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Tottenham have stepped up their efforts to sign Bayern Munich winger Mathys Tel ahead of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

Several Premier League clubs are on alert after Tel informed Bayern that he is keen to leave before the end of the January transfer window in order to secure more playing time.

The 19-year-old was handed only his third start of the season on Wednesday evening and played just over an hour in Bayern’s 3-1 victory against Slovan Bratislava in the final Champions League match before the play-offs.

Chelsea, United and Arsenal are all considering a move for Tel but L’Equipe reports that Spurs’ technical director, Johan Lange, travelled to Germany to hold direct talks with Bayern and to convince the French winger about joining Ange Postecoglou’s side.

The report adds that Tel has not made a final decision over his next club, although it’s understood that the winger is reluctant to join Chelsea due to the strong competition for a starting role in Enzo Maresca’s side.

Speaking on Wednesday night, Bayern’s sporting director, Max Eberl, revealed that Tel had changed his mind about his future at Bayern.

‘Mathys decided at the time [in December] that he wanted to stay, that he wanted to assert himself. Now Mathys comes along and says that he can imagine doing something,’ Eberl said.

‘And now we have to think about what we are going to do, whether we are going to do it.

‘The playing time is not satisfactory for him, and that is understandable.

‘It is now the end of January. And now it is more difficult for everyone involved. We have to see what is ultimately best for everyone involved, for Mathys and for Bayern Munich.’

Asked whether Tel will leave on loan or a permanent transfer, Eberl replied: ‘We will assess all the options.

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‘It was very rare that so many clubs called.’

Speaking after his side’s win on Wednesday night, Bayern goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, was asked about Tel’s desire to leave before the end of the window.

‘It is definitely important for young players to gain match practice,’ Neuer said.

‘He didn’t get enough of that with us. Maybe it’s the right step for him.’

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Tottenham look set to keep faith with manager Ange Postecoglou despite their latest bruising defeat to Leicester City at the weekend.

A dramatic five-minute turnaround at the start of the second half saw relegation-threatened Leicester claim a shock 2-1 away win to end their eight-match Premier League winless run.

In turn, the Foxes condemmed Spurs to their fourth league defeat on the bounce to intensy the pressure on Postecoglou and his injury-stricken squad.

The north London side were without ten senior first-team players for Sunday’s game after James Maddison missed out due to a knock, while Richarlison and Pape Matar Sarr were forced off early due to a lack of fitness.

Regardless of the squad’s injury crisis, there is now mounting pressure on the club to relieve Postecoglou of his duties with key Carabao Cup and FA Cup games on the horizon.

However, football.london are reporting that the club will still standing by the under-pressure Australian for the time being as the club navigate the end of the transfer window and an ongoing injury crisis.

Tottenham have made just one signing this window, Czechia goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, but are said to be hopeful of signing at least one more player before the deadline closes in a week’s time.

Spurs’ hectic schedule shows no signs of abating, with the club facing a four-day turnaround before they host Elfsborg in the Europa League on Thursday.

The north London side then face a tricky visit to Brentford in the league on the weekend before their midweek Carabao Cup second-leg tie against Liverpool at Anfield.

When asked on Sunday about his job security, Posteoclou conceded that he doesn’t know if he will still be in charge by the end of that mini-run of crucial fixtures.

‘Who knows. I reckon there is probably a fair chunk that will say no,’ he said.

‘When you are the manager of a football club you can be very vulnerable and isolated. I don’t feel that.

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‘I feel like this group of players, not for me, are giving everything for the club. I have a group of staff that is really committed. I focus on that.

‘My role within that is to try and support these players. I can even see in training when the guys who are coming back come back in it is going to give everybody a lift.

‘As I keep saying to the players, there is a fantastic opportunity this season to really make an impact and I know we can.

‘But in terms of your question, is there anything I can say about that that is going to change anything that I need to do tomorrow morning? Nothing.’

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Ange Postecoglou revealed that Richarlison’s early withdrawal during Tottenham’s loss to Leicester City was due to a problem with the striker’s groin.

Richarlison scored his second goal in as many Premier League games to give his side the lead at half-time against Leicester at home.

However, Spurs were stunned by a five-minute turnaround at the start of the second half as goals from Jamie Vardy and Bilal El Khannouss condemmed them to a shock 2-1 defeat.

The defeat to Leicester, who prior to this game had lost seven league games on the bounce, undoubtedly intensifies the pressure on Postecoglou whose continues to deal with an extensive injury list.

