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Timo Werner’s loan spell at Spurs is looking more and more like a failed experiment, and in January, that agreement should be severed. If that does happen, Tottenham should look to sign another winger, and here are the options.

Antoine Semenyo is the answer

Thinking realistically, Tottenham are not going to be spending obscene amounts of money in the January transfer window. The club rarely does that, and having already spent big in the summer, the pursestrings are likely to be tighter.

A deal that could be doable for a fairly reasonable sum is for Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth. He’s thought to be one of Tottenham’s top transfer targets at this moment in time, and could be available for around £33m (Fichajes).

Predominantly operating as a right-winger, Semenyo would make the most sense when it comes to offering balance in Ange Postecoglou‘s squad.

Since Dejan Kulusevski’s move to a more central position, Brennan Johnson is the only player who primarily plays on the right-hand side, while the left wing is well-stocked with the likes of Heung-min Son, Wilson Odobert, and Mikey Moore.

If Spurs are feeling ambitious…

Still, we can’t help but dream of a major signing, and there are a couple of elite wingers out there who would transform Tottenham into a real contender.

First up, there’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the Georgian winger who has played a starring role for Napoli over the last few years. He’s one of the most highly-rated wide players in the game right now, and there’s no doubt every top club in Europe would love to sign him.

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Kvaratskhelia is tied into a contract with Napoli until 2027, so Napoli are in no rush to sell him, and with the competition out there for his signature, the Italian outfit could probably demand upwards of £80m for him.

Meanwhile, in Spain, the equally impressive Nico Williams had been suggested as a Spurs target in the summer, as well as being linked with clubs like Chelsea and Barcelona.

The Spaniard decided to stay with his boyhood club, Athletic Bilbao, and insists he is still very happy there. He is also under contract until 2027, and only signed an extension last December, so unless he forces a move, Bilbao would not need to listen to offers.

You’d likely be looking at a similar price tag for Williams, too. Sadly, it just doesn’t feel plausible that Daniel Levy would sanction that at this time.

We have Mikey Moore at home

Of course, the talk of the town at Tottenham right now is Mikey Moore. The 17-year-old has broken into the first-team squad at Spurs and has been mightily impressive in his outings so far this season, particularly in the Europa League.

While it would be great to have a new winger come in during the January window, I wouldn’t be mad if Postecoglou decided to just give Mikey more minutes instead.

Mikey Moore played a starring role in Tottenham’s win over AZ Alkmaar last night, earning rave reviews from fans and pundits, but Glenn Hoddle thinks we shouldn’t get too excited just yet.

Mikey Moore praised after Europa League win

Ange Postecoglou made a lot of changes to his line-up for the Europa League clash with AZ Alkmaar on Thursday, and Mikey Moore was one of the young players given the opportunity to start the game.

The 17-year-old started the game on the right wing and didn’t quite make the desired impact in the first half. But, after the interval, Moore made the move to the left side, and ended up changing the game.

Moore was a constant nuisance for the Alkmaar defenders, and dictated the flow of the game so much that his teammates seemingly decided the best course of action was to feed him the ball and let him work his magic.

The youngster was replaced late on to rapturous applause from the home crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and now has a legitimate claim to start again in the Premier League this weekend.

Hoddle impressed, but demands patience for Moore

But, according to Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle, we should not get too carried away by what we’ve seen from Mikey Moore so far, and remember that he is only 17-years-old and has room to grow.

He told TNT Sports 1 (24/10/24 – 22:32): “When he is 21, that is when you have got to judge players. There are a lot of ups and downs they go through but he has got natural talent.

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“It looks like he has got the right attitude as James Maddison said but he is a talent that wants to go and play, and play off the cuff to a certain degree and that’s what you get when you get youngsters going in the team. They play off the cuff and they are fearless.

“The test will be when he is older and people double up on him, they will understand what he is all about. He has got lots of challenges ahead of him but it is exciting. Every club, particularly Tottenham love a homegrown, they love to see somebody come through the ranks and make it into the first team.

