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Journalist Jonny Buchan has suggested that it might be in one EFL club’s best interest to offload a player they signed on loan from Tottenham back in the summer.

Injury nightmare for Spurs man

Manor Solomon has had terrible luck with injuries over the past 18 months, with the winger struggling to remain fit since making the switch to the North London club in the summer of 2023.

The 25-year-old joined Leeds on loan in the recent window and he would have hoped to get his career on track by getting regular minutes in the Championship this term.

However, that has not materialised, with a hamstring injury keeping the attacker out of action for a month and restricting to him just five appearances so far.

Calls for Manor Solomon to be offloaded

The Tottenham man has certainly not set the world alight in the opportunities that have come his way, although that can perhaps be put down to the fact that he has not been fully fit.

Jonny Buchan has suggested that Daniel Farke’s men might have to prematurely end Solomon’s loan spell in January and replace him with another wide man.

The journalist said on BBC’s Don’t Go To Bed Just Yet podcast (as relayed by CaughtOffside): “You wonder with Solomon whether he’s going to be able to get that time, and then you question do you keep him? Or do you send him back?

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“Then use that spot, I’m not saying they’re on the limit of their loans, they’re not, but do you use that pot that you’ve used money-wise to get someone else who can maybe have a bigger impact?”

Solomon still has time to turn things around

Now that Solomon is back fit, he still has two months to impress Farke and show that he can contribute to Leeds’ quest for promotion.

If the winger can avoid injuries, he will get minutes under his belt and one would expect him to be able to run rings around Championship defences.

Tottenham Hotspur welcome current top-four side, Aston Villa, to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as they look to bounce back in the Premier League after the dismal defeat to Crystal Palace.

How will Tottenham’s starting lineup look?

Ange Postecoglou will be forced to make some changes from both the team that lost at Selhurst Park and the one that triumphed in the cup, due to players suffering injuries. Let’s take a look at our predicted Tottenham XI:

Guglielmo Vicario will start his third match in the space of a week, having featured on Wednesday in Tottenham’s 2-1 Carabao Cup victory over Manchester City.

At right-back, Pedro Porro returns to the starting lineup and he should be feeling fresh after being rested in midweek.

Destiny Udogie has not had that same luxury, as he had to come on to replace the injured Micky van de Ven after just 14 minutes against Man City. He will start, as he looks to find some consistency in his form.

Ange Postecoglou has confirmed in his press conference that while van de Ven’s ‘strained hamstring’ is not too serious, it will likely keep him on the sidelines until after the international break (Tom Barclay).

This means that Radu Dragusin will enjoy a rare second consecutive start for Spurs and will probably partner Cristian Romero in the centre of defence, although the Argentine international was a bit sore after the City game, so there is the possibility of Ben Davies replacing him in the starting lineup.

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In the pivot of midfield, Yves Bissouma will start, replacing Rodrigo Bentancur, who played the full 90 minutes on Wednesday night.

James Maddison will start in the attacking midfield role, along with Dejan Kulusevski, who helped take Spurs to the Carabao Cup quarter-final with two assists in his last outing.

On the right wing, Brennan Johnson will look to get back among the goals, having not scored since the international break.

Heung-min Son returns?

Heung-Min-Son could return to the starting lineup, having trained today as he looks to fully recover from the thigh injury he picked up against Qarabag in the Europa League. He would replace Timo Werner, who is a little sore since the City game, when he scored his first goal of the season.

And up front, Dominic Solanke will start, with the striker impressing in his all-round play since joining Tottenham, however, he could really do with getting a goal.

Predicted Tottenham XI to face Aston Villa

Antonio Conte explains why he considers his time at Tottenham Hotspur a success despite the way things ended for him at the North London club.

Early promise followed by disaster

There was a lot to be excited about in Conte’s first season in charge of Spurs, with the Italian taking over a side that was struggling under Nuno Espirito Santo and converting them into one of the most feared teams in the Premier League.

Tottenham were ruthlessly efficient towards the latter part of the 2021-22 season as they clawed their way back to seal Champions League qualification at the expense of their North London rivals.

However, following a relatively decent start to the 2022-23 season, the wheels came off spectacularly for Spurs, with the Italian parting ways with the club in March of 2023.

Antonio Conte addresses Tottenham spell

Despite what happened in his second season with the Lilywhites, Conte has insisted that he did well during his time at N17.

