SPORTbible

A former Chelsea star has rejected a move to Tottenham Hotspur despite holding advanced talks over a return to the Premier League.

With just three days left of the January transfer window, Tottenham have been extremely active as they hope to bolster their squad with first-team options to help turn their dreadful season around.

Ange Postecoglu's side has been hit with several long-term injuries to some of the most important players in the club, leading to them exploring the market for replacements.

However, Tottenham have been dealt a massive blow as they have reportedly missed out on making a bringing a former Chelsea star to the club in a huge signing.

During Tottenham's Europa League win over Elfsborg on Thursday, centre-back Radu Dragusin picked up a worrying injury that forced him off of the pitch shortly after the hour mark.

The Romanian is the third player in the backline to be ruled out by a potentially long-term injury, with Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario also sidelined.

With that in mind, Tottenham reacted quickly by entering the transfer market in an attempt to bring highly-rated AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori back to the Premier League.

Initially it looked like the deal would be completed ahead of Monday's deadline, after talks reportedly entered the final stages, but now Sky Sports have revealed that the deal is off.

The report states that it was England international himself that decided to reject Tottenham's advances, with the 27-year-old deciding instead to stay at the Serie A club.

Tomori is the second player to turn down a move to Tottenham in the past 24 hours, after Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel has also turned down a transfer despite the two clubs agreeing a £50million deal.

Speaking about the fitness of his defensive player ahead of the Sunday's match against Brentford, Postecoglou said: "Still not sure, we'll let it settle down and get more information over the weekend.

"He's [Dragusin] obviously not available for this weekend.

"Every time I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel it turns out to be an oncoming train."

Jamie Vardy kept up his reputation as the biggest wind-up merchant in the history of the Premier League by goading Spurs fans after scoring on Sunday.

Vardy levelled matters straight after half-time, cancelling out Richarlison's opener for Ange Postecoglou's side.

Only four minutes later and the Foxes were in the lead when Bilal El Khanouss fired home from outside the area.

Vardy's strike was his 45th against so-called 'Big Six' sides in the Premier League, 10 of which have come against Spurs.

The North London outfit are one of Vardy's favourite opponents and he made sure to troll Spurs supporters as soon as he found the net.

After racing away to the away fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he quickly pointed to the Premier League badge on his sleeve - making a number one gesture to reference lifting the title in the 2015/16 fairytale season under Claudio Ranieri.

After that, the 38-year-old quickly made a zero sign to remind Spurs fans that they have never won the Premier League.

Vardy played 75 minutes in the crucial away win and was loudly booed by the home fans when he left the pitch to be replaced by Patson Daka.

It's not the first time that the former Fleetwood Town striker has rinsed Spurs about their failure to win the Premier League. He did just that in Leicester's first game of the season in August, telling defender Cristiano Romero "F*** off" and then making the Premier League title jibe as he left the field of play after scoring an equaliser.

He's aimed plenty of digs in the past, including telling Spurs they "had no bottle" at a festival in 2023.

Having hit 20 goals in 37 games as Leicester won the Championship last season, Vardy has shown his sharpness in front of goal yet again in the Premier League, finding the net eight times this term.

His contract is due to expire in the summer and reports at the back-end of 2024 claimed Vardy is to decide between retiring from football and continuining playing in the Saudi Pro League or Qatari Stars League.

Ange Postecoglu hit out at a reporter in an interview immediately after Tottenham Hotspur's 3-2 Premier League loss to Everton.

On Sunday, Tottenham suffered a humiliating defeat as David Moyes got his first win since returning to Everton in a 3-2 clash at Goodison Park.

Despite finding the back of the net twice in the second half, Tottenham allowed The Toffees to dominate the start of the match, leading to them going into half-time three goals down.

And immediately after the game, Spurs boss Postecoglu clashed with a reporter for how they spoke to him about the brutal loss.

While speaking with BBC Sport immediately after the match, Postecoglu lost his temper with the reporter after feeling their question was disrespectful.

In a clip posted on X, the reporter asks: "Ange, familiar story? What are your assessments of that performance please?"

But Postecoglu looks up at the reporter for the first and only time in the interview and clearly unhappily asks: "Familiar story?"

Before adding: "Yeah. Okay. Great way to start an interview.

"It was obviously a tough result for us. In the first half we struggled to get control of the game.

"I made some changes in the team that probably weren't helpful in the end. I had players struggling to come to terms with it, unable to capitalise on it.

"The second half, the players put in the right response. Credit to them, but we obviously fell short."

Tottenham's loss on Sunday makes it two consecutive losses following the 2-1 defeat to historic local rivals Arsenal last week.

And after Postecoglu promised fans at the start of the season that he would he would deliver them a trophy in his second year in the charge, the pressure is well and truly mounting.