“They will get behind him week in, week out. They’ll be talking about him in the pubs and bars now. It will be about Mikey Moore.”

Start Mikey Moore at the weekend

With Heung-min Son unlikely to feature against Crystal Palace this weekend, Postecoglou will surely turn to Mikey Moore and give him his first Premier League start. Timo Werner has proven he cannot be depended upon, and Moore is hungry to show what he can do, so he should be allowed to go out and make his mark. If he’s good enough, he’s old enough, and he’s definitely good enough.

After a tricky start to his Spurs career, Lucas Bergvall finally showed what he is capable of with a big performance against AZ Alkmaar last night, and the youngster has been discussing how happy he is with that display and the way he has been welcomed by everyone at Spurs.

A strong showing from Bergvall

Ange Postecoglou made nine changes to the team that won at West Ham last weekend for the visit of AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League, and his rotated, very young team did not let him down.

Lucas Bergvall was at the heart of that, with a cool and composed performance in the midfield. The 18-year-old showcased his impressive range of passing to unlock the Alkmaar defence on a number of occasions, broke up the play confidently, and was responsible for winning the all-important penalty that gave Spurs the win.

It was the kind of performance from Bergvall that felt like he finally found his feet at Spurs, and there is hopefully much more to come.

Bergvall promises he has more to give

Speaking to TNT Sports 1 (24/10/24 – 22:20) after the win over AZ Alkmaar, Bergvall highlighted the impact of Dejan Kulusevski on his settling-in period, and celebrated the fact that young players like himself are getting opportunities in the team.

He said: “The guys have been so good to me and especially Deki [Kulusevski] has helped me coming to the team. I’m just getting started — these first months, just getting used to it and just keep going. I’m really happy.

“You can see on the team today with me Mikey [Moore] and Archie [Gray] — it’s young players getting a chance, but it doesn’t matter if you’re young, you have to be good enough and today I think we proved that.

“I’m really happy to get these chances — just 18 years old and coming from the Swedish league, it’s a big difference so just training with the boys and playing, I’m very happy with this.”

The kids are smashing it for Spurs

It’s been brilliant to see the likes of Bergvall, Mikey Moore, and Archie Gray getting substantial minutes and starts for Spurs in the Europa League. The best thing is, we’ve won all three games with the youngsters in the team, too, and long may it continue.

Tottenham Hotspur continued their 100 per cent record in the Europa League this evening, playing out a 1-0 win at home to AZ Alkmaar thanks to a Richarlison penalty.

Let’s take a look at how the individual players got on:

Tottenham Hotspur player ratings

Fraser Forster – 8 – Made a superb save up to his top right to keep AZ out from a corner. Also came off his line well to stop them from going through on goal. In the second half, he added to his heroics by saving a one-on-one to keep things at 1-0.

Archie Gray – 6 – Struggled in his one-v-one defensive battle against the tricky Poku, but on the ball looked class as usual. The partnership between Gray and Moore was a little disjointed but hopefully that can flourish in the years to come.

Radu Dragusin – 5 – A much better time of it than last time out against Qarabag, although that isn’t saying much. Looked calm on the ball up until the 57th minute when a stumble left AZ through on goal.

Ben Davies – 5 – Perhaps a surprise start at centre-back, Davies even got the armband in the second half. Much like Dragusin, he looked very comfortable… until he didn’t. A mishap with the ball at his feet sent AZ through on goal and they should have really scored.

Destiny Udogie – 7 – Perhaps needed this game as a confidence booster. You could tell he was a level above some of them out there. Set up some dangerous attacks with a few superb interceptions and tackles. Also looked a real threat himself on the underlap. Still needs to work on his one-v-one defending.

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Rodrigo Bentancur – 7.5 – Nice and steady performance. Did a good job at both mopping up danger and also picking some neat little passes into the pockets. Rescued Tottenham when he blocked what looked like a certain goal.

