Daily Mail

Footage has emerged of Wolves striker Hwang Hee-chan playing a decisive role in stopping his international team-mate Son Heung-min during Sunday's 2-2 draw with Tottenham.

Hwang and Son have 200 international caps between them and have come together to produce some big moments for South Korea over the years.

But they were on opposite sides this weekend, and that worked against Son just before half time when he stepped up to take a penalty for Spurs.

Brennan Johnson had been brought down in the area, and Son had the chance to put Tottenham 2-1 up after Rodrigo Bentancur earlier cancelled out Hwang's opener.

But as the Spurs captain waited to take his spot-kick, Hwang could be seen frantically waving his arms to get Jose Sa's attention and tell him to dive to his right.

Radu Dragusin tried to stop Hwang, but to no avail as the Wolves star managed to get his message across. Sure enough, when Son did step up, he went to the side that Hwang predicted, but so did Sa, and he parried the effort to safety.

It was a huge moment in the game, and further dampened the mood at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the home fans grew more restless amid their team's struggles in the first half of the season.

Spurs did still manage to go into the break in front when Johnson netted deep into added time, but Sa's save ensured that Wolves remained within touching distance.

They refused to give in throughout the second half, and finally got their reward with three minutes remaining when Jorgen Strand Larsen fired home an equaliser.

His late goal stretched Wolves' unbeaten start to life under new manager Vitor Pereira to three matches, and moved the Midlands club two points clear of the bottom three.

And it was all possible thanks to Hwang's intervention to deny his fellow countryman Son.

Meanwhile, Tottenham were made to rue Son's miss, and will now enter 2025 in the bottom half of the table.

Spurs agreed purchase option worth almost £10million in Timo Werner's loan

But RB Leipzig fear Tottenham will send Werner back at the end of the season

LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! New formation, some new faces, but the optimism has gone at Old Trafford

RB Leipzig fear Tottenham will send Timo Werner back to the Bundesliga after his dismal loan spell in north London is complete, according to reports in Germany.

Spurs signed the German forward on loan in January before deciding to extend his stay until the end of the 2024-25 season, agreeing a purchase option worth almost £10million in his deal.

Werner was once viewed as one of the hottest strikers in European football during his first spell with RB Leipzig, but his form has knack for scoring goals has fallen off a cliff in recent seasons — beginning with his ill-fated £47.5m move to Chelsea in 2020.

The 28-year-old star has yet to score a single goal in the Premier League so far this campaign, despite playing 19 matches in the competition.

Of those appearances, only three have been starts — with Ange Postecoglou not naming him in a Premier League starting lineup since March, despite Spurs' ongoing injury problems.

Now, according to German outlet Bild, RB Leipzig are concerned that Tottenham will reject the £10m buy option at the end of June and place him on the first plane back to Saxony.

Werner has fallen further down Postecoglou's pecking order this season with Dominic Solanke, Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Brennan Johnson all clearly favoured in attacking areas.

Meanwhile, Brazil international Richarlison and exciting 20-year-old prospect Wilson Odobert, who are both currently injured, will also be options in attack when available.

The German newspaper claims, however, that Tottenham will not send Werner back to Leipzig before the end of his loan spell in June, describing that eventuality as 'out of the question'.

It is understood Leipzig do not want to pay Werner's annual salary of almost £10m anymore and would consider his return a 'painful' reunion.

Postecoglou savaged Werner after hauling the Germany international off at half-time against Rangers earlier this month.

'He wasn't playing anywhere near the level he should,' said Postecoglou when asked if the substitution, which saw Werner come off for Kulusevski, was tactical.

'When you've got 18-year-olds out there, it's not acceptable to me. I said that to Timo.

'He's a senior international, 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 trying to give the best of themselves. His performance in the first half wasn't acceptable.'

When asked how Werner had taken the criticism, the manager said: 'It's not really of great concern. We need everybody including him to be contributing. Because we don't have the depth to leave people out if they're performing poorly.'