James Maddison missed out on today’s matchday squad with a knock, meaning Spurs were without ten senior first-team players for the visit of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side.

And after the defeat, Postecoglou revealed a fresh concern for Richarlison whose 54th-minute substitution was met with boos from the home crowd.

‘He was feeling his groin, he should have come off at half-time but he wanted to give another 10 minutes,’ the Spurs manager said when asked about the Brazilian who was making his first league start of the season.

‘I could see he wasn’t running well so that is why I took him off.’

Pape Matar Sarr also came off early in the second half, with Postecoglou admitting that the central midfielder was not really fit enough to start.

‘I’ve said all along, the players need help and I’ve also said the club are working hard in that area to try to alleviate some of those problems, because Pape Sarr shouldn’t have played today,’ Postecoglou added.

‘He obviously wasn’t fit.

‘The players are going out there and giving everything then can because we can’t call off games. We’ve got another game in three days’ time that these players have to front up for.

‘The injury situation will ease and I’m confident they will sort of help us. Even one more player coming in, just in the short term will give us an opportunity, at least to navigate these last 10 days, two weeks, of what’s been a really hard slog for this group of players.’

Spurs’ unrelenting fixture load shows no signs of abating, with the north London club set to contest four games in four different competitions over the next 14 days.

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Asked if he thinks he will still be in the job by the end of that run, Postecoglou responded: ‘Who knows. I reckon there is probably a fair chunk that will say no.

‘When you are the manager of a football club you can be very vulnerable and isolated. I don’t feel that. I feel like this group of players, not for me, are giving everything for the club. I have a group of staff that is really committed. I focus on that.

‘My role within that is to try and support these players. I can even see in training when the guys who are coming back come back in it is going to give everybody a lift. As I keep saying to the players, there is a fantastic opportunity this season to really make an impact and I know we can.

‘But in terms of your question, is there anything I can say about that that is going to change anything that I need to do tomorrow morning? Nothing.’

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Tottenham have been tipped to hire a Premier League manager to replace Ange Postecoglou as pressure grows on the struggling Spurs boss.

The north London club’s dismal form continued on Sunday as they lost 2-1 at home to relegation-battlers Leicester City.

Richarlison put the hosts in front before half-time but Leicester scored twice in four second-half minutes to complete a stunning comeback and climb out of the relegation zone.

It was Tottenham’s fourth successive Premier League defeat and leaves Postecoglou’s side 15th in the table, eight points above the relegation zone.

The hierarchy at Spurs have continued to show faith in Postecoglou during an alarming run but their patience will truly be tested after watching the team lose at home to a Leicester team that had lost seven league games in a row before their trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Ex-England striker Emile Heskey cannot see Postecoglou surviving until next season and believes two current Premier League managers could succeed the ex-Celtic boss at Tottenham.

‘I can’t see Ange Postecoglou being at Tottenham next season,’ Heskey told Instant Casino.

‘They’re in a poor run of form and it’s a difficult one for both the owners and the board. I believe they like him, but the performances and results on the pitch really don’t look good.

‘They play really open football, so for the neutral it’s great to watch but it’s difficult to watch as a fan when the team can’t keep the ball out of their own net.

‘Finding a long-term replacement for him at this point in the season will be difficult so I think they will stick with him, but it’s tough to imagine Ange in the dugout at the start of next season.

‘As far as replacements go, I really like Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola. He’s doing some great work there; however, you are going from a club like Bournemouth where there is no real pressure other than staying in the league, to a club where the expectations are super high, and they must be met.

‘Thomas Frank is also an option; he deserves praise for the job he’s done at Brentford. They’ve been defensively sound, and their home form is brilliant, Tottenham could do worse than looking at either Iraola or Frank.’

Iraola’s Bournemouth thrashed Nottingham Forest 5-0 on Saturday to climb to seventh in the Premier League and reach the 40-point mark before February.

Frank’s Brentford, meanwhile, beat Crystal Palace 2-1 on Sunday to climb to 11th – 15 points above the relegation zone.

Postecoglou admitted he was ‘hurting’ after Tottenham’s latest defeat but said his players ‘gave everything’.

‘It hurts,’ the Australian said. ‘It hurts a lot.

‘The players gave everything again. We are going to look at a lot of things, but in terms of effort I can’t ask anymore of this group, things just didn’t go our way today.

‘We created some good opportunities and unfortunately things just didn’t drop for us because not because the players weren’t trying and that’s the main thing.