The results leaves Spurs only one place ahead of Everton, as they sit 15th in the table and just eight points clear of the relegation zone.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglu has been handed a major injury blow ahead of the crucial Premier League clash with rivals Arsenal.

On Wednesday, Spurs will travel to the Emirates to face their local rivals Arsenal in an eagerly-anticipated North London derby.

Although Arsenal remain favourites for the match, Postecoglu will hope that his side can capitalise on back-to-back wins in domestic cup competitions, including the 1-0 win over Liverpool.

However, just one day before the crucial game, the Australian manager has confirmed that he will have to do without one player who featured in both matches.

Speaking in a press conference before Wednesday's match, Postecoglu confirmed that forward Timo Werner will be absent after picking up a hamstring injury during Sunday's 3-0 win over Tamworth in the FA Cup.

"The only one who picked up an injury was Timo," Postecoglu revealed on Tuesday.

"He picked up a hamstring injury. We're just waiting on the results for that scan."

Although the extent Werner's injury are not yet known, it is likely that the winger will miss several matches in the coming weeks or months.

The 28-year-old joins Tottenham's extensive list of injuries, including Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie, Rodrigo Bentancur and Wilson Odobert on the sidelines.

However, Postecoglu also confirmed that Brazilian striker Richarlison will be available to feature for the first time since sustaining a hamstring injury in the match against Aston Villa in November.

Confirming the news, the Spurs boss added: "In terms of incomings, Richy is available.

“We've taken our time with him for sure. He's been harassing me for the last 10 days to be involved. He's looked really good in training."

Meanwhile Arsenal will also be without several key players for the clash including Gabriel Jesus, who has to be stretchered off during the FA Cup victory over Manchester United after suffering an ACL injury.

"We need to review one more specialist. I don't want to confirm anything until we have the final report this afternoon," said Gunner boss Mikel Arteta on Tuesday morning.

"It's the doctor's job to do that. But we were very worried after the game and we are very worried today."

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has given an update on Rodrigo Bentancur after the midfielder collapsed during Liverpool clash.

Bentancur was substituted in the first half of Spurs' Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool, as he appeared to knock himself unconcious following a corner.

The Uruguayan was stretchered off the field and replaced by Brennan Johnson after being deemed unfit to carry on.

Bentancur received treatment on the pitch for around 10 minutes, and while it was confirmed he was conscious following his withdrawal he was taken to hospital for 'further observations'.

Spurs went on to win the opening leg 1-0 thanks to a brilliantly taken goal from Lucas Bergvall, and will now look to finish the job at Anfield next month.

Ange provides Bentancur update

Ahead of their FA Cup tie with Tamworth, Postecoglou provided an update on Bentancur's condition and when he can be expected to return to the side.

"It looks like a concussion but nothing more than that," Ange said.

"He was in the hospital, obviously, and they did all of the tests in terms of checking, making sure everything is okay.

"And all good. He is back home. He is fine. He is feeling good. We'll obviously follow the protocols now. I think it is a couple of weeks where you have to make sure everything is okay."

Bentancur himself sent a message to supporters following the game, thanking them for their support as well as congratulating his side on the win

He wrote on Instagram: "All good, guys. Thank you for the messages. Congratulations for the victory boys!!!"

Bentancur has scored twice in the Premier League this season across nine starts after starting the season injured.

The 27-year-old is a key man for Spurs, and Postecoglou will probably be glad his side are only facing a side placed 16th in the National League this weekend.

Ange Postecoglou provided an update on Rodrigo Bentancur's injury after the midfielder was stretchered off during last night's Carabao Cup semi-final clash between Liverpool and Spurs.

In the seventh minute of Wednesday's game, Bentancur made an attempt to head the ball towards goal after a corner was swung in but moments later, he missed and landed face-first on the ground.

The 27-year-old required extensive treatment and, after medics worked on the pitch for nine minutes, Bentancur was stretchered off the field and taken down the tunnel.

It later emerged that Bentancur was conscious, talking and would make the trip to hospital for further checks.

Speaking in his post-match interview, Postecoglou provided a brief update on Bentancur's condition.

"There's nothing too detailed (at this stage). He was conscious when he came off the field and he’s been taken to hospital for some observations so we’re hoping he’ll be okay," he said.

"It was pretty distressing at the time, seeing him go down like that, for the players. Dealing with adversity, these players just compose themselves and responded to it really well."

Later on, in his post-match press conference, Postecoglou suggested that Bentancur picked up "some sort of head injury" during Wednesday night's game.

Bentancur also suffered a head injury in August last year following a clash of heads with Leicester winger Abdul Fatawu.

"I don't want to speculate. It was some sort of head injury," Postecoglou added. "It was bad enough for his teammates to worry about him."