Tottenham's poor December continued on Sunday with a disappointing 2-2 draw against Wolves in north London.

Spurs slipped to 11th in the Premier League and will finish 2024 in the bottom half if Brentford win or draw against Arsenal on Monday.

It could be worse. The last time Manchester City saw in the new year outside the top four was only four years ago, when they were all the way down in eighth, with Liverpool riding high at the top - and they still came back to win the title by 12 points.

Of course, the gap to Liverpool then was only seven points, where it is now 14. And City were nowhere near as lost as they look this season, even after snapping their winless run with a 2-0 win at Leicester on Sunday.

Very few would bet on them turning this around to claim a fifth-consecutive league title, but if anyone was going to do it...

What do City need?

City were due for a squad refresh over the coming windows but the need for that has accelerated after the form of the past two months.

Pep Guardiola intimated in recent weeks that any fresh faces would have a short-term benefit to an ailing team at the moment but has since stressed that potential signings must be made with a view to being successful over a number of years rather than just in the here and now.

It's obvious that City require new blood in central midfield and, given the carousel of injuries in the back line, some defensive reinforcement. The onus on Erling Haaland is greater than ever before and they are also on the lookout for a forward. There is also talk within the industry of a search for a goalkeeper.

Do they have money to spend?

The short answer is yes. City's latest annual report, published earlier this month, revealed a £73.8million profit from last year - and that doesn't include the £64m initial fee received from Atletico Madrid for Julian Alvarez in August.

City's net spend on transfers over the last five years is significantly lower than their rivals and, given a rebuild was already on the cards, there is money set aside for business.

Figures within the game are eagerly awaiting to see how much is spent given the backdrop of a hearing with the Premier League over alleged financial breaches and believe it will offer some indication on City's confidence regarding the case - something the club themselves would understandably deny.

Which players are they interested in?

January is not a market City usually shop in, with Aymeric Laporte the last big winter addition back in 2018. And the reason for that is it's a tricky window from a value point of view.

That said, they know work has to be done. Versatile midfielder Joshua Kimmich, out of contract at Bayern Munich in the summer, has long fancied a move to the Premier League. Mail Sport has reported that Atalanta's Brazilian Ederson has been watched by City. Adam Wharton at Crystal Palace has admirers.

While both Martin Zubimendi and Bruno Guimaraes have also been discussed, City last week moved to rule out their possible January arrivals. City also knocked down the idea of a deal for Atletico Madrid's Pablo Barrios, although they are thought to have previously debated moving for the Spain international.

There is a buyback clause in Liam Delap's contract at Ipswich Town, with Lille striker Jonathan David also linked having scored 19 goals in 28 games for club and country this term. Omar Marmoush, 25, at Eintracht Frankfurt is possibly one to watch after the Egyptian netted 18 goals in 24 appearances for the Bundesliga side so far.

Wharton's Palace team-mate Marc Guehi is well liked at centre half but is likely to be out of any Premier League club's reach in January.

Claudio Echeverri is linking up with Guardiola's squad at the end of the month after playing in the Under 20s Copa America with Argentina, having sealed a switch from River Plate. He's seen as a talent to be coached rather than immediately impacting the team.

Who might leave?

Guardiola is on record as saying he doesn't expect anybody to depart next month. City's squad is thin by design and any flaws in that are exacerbated by the never-ending injury list.

Tottenham and Newcastle United are believed to be monitoring Jack Grealish's situation, however, while Ederson had a huge offer from Saudi Arabia on the table last summer that has not disappeared entirely.

Kyle Walker is thought to be assessing his options moving forward as well as Matheus Nunes. Academy graduate James McAtee may think his future is best served elsewhere after a lack of games but any departures ought to be contingent on incomings.

Any unexpected moves to keep an eye on?

Teenage centre half Juma Bah, currently on loan at Real Valladolid from AIK Freetong in Sierra Leone, is a name from left field.

He's 6ft 4in and has impressed in LaLiga. He'd be seen in a similar vein to Echeverri.