Lucas Bergvall – 7 – A superb outside-the-boot pass to set Timo Werner through on goal in the first half. Some really creative work on the ball. Probably needs to work on his engine off the ball. Did well to win the all-important penalty. Went off with a bit of a hamstring injury but hopefully he is okay.

James Maddison – 8.5 – The best player on the pitch by some margin. He picked up positions between the lines for fun and dictated every Spurs attack. With the first-team around him, he probably would have created a couple of goals.

Mikey Moore – 8 – Missed a superb chance to open his Spurs account with an early headed chance. Had some really bright moments cutting inside off the wing, but the end product wasn’t quite there… until he switched wings in the second half and turned into prime Messi! The AZ right-back couldn’t handle him. Even when they doubled up on Moore, he still wriggled through. This kid is special!

Richarlison – 7 – Considering he is fresh off a long-term injury, Richarlison pressed and pressed and pressed all day long. A cold penalty chipped down the middle – although I’m not a fan of players fighting each other to take it (Richy and Maddison). Got 63 minutes under his belt before getting cramp and heading off.

Timo Werner – 3 – It just isn’t happening for Timo. He started the game with a dream of a cross that should have been headed home by Moore. After that, it was another horror show. A pathetic pass back to the keeper when through on goal. A slash wide from a right angle. A backpass that almost set AZ away. Then hooked at half-time and made to watch Moore thrive on his left wing.

Substitutes:

Brennan Johnson – 6 – Had a decent chance to get a shot on goal with his first touch after a crazy run and pass from Moore. Should have assisted Richarlison when both of them went through too.

Dominic Solanke – 6 – Came on to play out the last 25 minutes and linked up with his teammates really well, as usual. Didn’t get much of a sniff in front of goal.

Dejan Kulusevski – 6 – Pretty quiet after coming on, but he’s a dream player to have off the bench to see out a game with his superb engine on and off the ball.

Pape Matar Sarr – 6 – Copy and paste the above. Spurs looked far more comfortable with Sarr’s relentless press and tracking than when Maddison and Bergvall were on.

The first half of Europa League action between Tottenham and AZ has come to a grinding halt in North London, with the neither side in the driving seat at the interval.

Unsurprisingly, Ange Postecoglou named a rotated squad for their third Europa League contest of the campaign so far. Most notably, the Australian omitted Tottenham captain Heung-Min Son as a result of the South Korean feeling ‘a bit sore’ after the weekend. Additionally, Wilson Odobert returns to the squad for the first time since suffering an injury vs Coventry.

Spurs’ third edition of Europa League football this season comes subsequent to an emphatic victory over London rivals West Ham, as the Lilywhites ran riot in a 4-1 win. Postecoglou will be hoping his men can regain momentum off the back of this win with a busy schedule forthcoming.

Today’s visitors will be desperate to end a run of four consecutive losses with what would be a famous win against Premier League opposition. Eredivisie sensation Troy Parrott will be eager to make an impact on his return to N17, having already scored six in all competitions this season (Transfermarkt).

Over the course of the first half, we analysed each Spurs player’s individual performance, rating them on a scale of 1-10.

Spurs’ half time ratings vs AZ Alkmaar

Fraser Forster: Made a fine save just before the half-hour mark at full stretch but that was the only time he was really called upon. 6.

Archie Gray: A bright display from the youngster in the first forty-five as he made an abundance of darting runs , combining well with Mikey Moore on Spurs’ right-hand side. 7.

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Ben Davies: Made plenty of interceptions and was relatively comfortable throughout the first half. 6.

Radu Dragusin: The Romanian stood strong at all times, and was rather composed on the ball. Wasn’t massively troubled, though. 6.

Destiny Udogie: A really exciting first half from Spurs’ left back as the Italian strode forward at will, and was superb on the ball. Unlucky not to create anything from his crosses or infield passes. 8.

Rodrigo Bentancur: Looked comfortable as the deep-lying defensive midfielder throughout. 6.