The 55-year-old pointed out that he guided Spurs to an unlikely top-four finish in his first season, adding that he cannot do any miracles.

Speaking after Napoli’s big win over AC Milan, Conte told DAZN (as relayed by Fabrizio Romano): “I think I did very, very well at Spurs. I arrived with the squad in 9th position and we qualified for the Champions League. I’m sure I did the best job possible for Tottenham. I can’t do miracles.”

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Conte failed at Tottenham

While people will disagree about why the wheels came off for Conte at Spurs, there is no doubt that objectively, the 55-year-old failed at the club, who eventually finished in eighth place in the 202e-23 season.

His early success at Napoli should not make people re-write the history of what happened at Tottenham. The reality is that the quality of managers in the Premier League is incredibly high when compared to the Serie A.

The Italian’s system was worked out by the opposition sides and he was unable to adapt and turn things around, which is why he has not been linked with any top English job since his departure from Spurs.

Italian journalist Luca Marchetti is not sure Napoli would be able to afford a Tottenham player they are being linked with, even if they bid for him in January.

Spurs defender continues to be linked away

Even though Radu Dragusin arrived at Spurs less than a year ago, there has already been plenty of speculation linking him with a return to Serie A in light of his inability to break into Ange Postecoglou’s first-choice eleven.

Serie A table-toppers Napoli are one of the clubs credited with an interest in the Romanian ahead of the January window (The Mirror).

However, the centre-back’s agent, Florian Manea made it clear a little over a week ago that he is not in talks with any club regarding a transfer of his client, adding that the defender is keen to prove himself at Tottenham (Calcio Napoli 24).

The deal would be difficult for Napoli to pull off

Luca Marchetti has now explained that while Antonio Conte wants to add a centre-back to his squad, an expensive option like Dragusin might be out of the Serie A club’s reach unless they manage to offload some players.

When asked about the reports linking the Tottenham man with a move to Naples, the journalist said (via Calcio Napoli 24): “I don’t know if Napoli, after how much they spent in the summer, can reverse that much for a purchase already in January, considering the failure to sell Osimhen.

“However, I imagine that when faced with important occasions he can intervene on the defensive line which deserves some ready alternatives.

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“It depends on the dynamics of the market and the opportunities that arise. Surely Conte would be happy with a purchase in defence.

“It also depends on any transfers: there are many attractive players who cannot find space in Naples, but it is unlikely that the Neapolitan club will get rid of them in January.”

Spurs would not entertain any offers

There is no doubt that Dragusin will have a key role to play this season, particularly given that Postecoglou seems intent on rotating his squad and not overburdening any player with too many minutes.

It was also always unlikely that both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven would remain fit throughout the campaign – as we have seen with the Dutchman’s latest hamstring problem. Spurs will thus not consider offloading the former Genoa man mid-season.

Ange Postecoglou has been speaking to the press today ahead of this weekend’s action in the Premier League, and discussed Aston Villa manager, Unai Emery.

Inconsistent Spurs are hard to predict

It has been a rather up-and-down season for Spurs so far this year, with the team struggling to put together a sequence of wins of late.

Aside from a nice unbeaten run in September, Ange Postecoglou has seen his team throw away leads and lose to teams they should be beating, like Crystal Palace.

However, the Lilywhites then went and inflicted a first defeat of the season on Manchester City in midweek to progress in the Carabao Cup.

Next up is a home tie against Aston Villa, a team high on confidence and flying in the league. Unai Emery’s side pipped Spurs to the top four last season, but both teams picked up a win away from home against one another in the 2023/24 campaign.

Postecoglou comments on Aston Villa and Unai Emery

Just how this upcoming fixture will play out is hard to predict, but Postecoglou has shared his thoughts on playing against the Midlands club and how good a job Unai Emery has done there.

Speaking to the press today (via Football.London), the Spurs boss said: “When he was at Arsenal, people were quick to dismiss him. He was an outstanding manager before he went to Villa. They identified someone who could take their club to where they wanted to go and he’s done that.”

Typical Tottenham will probably lose

With the current run we are on, it would seem we are due a loss this weekend. Losing to Palace last week was a real blow, but the win against City may have lifted the team, so we’ll just have to see if that confidence can carry through into the league now.

After a disappointing season in the 2023/24 campaign, Alejo Veliz is desperate to have a good year, and his stint with Espanyol just got a lot better.