A Spurs fan claimed James Maddison was 'taking the p***' by going to the darts

Maddison came on as a substitute during Spurs' draw with Wolves on Sunday

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James Maddison has hit back at a Tottenham fan who criticised him for watching the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, just hours after Spurs' disappointing 2-2 draw with Wolves on Sunday.

The midfielder, who started on the bench at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before coming on as a substitute, was spotted at the Ally Pally with Spurs team-mate Brennan Johnson during Gerwyn Price's last-16 clash against Jonny Clayton.

The 2-2 draw, which saw Ange Postecoglou's side drop to 11th in the Premier League table, capped off a dismal December for Tottenham as they endured a third match without a win.

Maddison's appearance at the Ally Pally irritated some Spurs fans given the disappointing run of form, with one supporter labelling the decision to watch the darts with Johnson as 'unacceptable'.

'You taking the p***? The form we're in and you go the darts? Unacceptable,' one angry Tottenham fan posted to Instagram on Sunday.

Biting back with a swift response 12 minutes later, Maddison said: 'Shut up you wally'. The England star signed off his reply with a laughing emoji.

Price's win at the Alexandra Palace took place just 12 minutes away from Spurs' home stadium in north London.

Tottenham came back from 1-0 down to lead the clash against Wolves 2-1 until the 87th minute, before Jorgen Strand Larsen equalised for the visitors to climb them two points above the relegation zone.

Johnson put Ange Postecoglou's side ahead on the stroke of half-time, scoring from close range in the third minute of additional time.

With the draw, Spurs remain 11 points behind London rivals Chelsea in fourth, who occupy the final guaranteed Champions League qualification spot.

After Sunday's result, Tottenham are now closer to Leicester in the relegation zone (10 points) than they are Chelsea.

The Australian boss rued his side's performance, admitting that the result 'hurts immensely'.

'It hurts me because I'm responsible ultimately. I'm the person in charge. So of course it hurts,' he said.

'When I see how hard they are trying, it hurts even more because you want them to get a reward and I think they deserved a reward for their efforts even though they were dipping into their reserves of energy.

'I wanted them to get a reward for their efforts. So of course it hurts. It hurts immensely.

'At the same time it's my responsibility for where we're at right now and it's my responsibility to try to get us out of it.'

Spurs take on in-form Newcastle in their next Premier League outing on January 4, before a huge two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool.

Despite his side's poor form of late, Postecoglou will still be hoping to guide Tottenham to their first trophy since 2008 by lifting the Carabao Cup in March's final.

James Maddison and Brennan Johnson were spotted at Ally Pally for Gerwyn Price's quarter-final clash against Jonny Clayton.

The duo left the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after their 2-2 draw with Wolves and were seen at the darts just hours later.

The event took place just 12 minutes away from Spurs' home ground in north London.

In the game, Spurs came back from 1-0 down to lead 2-1 until the 87th minute, when Jorgen Strand Larsen equalised for the visitors.

Johnson put Ange Postecoglou's side ahead on the stroke of half-time, scoring from close range in the third minute of additional time.

The Welsh international was brought off in the 64th minute for his mate Maddison, who failed to make a meaningful impression on the game.

With the draw, Spurs remain in 11th place, 11 points behind London rivals Chelsea in fourth, who occupy the final Champions League qualification spot.

After Sunday's result, Postecoglou's strugglers are closer to Leicester in the relegation zone (10 points) than they are Chelsea.

The Australian boss rued his side's performance, admitting that the result 'hurts immensely'.

'It hurts me because I'm responsible ultimately. I'm the person in charge. So of course it hurts,' he said.

'When I see how hard they are trying, it hurts even more because you want them to get a reward and I think they deserved a reward for their efforts even though they were dipping into their reserves of energy.

'I wanted them to get a reward for their efforts. So of course it hurts. It hurts immensely. At the same time it's my responsibility for where we're at right now and it's my responsibility to try to get us out of it.'

