Daily Mail

Tottenham star James Maddison has revealed that he has been in contact with new England manager Thomas Tuchel.

Tuchel is preparing to name his first England squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers at home to Albania and Latvia.

Maddison, who has seven caps for England, is eager to be part of the squad but acknowledged that Tuchel has a large amount of players to choose from.

'He has touched base,' Maddison said. 'I think he was reaching out to a lot of players who would be in the selection, probably quite a big pool of players that the FA have identified.

'I'm hungry to be part of that. I feel like I'm in good form, my numbers are pretty good, there's not too many midfielders who can out-score and out-assist me.

'Especially now when I'm feeling good as well, feeling sharp. I know I can affect most games. It's just about continuing to do that. Like I always say, if I play at that level for Tottenham, then the rest will take care of itself because I have a really strong self-belief.'

After recovering from a calf problem, Maddison scored the only goal in Tottenham's 1-0 win at home to Manchester United.

Maddison then followed that up with an assist as Tottenham won 4-1 away to Ipswich.

Last summer Maddison was named in England's provisional squad for Euro 2024 but wasn't selected for the tournament by Gareth Southgate.

Maddison admitted that he was devastated following his admission from the squad.

He wrote on Instagram: 'Devastated doesn’t quite cut it. Trained well and worked hard all week but if I’m honest with myself, my form for Spurs when coming back from injury in the second half of the season probably wasn’t at the levels I had set which gave Gareth a decision to make.

'I still thought there would be a space for me in a 26 man squad as I feel I bring something different & had been a mainstay in this whole qualifying campaign for Euro 2024 in Germany but the manager has made the decision and I have to respect that.

'I’ll be back, I have no doubt. Wishing the boys all the luck in the world out in Germany, unbelievable group and lads that I literally call some of my best friends. I genuinely hope football comes home'.

Maddison made his England debut against Montenegro in November 2019.

An unused member of the squad at the 2022 World Cup, Maddison didn't play for the Three Lions again until 2023 but is now eager to be a key figure.

As well as Albania and Latvia, Serbia and Andorra are the other two teams in England's World Cup qualifying group.

There’s a gathering sense of fatalism about how all this might turn out for Ipswich.

The talk on the train heading south out of town early on Saturday evening was consumed by the question of whether the club, now five points from safety, had been promoted too early and manager Kieran McKenna was also emphasising perspective.

‘The supporters know the journey they have been on,’ he said. ‘Five years ago, we were in the middle of League One and they (Tottenham) were in the Champions League final.’

But though McKenna looked subdued - ‘It’s not in our hands,’ he said – Ipswich at least played with brio and fire, and the 4-1 scoreline flattered Spurs. On a weekend when Southampton and Leicester were smashed up again, you thanked God for Ipswich’s fight. At least one of the bottom three is making a fist of this.

Portman Road is a world away from the division’s global elite. ‘Always Proud. Always Ipswich, Always Suffolk’ reads the legend on the wall outside the club store. No Premier League club feels more quintessentially local. It’s a throwback, contributing to a sense that they can barely believe they’re up here. Echoes of the great ‘70s and ‘80s days when the club also punched above its weight.

Moss grows on the main stand roof, now, but the club did not let the grass grow under their feet when they reached the top again. That much was evident in a compelling first half against Spurs, full of Ipswich teamwork and flair.

There seems to be a trend among some Ipswich players of wearing their socks down around their calves. It telegraphs the work ethic and it just so happened that the three who did it on Saturday – Liam Delap, Jack Clarke and Leif Davis – were working triangles on the same side of the pitch.

They shone together in front of that old stand - and Delap above all. There’s a schoolyard feel to his football - thrashing his foot at any opportunity, leaping to navigate high balls into others’ paths. Superstar quality.

There was a subtlety to the excellent Omari Hutchinson’s contribution, carrying the ball and easing pressure. It was good to see some of the old Kalvin Phillips back, at the hub of Ipswich’s midfield – deft touches and unflinching collisions. There was a wonderful balance to this team.