Spurs teammate Pedro Pedro immediately alerted referee Stuart Attwell about the incident and signalled for medics to enter the pitch as Sky Sports cameras cut away from the worrying scene.

Shortly after midnight, Bentancur posted a health update as he sat alongside long-term partner Melany La Banca.

Taking to his Instagram story, the 27-year-old midfielder wrote: "All good, guys! Thank you for the messages!!! Congratulations for the victory boys!!!"

Bentancur, who recently returned to action after serving a seven-match ban, has made 19 appearances for Spurs so far this season, scoring once.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has backed referee Stuart Attwell over his controversial decision to not send off Lucas Bergvall against Liverpool.

Attwell made history at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, becoming the first referee in England to make an announcement to the crowd to explain a VAR decision after Dominic Solanke’s strike was ruled out for a tight offside in the second-half.

Just minutes later, Bergvall, who had been booked earlier, clattered into Liverpool left-back Kostas Tsimikas but play continued with Arne Slot’s side on the counter-attack. The move did not result in a goal and Bergvall was NOT dismissed despite the protests of the Liverpool players.

With Tsimikas off the field for treatment, Spurs scored the only goal of the game to snatch victory with Bergvall netting his first of the season.

Slot was booked for his protests on the sideline in what was only his second defeat since replacing Jurgen Klopp in the dugout.

Spurs boss Postecoglou was asked about the decision in his post-match interview and claimed Bergvall was not lucky to still be on the pitch to score the winner.

"Great question. He wasn't. No he wasn't,” he told Sky Sports.

"Because people misinterpret my comments from the other day, the rule is and we've been told for quite a while now, as long as advantage gets played, if it's not a cynical tackle then the yellow card doesn't [come out].

"We've been screaming for it for the last two months, it's happened to us consistently, have a look at our games. We've asked the officials.

“If you play advantage, as long as it's not a cynical tackle, then the yellow card doesn't get paid. To me, that was pretty clear."

Postecoglou expanded on his comments in depth during his post-match press conference and took a huge swipe at the state of English football and the desire to constantly change the game.

He described English people as ‘custodians of the game’ and questioned how technology was being allowed to shape the modern game.

“I’m really surprised at how people in this country are so easily letting the game change so much so quickly,” said Postecoglou. “It’s changed more since VAR has come in since I’ve been involved than in the past 50 years. We never used to debate offsides, we never used to debate handballs, we never used to debate holding in the box, we never used to debate so many things.

“I mean, did everyone really love the announcement today? Did that give you a real buzz? I mean, seriously. My understanding of it is, this is what the people want. That’s what I keep getting told.

“I understand that and I understand that VAR is going to be there. Technology is going to be a part of life, but it’s like my wife and our kids. We know technology but she limits their screen time. Why? You know, to slow things down, I think.

“We’ve just got to be careful about constantly… why do we want to change the game so much? And I know I’m going to be the old bloke in the stands that keeps shouting ‘boo’ every time and I’ll be the only one, but I just thought people would be a little bit more protective about the sanctity of the game.

“I think there’s a lot of confusion at the moment. That’s my belief, that the game is changing on the basis of technology, and I’m saying, ‘Why isn’t anyone speaking up about it?’ Especially in this country who, for all intents and purposes, you guys think you’re custodians of the game, you’ve got a song that says. ‘It’s coming home’.

“This is your game, and yet it takes an Aussie from the other side of the world to be the one that’s most conservative about changes. I’m happy to just be the lone voice of saying, ‘Just leave the game alone for a bit’.

“Even extra time now, minutes added on, minutes added on here, we never used to talk about these things before. Yet now everything is changing, so that was my [point]. So today, I can see why Arne [Slot] would be very disappointed [with the Bergvall decision]. If that was me, I’d be disappointed as well, but apparently they’re the rules.”

Rodrigo Bentancur has posted a health update after he was taken to hospital during Spurs' Carabao Cup semi-final clash against Liverpool.

The Uruguayan midfielder, who had only recently returned to action after serving a seven-match ban, required extensive treatment after going down inside the penalty box following an attempted diving header.

Moments later, Spurs teammate Pedro Pedro alerted the referee and signalled for medics to enter the pitch as Sky Sports cameras cut away from the concerning incident.

After medics worked on the pitch for nine minutes, Bentancur was stretchered off the field and taken down the tunnel, with supporters from all corners of the ground standing to applaud him.

The broadcaster then released an update at half-time, with Mark Chapman telling viewers: "The latest we have on Bentancur after that awful looking injury in the first half is that when he was stretchered off the doctors accompanied him to the dressing room and he is still in there with the doctors. That is the only update that we have.”

It later emerged that Bentancur was conscious, talking and would make the trip to hospital for further checks.