Things haven’t gone to plan for Alejo Veliz

Having signed for Spurs last summer, there was a lot of excitement around Alejo Veliz‘s arrival at Spurs, and the young striker was eager to make his mark in England.

However, he struggled to get regular game time, with Ange Postecoglou preferring Richarlison and Heung-min Son in attack.

In the first half of the season, Veliz made eight appearances in the Premier League, amounting to 45 minutes of action. He got his first goal for the Lilywhites against Brighton in December, but in the next game, against Bournemouth, Veliz suffered a serious knee injury.

He would join Sevilla in the New Year, but struggled to make an impact there and returned to London this summer having made just six La Liga appearances totalling 31 minutes.

Veliz hits hat-trick for Espanyol

Veliz joined Espanyol on a season-long loan in the summer, and things are certainly looking up for the 21-year-old forward.

He has featured in every game so far this season for the Spanish outfit, and got his first goal for the club back in August with an injury-time equaliser against Rayo Vallecano.

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Now, Veliz has just registered his first career hat-trick in a comprehensive victory over San Tirso in the Copa del Rey.

Veliz bagged his first shortly after half-time, but had to wait until the final moments of the game to double and then triple his tally, scoring in the 86th minute and the 90th minute.

What does the future have in store for Veliz?

It’s quite difficult to figure out whether Veliz actually has a future at Spurs. With Dominic Solanke and Richarlison being Postecoglou’s main strikers, and the emergence of Will Lankshear, the first-team squad feels well-stocked in the forward area. That’s not taking into account Dane Scarlett, too, who you’d hope can push on and make something of himself at Spurs.

According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur are looking at potential additions to their midfield and one Serie A star has now caught their eye.

Spurs are long-term admirers of AC Milan man

The player in question is Tijjani Reijnders, who has been a revelation since swapping AZ Alkmaar for AC Milan in the summer of 2023.

The 26-year-old, who is capable of operating as a six or in a more advanced role, has become a regular in the Netherlands national team of late.

His performances have now allegedly caught the attention of several clubs, including Tottenham, who have been interested in him since before his move to Milan, according to TBR Football.

Spurs face a lot of competition

The report says that Spurs are continuing to keep track of Reijnders while Liverpool have also been making checks on him this season.

Those two clubs have now also been joined by Manchester City, who have been ‘hugely impressed’ by the midfielder’s displays at the San Siro.

The queue of interested clubs does not end there, with the outlet revealing that Paris Saint-Germain and Paris Saint-Germain are also keeping an eye on the player’s situation.

Milan’s stance on Tijjani Reijnders

AC Milan are said to be well aware that their midfield general is now attracting plenty of interest from across the continent. The Rossoneri are pleased with his performances and have begun work to keep him out of the clutches of the aforementioned clubs.

Even though Reijnders only arrived in Milan last year, Paulo Fonseca’s men are now thought to be ready to open talks with the Dutchman over a new long-term deal.

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to get back to winning ways in the Premier League when they face high-flying Aston Villa this weekend. Here are all the details you need to watch the game.

Last time out, Spurs fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, with Ange Postecoglou‘s men putting in a very poor showing at Selhurst Park.

The result leaves Tottenham in eighth place in the Premier League table with 13 points from nine games. Suffice it to say, Postecoglou will need his players to perform a lot better this weekend if they are to get back on track.

Meanwhile, Villa are fourth in the table despite dropping points against Bournemouth last weekend, and have lost just one game all season.

When and where is the game?

The game will take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, November 3, 2024.

A 2:00 pm kick-off is scheduled for the clash between Spurs and Aston Villa.

How to watch Spurs vs Aston Villa

Sky Sports customers can watch the game live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.

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Coverage begins at 1:00 pm with pre-match build-up, and post-match analysis will run straight through into the pre-game discussions for the Manchester United vs Chelsea match.

If you don’t have Sky Sports, you’ll have to wait for Match of the Day 2 to catch extended highlights.

Spurs team news

Tottenham will be without Wilson Odobert, who is facing an extended stay on the sidelines after a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury.

The young Frenchman made a brief return in the Europa League against AZ Alkmaar, but was out of the matchday squad for the trip to Palace last weekend.

Ahead of the Manchester City game this week, Postecoglou revealed Odobert had suffered a “serious” setback and that the injury was linked to his previous issue.

Both Djed Spence and Heung-min Son have missed the last couple of games, but could well be back for the weekend. They are to be assessed this week ahead of the game against Villa.