The holes Ipswich let Spurs punch in their midfield did for them. Pinpoint counter-attacking passes for Son Heung-Min to leave full back Ben Godfrey for dead. McKenna’s post-match assessment skirted around these defensive failings.

The problem with the manager’s aspiration to ‘pick up points at a greater rate, now’ is that Ipswich don’t have a sequence of ‘winnable’ games until the end, when they face West Ham and Leicester in May. This week’s visit to Old Trafford is one of only three games before May 3 against a side outside the current top eight. Some story it would be if they could find a way through and survive.

Brennan Johnson scored twice in the first half to put Spurs in control

Djed Spence and Dejan Kulusevski sealed the victory in the second half

LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! Can INEOS really be judged after 12 months?

Ange Postecoglu was wearing a vast grey padded coat that looked too hot for him – unable to put the bleak Spurs winter behind him until he could be sure of the recovery he's been promising.

After a little early anxiety, it came: Tottenham's first run of three successive Premier League wins since December 2023, with specific grounds for encouragement to go with it. An emphatic contribution from Son Heung-Min. Signs that Kevin Danso, the £20million January arrival from Lens, might ease the crippling crisis at the back, even though Mathys Tel, the new French teenage forward didn't really cut it.

And Jack Maddison, arriving from the bench to sprinkle some stardust quality which took Spurs home and left Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna wearing a bleak demeanour.

Son's significance was the greater. His winter struggles have mirrored his club's and with contract uncertainty coming up, he has seemed to have lost his way. He was on a different cognitive plateau to defenders who either clipped him or clung onto his shirt to prevent him spinning away, always with time to look up and assess the options. A few days off, playing one game a week, had perhaps helped.

How he and Spurs fare against Manchester City this week will provide a better perspective than a win over an Ipswich side who briefly seemed to pick up where they had left off with that win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last November..

McKenna's team set off like a train, shaking this beautiful old place to its rafters with the kind of uninhibited football that would have had Sir Bobby Robson, the man so wonderfully commemorated around the stadium perimeter, beaming in that way he had. How Sir Bobby would have loved Liam Delap, who led that early assault, socks around his calves, bulldozing his way through the left side of Tottenham box and making life hell for Archie Gray. We were watching a future superstar.

Delap did so much – drawing the sharpest one-handed save from Tottenham's Guglielmo Vicario, leaping to navigate Kalvin Phillips' free kick onto the top of the upright. Yet prize quality is no use if you defend as poorly Ipswich did.

Tottenham were ahead in the time it took Gray to unfurl a graceful, 40-yard lofted ball out of defence for Son. The South Korean was too sharp and quick-footed for full back Ben Godfrey and squared for Brennan Johnson to breeze ahead of Leif Davis and score. When Son stood up Godfrey again and weighed his options, eight minutes later, Johnson was standing unmarked in the area holding his hands up for fully ten seconds. Son traced the pass and Brennan struck. Godfrey didn't reappear after the break.

'Their big moments in our penalty box were better than our big moments in theirs,' McKenna said afterwards, ruing Spurs superior 'execution.' That assessment glossed over the defensive failings, though his angst was understandable, given the excellent balance he has in this team.

It was good to see some of the old Kalvin Phillips, at the hub of Ipswich's midfield, with some deft little touches and vision before he sent Jack Clarke out down the left to cross for Omari Hutchison to score in front of the Sir Alf Ramsay Stand, bringing back a goal back for Ipswich before half time which had the place rocking again.

Ipswich maintained the fight for an equaliser early in the second half but Maddison arrived just beyond the hour, dazzling in the box to set up Djed Spence for a deflected third. An arced strike from Dejan Kulusevski on the counter attack wrapped it up.

The scoreline flattered Spurs and McKenna said that he has not given up hope of survival. 'No doubt,' he said. 'We know we are going to have to pick up points at a greater rate. We can only do what we can do.'