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou provided a further update after the full-time whistle.

"There's nothing too detailed (at this stage). He was conscious when he came off the field and he’s been taken to hospital for some observations so we’re hoping he’ll be okay," he said.

"It was pretty distressing at the time, seeing him go down like that, for the players. Dealing with adversity, these players just compose themselves and responded to it really well."

In his post-match press conference, Postecoglou added on the incident: "I don't want to speculate. It was some sort of head injury. It was bad enough for his teammates to worry about him."

Shortly after midnight, Bentancur himself posted a health update as he sat alongside long-term partner Melany La Banca.

Taking to his Instagram story, the 27-year-old midfielder said: "All good, guys! Thank you for the messages!!! Congratulations for the victory boys!!!"

Postecoglou mentioned Bentancur as he praised his team for securing a 1-0 win over Premier League leaders Liverpool.

"We are having to deal with adversity all the time," he added. "We started really well and then lost a key player. This lot are nothing if not resilient and they keep going and they did today.

"It is incredible when you think we had a couple of 18-year-olds out there. I have just seen so much growth. I have no doubt we will get through this period and get players back, what I've found in the meantime is we have some real players to help us to be the team we want to be."

Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was visibly emotional after making his much-anticipated debut for the club in their Carabao Cup semi-final victory over Liverpool.

The 21-year-old, who joined from Slavia Prague on Sunday for a reported £12.5 million, was thrown into the deep end as Ange Postecoglou's side came up against league leaders Liverpool.

But he marked the occasion with a clean sheet and six saves as Spurs secured a one-goal advantage coming into the second leg on February 6 thanks to a controversial winner from Lucas Bergvall.

After the full-time whistle on Wednesday night, an emotional Kinsky ran straight over to the crowd to embrace his sister, who travelled to the game alongside their family.

"[I was hugging] my sister. Yesterday, I got to know that there was a possibility I was going to be playing," he told Sky Sports in his post-match interview. "I called and they came, my sister, her boyfriend and my parents."

Kinsky added: "It was so nice to have them here for this. I hope my dad is proud."

The goalkeeper, who is said to have attracted interest from Newcastle United, Brighton and Celtic, went on to describe it as the best night of his life.

"I'm a big dreamer," he added. "I make my own vision of the future. This dream, I had never dreamt this one. I'm so happy, I came three days ago and everyone is so nice."

Many praised his debut performance for the Lilywhites, including Spurs striker Dominic Solanke.

"He looked like a natural out there, like he's been playing and training with us for years," he said. "Especially at his age, to come in and have the impact he did so soon, it's a big credit to him.

"To have him at the club now is great for us. We're going to need him, we have a lot of big games coming up."

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou was another to hand out praise for the young shot-stopper.

"We sensed his confidence when we first spoke to him," he said. "That is a big occasion for a young lad and he handled himself outstandingly."

Thoughts on Kinsky's performance against Liverpool? Let us know in the comments.

The first ever VAR decision stadium announcement took place in Spurs vs Liverpool but fans all had the same view after seeing the historic moment.

It was confirmed that for the Carabao Cup semi-finals, a trial would be held in which referees would address fans in the stadium to explain a VAR decision.

After seeing it in many other leagues, there has been huge demand for it to be brought into English football and Stuart Attwell became the official who was tasked with doing so at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs striker Dominic Solanke thought he would put the hosts ahead against his former side but replays showed there was an incredibly tight offside call.

VAR confirmed that Solanke had just strayed ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold but then Attwell had to announce the decision over the tannoy.

The 42-year-old said: "After review, Dominic Solanke was in an offside position in the build-up to the goal, therefore the decision is offside."

The announcement was loudly booed by the home fans and though some supporters welcomed the extra bit of information given those in attendance didn't get to see a replay, plenty felt it was pointless.

One wrote: "Completely meaningless that explanation from Stuart Attwell btw, at least if you're just watching on TV."

A second agreed: "Yep, having the referee announce his decisions was exactly as pointlessly s*** as I expected. At least I know what Stuart Attwell sounds like now."

A third added: "Thoroughly enjoyed Stuart Attwell's announcement. Not sure it was necessary in any way, of course."

A fourth said: "That VAR thing where the referee talks to the crowd is one of the most pointless things I’ve ever seen. Everyone knows it’s offside that’s being checked."

A final user commented: "It's hilarious how pointless the referee announcing the VAR decisions is. Does nothing to solve the problems, but gives people another reason to hate referees."

Spurs responded immediately after the goal was chalked off, with Solanke setting up 18-year-old Lucas Bergvall, who scored the winner with his first goal for the club. However, Liverpool were furious as they felt the Swede should have been sent off after he made a late challenge when on a booking.