Postecoglou will give his players two days off to recharge and reset while he works towards finding reinforcements in the transfer market which opens on Wednesday.

Sometimes all that matters is that you find a way to win. Just hold what you have, protect it and somehow stagger over the line. Tottenham failed despite coming close and so relieved none of the pressure building on Ange Postecoglou.

They looked exhausted at the end. Out of juice and bereft of confidence, missing chances to make it safe before Jorgen Strand Larsen tore through a patched-up defence to rescue a point for Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Those in the away end celebrated the fighting spirit of their rejuvenated team and the seven points from three games under new boss Vitor Pereira.

Spurs fans booed noisily at the final whistle. Their team has won just once in seven Premier League games since the victory at Manchester City and will start the New Year in the bottom half for the first time since 2008/09.

That was the season when Harry Redknapp was summoned from Portsmouth to replace Juande Ramos. Postecoglou will soldier on, still well placed in two cup competitions and with chairman Daniel Levy the board conscious injuries are conspiring against him.

There was a fresh one, a hamstring injury for Destiny Udogie deepening the defensive crisis.

And a needless yellow card for a tired and reckless midfield challenge in stoppage time by Rodrigo Bentancur, his fifth caution of the season to spark a suspension just three days after returning from a seven-match ban for offensive remarks in the media. Bentancur will miss Saturday's game against Newcastle.

'It comes down to players so desperate to turn things around,' said Postecoglou. 'It was an unfortunate moment. It didn't need to happen. I'd much rather he didn't make that tackle and was available for next game.

'The players are obviously hurting. They want to turn this around and it's not for want of trying.

'It's fair to say we're dealing with a fair bit and it doesn't feel we're getting any smooth run at anything in terms of getting players back and allowing us to freshen up the team. As soon as we get one back, we lose one.

'We've got to get through it. There's still a hell of a lot for us to play for with what's on the horizon and we have to give the players all the support we can to perform at their best.'

Beyond the frustrations of the defensive injury crisis and congested schedule, Tottenham ran into a Wolves team in a purple kit and a purple patch since Pereira replaced Gary O'Neil, and before a looming ban for Matheus Cunha, their most creative player.

Cunha is awaiting the outcome of a charge of violent conduct brought for his part in a post-match skirmish following defeat at home to Ipswich in O'Neil's final game, and he won the free kick from which Wolves took the lead inside seven minutes.

Spurs were deceived the visitors shaped up as if to shoot before Ait-Nouri rolled a pass square to Hee-chan Hwang who wriggled free as Santiago Bueno blocked Brennan Johnson's attempt to stay with his man, and finished expertly, low inside the post, on his first start since August.

Wolves had made the better start but did not hold the lead for long. Bentancur equalised with a header at the near post from a corner by Pedro Porro. Spurs were vulnerable but started creating some chances.

Radu Dragusin headed wide and Yves Bissouma fired over from the edge of the penalty area.

Then came the penalty awarded for a foul by Andre on Johnson. It was harsh in the sense that Johnson was more intent on engineering contact than bringing the ball under control and Wolves disputed the decision.

Once it had been made by referee Chris Kavanagh, however, there was no reversal ever coming from the VAR. Son took responsibility, but his penalty was that of a striker short of goals and saved by Jose Sa diving to his right.

Johnson made the breakthrough in first half stoppage time, linking up with Dejan Kulusevski and firing in 11th of the season and his first for eight games.

Cunha, having decorated the first half with delightful touches, did not return for the second. He was later spotted on the bench with an ice pack behind his left knee. The visitors also lost Andre to injury in the second half by which time Udogie had limped off.

With back-in-favour Djed Spence banned after a red card at Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day it meant Sergio Reguilon's first Tottenham appearance in the Premier League since April 2022.

Ultimately, though it was Strand Larsen who collected a pass from Ait-Nouri and made the most decisive contribution from the bench, slamming a powerful shot high past Forster at his near post, to the delight of Pereira.

'I want more, especially with the ball,' said the Wolves boss. 'But the spirit is good. We need to fight to compete and this is what they are showing me. I'm happy and proud with their work.'

