiness, not performing the way we should.

‘Everyone is very disappointed about the individual performance and the team performance, we have to look at ourselves. There is no excuses, we were not good enough. It’s just 1-0, it’s still not finished, and next week we have to be much better.’

Postecoglou told TNT Sports: ‘Not a great night for us. Obviously a disappointing result but a really disappointing performance. We never got to grips with the game. It wasn’t a great night for us, but it’s half way and we’re still in the tie.’

On whether he is confident of turning the tie around in north London, he said: ‘Absolutely. At home we are capable of scoring goals and putting pressure on the opponent. We’ll perform better than we did tonight.’

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