Spurs will need to be at their best

The only thing giving me hope of a result here is the fact Spurs are at home. Villa are looking great again this season, and will very likely put Tottenham under a lot of pressure throughout. If we can take the lead, we have a chance, but even my most optimistic prediction has us down for a score draw.

According to reports, one Spanish side is certain that their midfielder will be a Tottenham Hotspur player by next summer.

Tottenham’s unusual transfer agreement with Real Betis

As part of the agreement to sell Giovani Lo Celso to Real Betis, Spurs secured an option to sign Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso next summer.

The option is reportedly worth £25m and is only thought to be valid for a two-week period in June of next year (The Telegraph).

Betis expect Tottenham to activate option

Tuesday’s print edition of ABC Sevilla (as relayed by Sport Witness) have now offered an update on Johnny Cadroso’s future. The update states that the 23-year-old’s future ‘points to’ Tottenham, with Betis considering the deal to be almost a certainty.

In fact, the publication suggests that the midfielder is sure to leave Estadio Benito Villamarin at the end of the season as the La Liga club would sell him to another club if Spurs do not activate the option.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether Tottenham view the deal the same way.

Is Cardoso of the required standard?

While there is no doubt that Ange Postecoglou’s men will be on the lookout for a new number six next summer, the jury is still out on whether Cardoso is good enough for a team of Tottenham’s aspirations.

The fact that the American has not been a regular starter for Betis this season suggests that he is not ready to make the step up to the highest level.

Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action this Sunday with a challenging test against an in-form Aston Villa.

Following a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the Carabao Cup, Spurs will be looking to build on their momentum in the league. Despite some recent inconsistency, Ange Postecoglou’s side have shown moments of real quality this season, and they’ll be eager to put on a show for the home crowd.

Aston Villa, led by Unai Emery, arrive with ambitions of their own, looking to bounce back after their Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace. Known for their disciplined structure and ability to strike on the break, Villa will look to use their strengths to cause problems for Spurs, setting up an intriguing clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

What time does Tottenham v Aston Villa kick-off?

How both teams go into Tottenham v Aston Villa

Tottenham approach this fixture with a mix of recent results, having narrowly lost to Crystal Palace in the league before delivering a spirited 2-1 win against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup. Though Postecoglou’s men have battled with consistency, their undefeated home form adds confidence as they face Villa.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, have shown strength on the road, maintaining an unbeaten record in their last six away matches. With a full squad available, Emery’s team will be eager to carry forward their strong league form, ready to challenge Spurs in a high-stakes clash.

Tottenham Team News

Spurs face some potential absences, with Micky van de Ven expected to sit out due to a hamstring strain suffered against Manchester City. Wilson Odobert is sidelined with a hamstring injury from training, and Djed Spence is doubtful as he continues to recover from a groin issue.

Cristian Romero and Timo Werner, both substituted early midweek, are under close watch for recovery; Romero experienced some muscle tightness, while Werner appeared to have a minor groin concern.

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The good news is captain Heung-min Son is hopefully ready to start once again and return to the action after having missed the last 2 games.

Aston Villa Team News

Villa have no injury issues ahead of this game, giving Emery a full selection to choose from. With key players like Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran available, Villa will be confident in putting their best foot forward as they look to maintain their unbeaten away streak.

Predicted Tottenham Line-Up

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Dragusin, Udogie; Kulusevski, Bissouma, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Son

Our Prediction

This match promises to be a tactical battle, with Spurs likely to press high and look for opportunities to create overloads in the final third. Postecoglou’s squad employs a high-octane, aggressive style, prioritising intense pressing and quick ball recovery to create goal-scoring chances. However, this style of play proves to be less effective against teams that sit deep, closing down spaces and limiting creative opportunities.

Aston Villa, on the other hand, are adept at counter-attacking, with a methodical approach in defence that doesn’t force play unnecessarily. They favour direct passes into spaces behind the opposition’s backline, unafraid of risking possession in order to craft high-reward opportunities.

Spurs will need to capitalise on turnovers, using their central midfield to intercept and initiate swift counters, as Villa’s defensive structure transitions to a low block that becomes particularly challenging to break once they take the lead.

Furthermore, Spurs’ backline must remain vigilant against Jhon Duran, who averages 2.3 shots on target per match and could pose a considerable threat to Vicario’s goal. With both teams excelling in attack, the game is likely to feature plenty of action on both ends, with Tottenham’s home advantage giving them a slight edge.