‘The players are giving everything they can. That is all we can ask for as a football club and me as a manager. They are trying their hardest and that is all anyone can ask for.

‘You can analyse the goals, they were disappointing goals for us to concede, but I thought we had enough chances in the game to come out on top.

‘When you’re in this situation, they are trying as hard as they can and sometimes that doesn’t give you he clarity in decision making. You can ask is for people to do as much as they can and from my perspective I see a group of players that are giving as much as they can.

‘I know it will turn. We’ll get some players back, we were short again today but in the next couple of weeks there’s some really important players coming back that I know will help this group.

‘We’ve not hit a ceiling. We’ve been going like this for two months. They put in an enormous performance on Thursday to make sure we’re OK in Europe and they had to back it up today but there were probably at least two or three players that weren’t at 100%.

‘I’m a football manager and I get judged on results, that is the way of the world.’

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Tottenham are dealing with a rampant injury crisis as they return to Premier League action today against Leicester City.

Spurs are languishing in 15th place – eight points clear of the relegation zone – but a home fixture against a Leicester side in woeful form offers the chance to rebuild some confidence.

Dominic Solanke joined the ever-lengthening injury list this week, missing the 3-2 defeat to Everton last Sunday with a knee injury.

The former Bournemouth striker, who has scored seven Premier League goals this season, also missed the 3-2 win over Hoffenheim in the Europa League on Thursday with Postecoglou confirming he will miss up to six weeks of action.

Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have endured injury-hit campaigns and while the two are back in training, they are not in contention for the visit of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side on Sunday.

‘Him [Romero] and Micky are the next cabs off the rank in terms of the long-term ones,’ Postecoglou told a press conference on Friday.

‘They’ve still got a bit to do in terms of getting some training into them with the team. Obviously we haven’t been training a lot and because the other day was sort of low tempo session, it was just good to get him involved.

‘Not just for him but the players involved because they need a bit of help and encouragement and Cuti training with them gives them a big lift. Micky’s not too far away.

Destiny Udogie is also still among the absentees with Tottenham’s clash with Manchester United next month a possible return date for the Italy international.

Yves Bissouma also remains a major doubt for Sunday along with Djed Spence and Pape Sarr with Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner also still sidelined with calf and hamstring problems respectively.

Guglielmo Vicario remains on track for his return at the end of February with January signing Antonin Kinsky set to continue in goal.

Is Tottenham vs Leicester on TV today?

Tottenham vs Leicester kicks off at 2pm on Sunday, January 26.

The Premier League clash will not be shown on TV in the UK today.

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

Predicted Tottenham XI to face Leicester

Kinsky; Porro, Dragusin, Davies, Reguilon; Bentancur, Bergvall, Maddison; Kulusevski, Son, Richarlison

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Ange Postecoglou says his Tottenham squad needs boosting before the transfer window shuts and the club is ‘playing with fire’ if no signings are made.

Spurs are having a nightmare season in the Premier League, going into the weekend’s action 15th in the table, with just seven wins from 22 games.

Their hopes on other fronts are still alive as Tottenham are still going strong in the Carabao Cup, Europa League and FA Cup, but their league form has been woeful.

It certainly hasn’t been helped by a string of injuries and few signs of their ongoing fitness problems easing up.

When Spurs take on Leicester on Sunday Postecoglou will be without Dominic Solanke, Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner. Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Wilson Odobert, while Pape Sarr, Djed Spence, Sergio Reguilon and Yves Bissouma could all be involved but are doubts.

Tottenham are yet to sign an outfield player this month and Postecoglou says it will be a very risky move from the club if that doesn’t change in the coming days.

‘I’m not out there trying to find opportunities for the club, that’s not my role at this time. There isn’t time to do it,’ Postecoglou told a press conference on Friday.

‘I don’t think I’m stating anything other than the obvious and for me to come here and say something else would be disingenuous. This playing group needs help, there’s no doubt about that.

‘We’re sort of playing with fire by not bringing anyone in, but the flip side of that is the club is trying to change that situation.’

Tottenham’s challenges in the cup competitions mean it is an incredibly hectic schedule for them this season.

Spurs face five matches in two weeks from their meeting with Leicester on Sunday until an FA Cup trip to Aston Villa on 9 February.

Romero and Van de Ven have returned to training and there is hope that both centre-backs will be available for the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final at Anfield on 6 February.

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As a fan of the England Women’s Cricket team and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club it has been a long few weeks. Generally I believe in giving yourself time off from sport that hurts you but Spurs have been impossible to look away from this season. And I’m presenting the Women’s Ashes for TNT Sports so, you know.