The match against Wolves here in early April is assuming huge significance. Leaking goals then will carry graver significance.

MATCH FACTS

Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1) Palmer 7; Godfrey 4.5 (Woolfenden 46 5), O'Shea 5, Greaves 6, Davis 6; Phillips 6.5 (Morsy 80 6), Cajuste 6 (Taylor 52 6); Philogene 6, Hutchinson 7, Clarke 6.5 (Broadhead 67 5.5); Delap 7.5 (Hirst 79 6).

Unused subs: Muric, Johnson, Townsend, Szmodics

Booked: Godfrey, Clarke

Manager: Kieran McKenna 7

Tottenham Hotspur (4-3-3) Vicario 6.5; Spence 6.5, Danso 7, Gray 6, Udogie 5.5 (Pedro Porro 6.5); Bergvall 7 (Bissouma 85 6), Bentancur 6.5; Kulusevski 7; Johnson 7.5 (Madisson 64 7), Tel 6 (Scarlett 74 6), Son 8 (Odobert 74).

Unused subs: Kinsky, Reguilon, Sarr, Moore

Booked: Johnson

Scorers: Johnson 18, 26, Spence 77, Kulusevski 84

Manager: Ange Postecoglu 7.5

Referee: T Robinson 6

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly requested broadcasters around the globe to refer to them by their full name or commonly used nickname Spurs, but never simply 'Tottenham'.

A subtle change in the naming conventions of the north London club was spotted by eagle-eyed viewers of Sky Sport's coverage of the side's 1-0 win over Manchester United last Sunday.

Ange Postecoglou was described as 'Tottenham Hotspur Head Coach.' It was a small alteration to the name used in a graphic by the broadcaster during coverage of the side's 3-2 defeat by Everton last month when just 'Tottenham' was used.

The difference would probably have gone unnoticed, however, according to a report in The Athletic, an email circulated to Premier League broadcasters on February 10, titled 'Tottenham Hotspur Naming Update' provided instruction on how to refer to the club.

They requested that the club are primarily known as Tottenham Hotspur, with Spurs being the preferred short version. They also asked that they not be referred to as Tottenham.

According to the report, the club have claimed that this distinction is nothing new and has been their position since 2011. They claim that Tottenham is the name of an area, not the name of the club.

However, it appears a recent 'remastered brand identity' motivated the reminder to broadcasters.

A 'Brand Playbook' that was rolled out in November last year, contained a paragraph that made clear how the club wants to be described.

'In a world full of Uniteds, Citys and Rovers, there is only one Hotspur, Tottenham Hotspur,' it read. 'When referring to the team or the brand, please use ‘Tottenham Hotspur’, ‘Tottenham Hotspur Football Club’ or ‘THFC’. Never refer to our Club as ‘Tottenham’, ‘Tottenham Hotspur FC’ or ‘TH’.'

A fresh look to the Europa League has provided it with added gloss

Manchester United and Tottenham will learn their next opponents on Friday

LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! Can INEOS really be judged after 12 months?

A fresh look to the Europa League has provided it with added gloss but the action throughout the competition has been as exciting as ever.

The new inclusion of a play-off round prior to the last-16 has also seen some familiar European names fall away at an early stage in the competition.

However, Premier League giants Manchester United and Tottenham haven't had to worry, having secured an automatic spot in the last-16 by virtue of finishing in the top eight of the initial group phase.

After Thursday's results, it's now confirmed that the Premier League sides will face either AZ Alkmaar or Real Sociedad in the next round of the competition.

The draw to confirm every team's route to the final will be held on Friday February 21, which is where things may become somewhat confusing.

United and Spurs finished third and fourth in the league table format, meaning they will make up one seeded pair in the draw.

Ties for the last-16 are scheduled to be played on Thursday March 6, with the return legs a week later on Thursday March 13.