Premier League: Live score, team news and updates from Sunday 3pm KOs  Daily Mail

Our expert reveals which positions Spurs will look to strengthen next month

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There may be no Premier League team more in need of new recruits this month than Tottenham, who have been blighted by injuries particularly in defence.

Ange Postecoglou promised silverware in his second season just as he usually brings to a club, and while they have made a cup semi-final for the first time in three years, the Australian may need some reinforcements to go any further - not least as their last-four opponents are Liverpool.

There's also a Europa League campaign to stock up for with Spurs just outside the top eight of the league table, a place in which would guarantee them safe passage to the last 16, and an FA Cup journey that begins at non-League Tamworth next week.

So who might arrive and where to bolster Spurs' ranks? And will their biggest addition be the massed ranks occupying the treatment room?

Here, as part of our series looking at Premier League clubs' January transfer plans, our Spurs expert Matt Barlow answers the five big questions.

Most urgently, they could do with some more firepower up front and a defender. They might also look at short term cover at goalkeeper and centre half.

Although much will depend on the recovery assessments of their injuries in the next few weeks. Postecoglou talks like someone hedging his bets because he hopes players such as Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Richarlison will be fit again soon.

But then can he rely on them all staying fit until the end of the season? Probably not with Tottenham's current injury record.

Postecoglou wants more depth in the squad. Cover and options from the bench, which is likely to mean creative loan deals and/or continued investment in young talent to develop in the mould of Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert, rather than big money splurges to improve the first team.

There are no great PSR concerns at Tottenham but the watchword regarding transfers through recent press conferences with Postecoglou has been 'discipline'.

There have also been warnings about it being trickier than usual this year because of the new format in Europe and with two ties to play in the Champions League and Europa League there are clubs holding players when they might have been prepared to sell or loan had they been out of European competition.

Beyond this, with no summer international tournament there is not the same pressure from individual players to make moves to win places in the squads.

I'd expect Spurs to perform as they have in the last couple windows, looking primarily at young players and short-terms solutions with bigger investments and any potential improvements on the first team more likely to wait until the summer 2025.

With Spurs, it's easier to talk about those who they already have on the way, having wrapped up a pair of signings that will give them a boost in 2025.

Yang Min-Hyeok is one player who will arrive and be added to the squad.

Yang is an 18-year-old winger, who scored a dozen goals and won the Young Player of the Year award in South Korea's K-League last season. Tottenham signed him from Gangwon in July but agreed to let him complete the K-League season before making the switch to London in mid-December, and he will register in the New Year.

Luka Vuskovic is a 17-year-old central defender signed from Hadjuk Split in 2023. Vuskovic is 6ft 4in tall and on loan in Belgium at Westerlo, for whom he has been ever-present and scored six goals.

He is due to join Spurs next summer and the club's raft of emerging talent is one of the reasons they will not commit to a rash of signings of experienced players on long expensive contracts in the same positions.

Sergio Reguilon is out of contract at the end of the season and will be sold if they can find a buyer. Even a massive injury crisis has not resurrected his Tottenham career.

It was his first Spurs appearance for two years and eight months when he came off the bench in the 89th minute of the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United in December.

Richarlison if they could raise a decent fee but that will be harder than ever after his absence through the first half of the season. He rejected a move to Saudi Arabia in the summer.

Timo Werner is another option, if they can negotiate out of the loan deal with RB Leipzig and bring in a replacement.

A shrewd move for that old favourite Internal Solutions. Mikey Moore is a precocious talent on the wing at 17, but almost as soon as he burst onto the scene this season he picked up a virus and has not been seen since the end of October.

He should return imminently and will be a vital injection of energy and speed to a squad that has been out on its feet while ailments have prevented Postecoglou from rotating just when the fixture calendar got its most congested.

Other young academy products Will Lankshear and Alfie Dorrington will likely get their chances if the injury crisis persists, though they are not as highly thought of.