England women were my main frustration last year after the headless reaction to captain Heather Knight’s injury during the defeat to West Indies which led to their elimination from the T20 World Cup.

It didn’t help that Australia were subsequently knocked out in the semi-finals. Since they had won six of the previous seven World Cups and England had hammered eventual champions New Zealand twice that year, this should really have been a golden opportunity.

That it wasn’t was put down to a lack of leadership in the team, outside of the captaincy – held for more than eight years now by Knight. She has been one of the world’s most outstanding cricketers who led England to a famous World Cup win at Lord’s in 2017, was a Wisden cricketer of the year in 2018 and a key factor in the last England Ashes victory more than ten years ago.

You may notice that these accolades are from quite some time ago, like those of the England team.

Australia retained the Ashes on Monday at the earliest possible moment, taking all eight points available so far. Knight herself knows the performance of her side is crucial in growing the women’s game in this country – last year she said: ‘Ultimately our biggest chance to inspire is winning big competitions and performing in big events’.

Head coach Jon Lewis took over three years ago and was credited with developing a more aggressive, freer style of cricket, like that showcased by the men. But at crucial points, with the eyes of the world on them, the England women have come up short.

It’s unsurprising Knight as captain hasn’t gone in on her team but her claims they have been there or thereabouts Down Under aren’t true. England have lacked in every area: sloppy fielding, batters – in the main – failing to fire, inconsistent bowling.

Therefore, though the Ashes are gone, the three remaining games are crucial. Can England fight for their captain and their approach? I’d love to see it. Should a whitewash transpire change is surely indicated.

Tottenham’s recent defeat to Everton felt nearly as shocking. Personally I currently go into every game assuming we’ll lose. It’s a habit honed over many years, protecting me from slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. But right now I really believe it. The north London derby was actually a much better performance than those who’ve not seen it will have you believe. And it’s true that Ange Postecoglou’s side have a lot of injuries, much like Bournemouth. Did you see them at the weekend by the way?

The hollowed-out Spurs backline looks it. Micky van de Ven is an irreplaceable talent and Cristian Romero, World Cup-winning centre-back, would be a big miss from any team. But let’s not forget that Dr Tottenham’s losses to Crystal Palace and Ipswich were achieved with near-full strength line-ups.

Unlike with England, my feeling with Spurs is that change is not good. The instinct at moments of true crisis like this – Spurs really are eight points above the relegation zone more than halfway through the season – is usually to make some change, any change, to see if it will help. But new manager bounce is usually only a two-game strategy.

The five years when Spurs were a building club under Mauricio Pochettino were my favourite ever, and I still believe Postecoglou has the capacity to be that guy. See how Tottenham’s teenagers have done all that’s been asked of them and more. Ange undoubtedly needs help but the transfer window remains open. I fear the pressure now on the cups may crush any season-saving wins but I still believe consistency is key. And not just when I glance at the table and see Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest third, and remember how he bored himself out the door here.

The style gives what we want, but more pragmatism is needed, as are players. Results can follow. Please!!

The final games of the Women’s Ashes are live on TNT Sports and Discovery+. Kate is also presenting the England men’s white ball tour of India on TNT Sports.

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Ange Postecoglou’s time as Tottenham manager may be at an end after Spurs lost 3-2 at Everton in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Toffees, buoyed by returning manager David Moyes, stunned everyone in the first-half as they raced into a three goal lead.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Iliman Ndiaye got on the scoresheet before an Archie Gray own goal sparked raucous celebrations at Goodison Park.

Tottenham got two goals back late on courtesy of Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison but it was too little to late, with the Lilywhites winning just five of their last 18 games in all competitions.

They’re now 15th in the table, only eight points above the relegation zone, with any dream of qualifying for Europe – via the Premier League – surely over.

The pressure is on Postecoglou who has at the very least got his side to the verge of the Carabao Cup final. They travel to Liverpool next month with a one goal advantage in their semi-final tie.

But should Daniel Levy decide a change is needed before then a number of Premier League managers have been tipped to replace the Australian.

Among them is Kieran McKenna who guided Ipswich Town to the top-flight after back-to-back promotions.

The Tractor Boys are struggling for points this season but have earned acclaim for their style of play, and McKenna himself emerged as a target for Chelsea and Manchester United last summer.

The Northern-Irishman was previously assistant manager to Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Old Trafford and began his coaching career at Tottenham after playing for their youth teams.