UEFA state that clubs are paired based on their positions at the end of the league phase to form four seeded pairs (clubs in positions 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, and 7 and 8).

The clubs in each seeded pair are drawn into one of two positions in the round of 16 against the relevant winner of the knockout phase play-offs, whose position was determined by the knockout phase play-off draw.

Four bowls are prepared for this draw, two for the silver side of the bracket and two for the orange side of the bracket.

Each bowl contains two balls representing the winners of the round of 16 matches from one rung of the relevant side of the bracket, with the first silver bowl containing slips of paper marked 'Winners R16 1' and 'Winners R16 2' and the second silver bowl 'Winners R16 3' and 'Winners R16 4'.

The first bowl on the orange side will contain slips of paper marked 'Winners R16 5' and 'Winners R16 6' and, finally, 'Winners R16 7' and 'Winners R16 8' in the second bowl on the orange side.

The draw starts by shuffling and then drawing the balls placed in the first bowl of the silver side of the bracket.

The first ball drawn from this bowl indicates the team which will play the first match of the quarter-final at home, and the second ball the team which will play the return leg at home.

The procedure is repeated with the remaining bowls to complete the quarter-final pairings.

A similar process will be undertaken for the semi-final draw with two bowls - one for the silver bracket and one for the blue.

If that all sounds too confusing to map out, an illustration of each team's potential route can be seen above.

It is worth keeping in mind that teams from the same domestic league can face each other in the round of 16, which was not always the case in previous years.

They can also be drawn against teams they previously faced in the league phase.

As part of the draw, every team's potential route to the final - which will be held in Bilbao on May 28 - will also be revealed.

Chelsea and Spurs are both through to the last 16 of their European competitions

The London clubs will each find out their next opponents in Friday's draws

LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! Can INEOS really be judged after 12 months?

UEFA are set to make an exception to their same-city guidelines by allowing Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur to each play their European ties in London on the same evening next month.

Mail Sport has been told the relevant authorities have given the green light for both home games to go ahead on Thursday March 13 ahead of their respective draws on Friday.

Chelsea and Tottenham have reached the round of 16 in the Conference League and Europa League respectively, and are scheduled for home advantage in their second legs.

UEFA's rules define a ‘clash' as when two clubs cannot compete on the same day because they share the same stadium, same city or are in cities within a radius of 50km. Stamford Bridge and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are approximately 16km away from one another.

Ahead of Thursday night’s play-off ties, Chelsea knew they could be drawn with Real Betis, Gent, Copenhagen or Heidenheim in the Conference League, while Tottenham will face either AZ, Galatasaray, Midtjylland or Real Sociedad in the Europa League.

Man United co-owners Ineos have entered into talks with Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur aimed at making an early exit from their sponsorship of the north London club.

Mail Sport understands that what have been described as amicable discussions are taking place between both parties with a view to the petrochemicals giant withdrawing prematurely from a five-year deal signed in 2022.

Ineos, owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, are the official 4 x 4 partner of Spurs via their Grenadier vehicle and their branding is prominent in the dugouts at the club’s impressive new stadium. The Ineos logo also regularly appears regularly on advertisement hoardings and was seen throughout Spurs’s 1-0 win over United on Sunday. It is thought the agreement runs to several millions per season.

However, they are currently reducing their sporting portfolio. Last week, New Zealand Rugby announced that they were taking legal action, after Ineos made an early exit from a sponsorship deal with the All Blacks worth £3.7m a year that is not due to end until 2027.

A partnership with Sir Ben Ainslie’s America’s Cup team has also been terminated, while the Daily Telegraph reported earlier this week that Ineos’ one-third stake in Mercedes Formula 1 was also at threat, with talks ongoing.

Since their arrival at United, Ineos have made a series of cuts as part of a wide-ranging review of how the business operates, which has identified a number of areas of wastage.

Mail Sport revealed that they were to make 250 redundancies and earlier this month disclosed that a further 100 to 200 job losses were being considered.