Odobert, the £25m summer signing, should finally be able to make his mark soon when he returns from a hamstring injury that has kept him out even longer than Moore.

Tamworth have been criticised for their staggering ticket prices for their FA Cup third round tie at home to Tottenham.

The National League side will host Ange Postecoglou's team at The Lamb Ground on January 12 in one of the most intriguing ties of the round, with the game to be shown live on ITV 1.

However, many fans are unhappy with Tamworth's ticket pricing for the fixture and have accused the club of trying to cash in on the occasion.

The Lamb Ground has a capacity of 4,963, which includes just 518 seats. Tamworth announced that it will cost £42 for an adult to sit in the main stand, while it will cost £38 for an adult to stand on the terraces.

Supporters aged over 66 will have to pay £37 for a seat in the main stand, with a standing ticket costing £33.

Under-17s, meanwhile, will be charged £34 for a seat or £30 to stand. Under-10s will have to pay £29 for a seat and £25 to stand.

Tamworth's ticket pricing has provoked a backlash on social media.

One user stated that they not won't be attending the game due to the extortionate prices.

They wrote: 'I was going to go to that and root for Tamworth as I've seen them a couple of times but there's no way I'm being ripped off.'

Meanwhile, another user described Tamworth's approach as 'abysmal'.

They wrote: 'That’s abysmal by the club tbh, a chance to get ppl in that may then want to become regulars & boost attendances yet they’ve priced a lot of ppl out of it now & this is more likely to cost them fans than gain them!'.

A further user branded the ticket prices 'disgraceful'. They wrote: 'Absolutely disgraceful prices. Should be ashamed of yourselves.'

Another user stated that the prices are 'shameful'. They wrote: 'Shameful and nothing to do with the scrapping of replays (which is a disgrace, though)'.

A further comment read: 'That pricing is an absolute disgrace. You should seriously reconsider what you’re doing. What a joke.'

There was more criticism of Tamworth as they were accused of being unfair to their supporters with their pricing.

They wrote: 'I get it, this is an opportunity for you to make some money as it’s a huge fixture for the club, but these prices aren’t fan friendly at all.'

One user wrote: 'Wow, just wow. What scandalous prices. That will certainly dampen the mood and what happened to the once proud family club.'

Another user claimed that Tamworth should be ashamed of themselves. They wrote: 'Should be ashamed of yourselfs hope no one turns up at them prices! Feel for the regular fans having to pay that to see you get hammered'.

Ange Postecoglou maintains the backing of Tottenham’s board but the League Cup semi-final against Liverpool is emerging as key to the Australian’s prospects.

Spurs face Wolves on Sunday off the back of a poor run of form that has seen them lose four of their previous five Premier League games - their only victory coming against bottom of the table Southampton.

The sequence leaves them languishing in the bottom half of the table already nine points adrift of the Champions League qualification places.

Nevertheless, Mail Sport understands Postecoglou’s position remains safe for now, though there is an acknowledgment that results need to improve.

Crucially, that Spurs are still in the Europa League and are two matches from Wembley in the Carabao Cup is understood to be working in Postecoglou’s favour.

Tottenham have not won a trophy since 2008 and the prospect of lifting silverware for the first time in 17 years would be viewed as major success.

However, defeat to Liverpool in the forthcoming two-legged semi-final is set to be a factor towards how the club view Postecoglou’s future, particularly if the team’s league form shows no sign of consistent improvement.

The first leg of the clash against Arne Slot’s league leaders is scheduled for January 8, with the second to be played at Anfield on February 6.

Spurs still have two Europa League group games to play - versus Hoffenheim and IF Elfsborg as they look to secure a place in the last 16.

Postecoglou has a history of winning trophies during his second season at clubs.

He won the Australian title with both South Melbourne and Brisbane Roar and the Japanese championship with Yokohama F Marinos - all in his second season or second full season in charge.

Postecoglou also won the Asian Cup two years after becoming Australia boss - and the Scottish title in both seasons with Celtic.