Edin Terzic is the favourite to replace Postecoglou however, having been out of work since leaving Borussia Dortmund after guiding them to last season’s Champions League final.

Fulham’s Marco Silva, Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola are also leading contenders.

Speaking after the defeat at Everton, a crestfallen Postecoglou was asked about his future at Spurs and once again bemoaned his side’s awful injury crisis that has contributed massively to their terrible form.

The 59-year-old said: ‘I separate myself from that. This is not about me, but what is about me right now is I have the responsibility of the group of players I do have, to try and get us through this, and that’s what I’ve got to focus on.

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‘For me to focus on anything else is abstaining myself from the responsibility I have. I’m just determined to get us out of this.

‘The club’s doing its best to…more about helping the players than helping me because they’re the ones we’re asking some massive jobs of 18-year-olds. We had a 17-year-old out there trying to win games of football for us.

‘And others who are just playing week on week, so, you know it’s more about getting the players help rather than me help.’

Postecoglou will be desperate for a win when Tottenham travel to Hoffenheim in the Europa League on Thursday, and again when they host Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

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Former Tottenham star Jamie O’Hara said he would be ‘surprised’ if Ange Postecoglou managed to survive the sack as the club collapsed to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Everton.

Postecoglou was already facing questions over his future in north London after a wretched run of just two wins in seven games and the situation went from bad to worse at Goodison Park this afternoon.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin netted for the first time in 17 Premier League games to break the deadlock in the 13th minute and Iliman Ndiaye doubled the hosts’ advantage with a solo wonder strike on the half-hour mark.

An Archie Gray own goal piled yet more misery on Spurs in the dying embers of a one-sided first half, with Postecoglou cutting a deeply frustrated figure on the touchline on Merseyside.

While goals Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison both struck to set up a nervy finish for Everton’s home support, the Toffees held firm to ensure Tottenham remain just eight points above the drop zone in 15th place.

Analysing Tottenham’s spectacular first-half capitulation on Sky Sports News, O’Hara suggested Postecoglou’s days were numbered and blasted the Australian’s inability to ‘play a different style of football’.

‘What a bad day this is turning into. I tell you what, I’d be surprised if he survives, Ange’ the former Tottenham midfielder said.

‘Regardless of the injuries and regardless of what we’ve got in terms of being in cup competitions, the Premier League is bread and butter.

‘It’s not good enough. You can’t be 15th in the table and 3-0 down against Everton.

‘I know there’s injuries but Bournemouth have got injuries and they went to Newcastle and won 4-1.

‘Put a bit of respect into the fact that you have to play a different style of football.

‘We can’t keep playing the way we’re playing and just expecting it to continue.’

Ex-Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher echoed O’Hara’s comments on Sky Sports’ commentary of the match, saying it was like watching men against boys.

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‘It’s like watching a kids academy team,’ Carragher said after Vitaliy Mykolenko squandered a chance to make it four midway through the second half.

‘They just keep playing the same way and the coach keeps telling them: “Don’t worry, keep doing it, results don’t matter!”

‘They’re playing against a team who couldn’t score a goal before this game.’

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Tottenham will be without Dominic Solanke for their Premier League match against Everton on Sunday due to injury.

The 27-year-old, who has scored seven goals in the Premier League this season, has suffered a muscular injury according to MailOnline and will be absent for his side’s trip to Goodison Park.

The report adds that there is a concern that Solanke, who was signed in a £65 million deal from Bournemouth last summer, could miss more than just the game against Everton this weekend.

After the match against Everton, Spurs travel to Hoffenheim in the Europa League before hosting Leicester City in the Premier League next Sunday.

For his side’s game against Everton at 2pm on Sunday, Ange Postecoglou is already without seven first-team players, while Brennan Johnson and Yves Bissouma are doubts to feature.

Richarlison returned from a two-month absence Spurs 2-1 defeat to Arsenal this week and could now deputise up front with Solanke out.

‘We’ve been really careful in the way we’ve brought him back this time. He’s probably been ready to go for a couple of weeks. We’ve given him extra work,’ Postecoglou said of Richarlison on Friday.

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‘I thought he was really good when he came on the other night [at Arsenal], you could see his quality.

‘He is one of these guys that does lead by example, particularly when he plays. It’s great to have him back.

‘With Richy, it’s about him gaining confidence in his body as well. We can do that in the next few weeks.

‘He’ll certainly play a part in the Everton game. Hopefully get him some more minutes than the other night, because if we can keep him fit, I’ve got no doubt he’ll be a really important player for us.’

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