Their aim is to return United to profit, and to free up funds to strengthen Ruben Amorim’s first team.

When news of their row with the All Blacks broke, Ineos released a statement blaming the ‘de-industrialization of Europe’ amid high carbon taxes.

When the deal with Spurs was announced, the club declared it a ‘partnership of grit and glory, purpose and passion, and daring to do things differently’.

Tottenham players Ben Davies, Dominic Solanke, Guglielmo Vicario, Timo Werner, Archie Gray and Yves Bissouma have all filmed content that appears on the Ineos website.

Spurs and Ineos declined to comment.

READ: Ticketmaster GLITCHES leaving thousands of Beyoncé fans in queues

Have YOU paid for an overpriced Beyoncé ticket? Email katherine.lawton@mailonline.co.uk

Beyoncé fans could be forced to fork out eyewatering sums to see their favourite popstar after resell sites started listing some of her Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tickets for £1,334 each.

The superstar, 43, is set to take her Cowboy Carter tour to the North London stage in June, with fans desperately trying to bag a ticket to see her perform the Grammy winning album live.

Beyoncé won Album of the Year this month for her new country record, only making tickets to see her show more desirable.

On ticket resell site Viagogo, fans are being faced with prices of £1,334 for a close-up seat, while they'd need to cough up £1,900 for a standing ticket opposite the stage.

If they want a cheaper seat further away, they could pay £524 to sit near the back or £891 to sit on the left-hand side.

Last week, Beyoncé fans lashed out when Ticketmaster glitched, leaving thousands waiting in queues while slamming the 'joke' high prices.

But fans in the UK were less than impressed when the pre-sale went live, yet they were left waiting when Ticketmaster's website seemed to crash.

Have YOU paid for an overpriced Beyoncé ticket? Email katherine.lawton@mailonline.co.uk

While Ticketmaster previously insisted the site worked fine, many users complained they could not purchase any of the long-awaited tickets.

And when they did finally get through they said they were faced with prices as high as £700 each.

Known for her Single Ladies hit, the singer's tour will kick off at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 5 and will go on to play there on 7, 10, 12 and 14.

The pop star is currently preparing her Cowboy Carter tour which will include performances in the US before she turns to the UK and European leg in June.

One user, Mart Tweedy, shared on X: 'I'm sorry but this is an absolute JOKE for seated Beyoncé tickets at Tottenham.'

Meanwhile, another user said: 'Been on Ticketmaster and waiting rooms all morning and do I have a Beyoncé ticket to my name? Of course not.'

James Maddison has been backed in his row with Roy Keane - after appearing to take aim at the Irishman in celebrating Sunday's winning goal for Tottenham against Man United.

'Just a little bit of outside noise, wasn't there this week,' said Maddison on Sky Sports after celebrating his 10th goal of the season by throwing an imaginary dart down the lens of a TV camera and then putting a finger to his lips to shush the noise.

'People have their opinions. I wanted to do my talking on the pitch. There will be a certain few enjoying me being the match-winner.

'The gaffer, he always talks about blocking the outside noise but it's difficult. It's in your face with social media. You see it and it's there, especially when it's a high-profile name.'

The seemed like an oblique reference to former United captain Keane who had taken a swipe at Maddison during an episode of Gary Neville's Overlap podcast last week.

And, in case there was any doubt, after the game, Maddison then posted the clip from The Overlap on social media.

'Maddison isn't bad, when he's not at the darts,' Keane had said on the podcast.

'People say Maddison's the man. When is he going to step up to the plate? He got relegated with Leicester and he'll get relegated with Spurs.'

'He's good, he's a talented player, but if you're a player in the Spurs dressing room and Maddison's back in the squad, you wouldn't be looking and going "Oh Jesus, he's back today, we're going to be fine".'

It seemed a rather brutal attack on a man who is Tottenham's topscorer - in a tough season for Ange Postecoglou's side.

And, on Monday, former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor weighed into the row.

'Roy Keane’s comments were unprovoked,' he said on talkSPORT.

'Maddison has had a decent season. Can he do better? Yes he can, but these are unprovoked comments.

'I worked with Roy Keane at Aston Villa. I know his character, what he's like, and didn't like it. There’s no need.

'James Maddison seems like a good lad. Good on him for giving these pundits something back. It just summed Roy Keane up.

'The way the comments were made, it just seemed like it was pre-planned. Let's say something, if it's going to go up on social media it's going to blow up. There’s just no need for it.'

Maddison will have the opportunity to make another point to Keane on Saturday when Tottenham travel to Ipswich Town - where the Sky Sports pundit used to manage and was targetted by Tractors fans earlier this season.

Gary Neville has accused Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy of being 'oppressive' in his running of the club.

The Manchester United legend gave a balanced review of Levy's reign, praising his business acumen and financial responsibility, but claiming he interferes too much on the footballing side.

It comes after thousands of Spurs fans protested against his reign in the streets ahead of their 1-0 win over Manchester United, with chants of 'Levy Out' before James Maddison's 13th-minute goal.

They held grievances against ENIC and Levy's leadership as well as ticket prices and the club's plan to end concessions for seniors.

Levy is often accused of having a tighter purse than other club leaders. In 2024 Spurs spent 42 per cent of their revenue on wages, a figure dwarfed by their rivals, but their net spend of -£466.07million in the last five seasons is the league's third-highest.

'The rumour mill around is that Tottenham are looking potentially for people to buy this club. It'll be a big price, but it would probably be the right time in some ways,' Neville told Sky Sports.

'I think what he's done here in terms of the stadium, getting the training ground right. The problem is, he's not been able to detach the football side from himself so that ultimately, he just runs the business side

'He's obviously very good at that. He runs a pretty tight ship. That's what you want at a football club - it's easy at a football club to get people who say yes, who get emotional about spending money.

'He's got to look after Tottenham and their long-term future, but he's also got to bring in experts in the football department and he always seems to interfere and that and be oppressive in the way he deals in that side of it.

'That's the big problem because a football club is a football club and it's all about first-team performance.

'The stadium is great, the training ground is great, that's what he can do, he can do, he can bring commercial revenue, make sure the NFL and Beyonce are here, there's loads of money coming into the club, he's protected the long-term future of the club i terms of revenue and things like that which are really important.

'But, he can't let go. It's a little bit like United when David Gill and Sir Alex Ferguson left, the guys who were running the commercial side, who were doing a great job, came into the football side, and think they can play Football Manager. And they can't, it's a completely different skill set.'

The win over Manchester United lifts Tottenham to 12th in the table but will do little to balm the long-term discontentment of supporters.

The anger at Levy is longstanding with Tottenham trophy-less for 17 years and without a top-three finish in the league since 2018.

This is despite the club posting a revenue of £615m last season and charging the second-most expensive adult season ticket in Europe at £856.

Fulfilling their vow to do so from earlier this week, thousands of supporters turned up for a demonstration, having grown fed up with the club's decline on the pitch during Levy's tenure.

A crowd of at least 2,000 made their way down the High Road before they congregated outside the stadium where various chants for Levy to leave the club were heard.

A number of large banners were then held up outside of the West Stand, with one of the largest - aimed at majority owners ENIC - reading: '24 years, 16 managers, 1 trophy - Time for change.'

Fans have targeted the ownership's lack of ambition, with another banner reading: 'To dare is too dear, ENIC out.'

Disapproval has often stemmed from Tottenham's lengthy trophy drought, having not won a piece of silverware since the 2008 League Cup.

There was a glimmer of hope that this wretched period could come to an end this season, as Spurs took a 1-0 lead into their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg with Liverpool.

But despite being so close to a trip to Wembley, Tottenham looked helpless against the Reds in the deciding leg of the tie, succumbing to a 4-0 defeat following a performance that lacked any real cohesion or belief.