James Maddison: Acting as the main creative outlet for Spurs today, the Englishman was the liveliest player in the midfield. He received the ball plenty and rarely misplaced a pass. Easily the standout player for Spurs in the opening forty-five. 8.

Lucas Bergvall: An exciting impression made by the Swede as he attempted to create plenty, and fed a beautiful through ball to Werner on 25 minutes. Combined well with Moore on the right hand side and made a few runs into the channel. 7.

Timo Werner: It was an opportunity for Timo to repay the faith shown by Postecoglou as he started yet again. Started the game positively before wasting a huge opportunity after 25 minutes. Missed another chance on the break only 12 minutes later, although this one was less clear-cut. Made a plethora of runs down the left but couldn’t create anything from them. 4.

Richarlison: A return to the starting eleven for Spurs’ number nine. The Brazilian struggled to make any real impact, however. 5.

Robbie Earle believes that one Tottenham player is not putting in the necessary work off the ball to justify his place in the side.

Ange Postecoglou’s masterstroke at half-time against West Ham

Postecoglou’s decision to take James Maddison off and bring Pape Sarr on at half-time has garnered a lot of praise, and rightly so since the substitution changed the game, allowing Tottenham to be even more dominant in the second period.

On the back of that game-changing decision, Maddison’s place in the Spurs side has been the subject of plenty of discussion, particularly since Dejan Kulusevski is now thriving in the attacking midfield role.

Robbie Earle’s surprising James Maddison claim

Earle has now become the latest to talk about the England international’s waning influence on the Spurs side, with the pundit suggesting that the 27-year-old is a luxury player who has to be carried by his teammate in some games.

He said on Two Robbies Podcast: “But let’s quickly just switch to Maddison thing. I mean, he came into the football club at the start, got a season and did so, so well, was a big part of what they were doing. You must feel like one of the first names on the team sheet. And then something seems to go wrong. It happened a little bit in his Leicester days.

“There are moments when in big games you never saw him. And then he seems to have had a moment again where, you know, the team balance looks better. Now, the problem with James Maddison, and he’s such a technically gifted player, that if he’s not making goals, scoring goals or dominating the game for you, there isn’t an awful lot else.

“And in modern-day football, we used to have, we used to have players in a Wimbledon team where we were all at it. But every now and then the gaffer would bring in a player who was a bit, let’s say, luxury, where he wouldn’t have to do quite so much work, but you better cross and do this and do that.

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“I get the sense James Maddison is that guy, but modern-day football doesn’t allow luxuries any more, it doesn’t allow you to carry any passengers. The best teams in the league don’t carry any passengers. You still have to do your hard work and your defensive stuff.”

Is the criticism of Maddison fair?

The discourse around Maddison over the last few days is another example of the typical knee-jerk, reactionary nature of the 24-hour football news cycle.

It was only a few weeks ago that many were pointing out that the former Leicester man was back to his best again and dictating games like we saw him do at the start of last season.

Despite rumours in the press, the agent of one Tottenham star insists he has had no contact from interested parties about signing his client.

Speculation continues over Radu Dragusin’s future

Dragusin has found regular starts had to come by since joining Tottenham at the start of this year and the reports continue to link the centre-back with a move away from the North London side in search of game time (InterLive).

An update from The Mirror claimed last week that the 22-year-old is attracting interest from a number of sides, including Napoli, who are ready to offer him a route back to the Serie A.

However, the publication suggested that a departure from Hotspur Way is not on the mind of the Romanian, who remains keen to prove himself at the Premier League side.

Florian Manea’s admission about Dragusin’s future

Manea himself has now confirmed the same, clearly stating that Tottenham would not allow his client to leave and that the defender is focused on taking the opportunities that come his way.

He insisted that he is not in talks with any club about a move at the moment and revealed that he has sent a clear message to those who have called him.

When asked about the speculation over Dragusin’s future, Maneo said (via Calcio Napoli 24): “I haven’t spoken to anyone, and I don’t think Tottenham want to let him go. Radu is focused and wants to play his chances with Spurs. I’ve seen the news too, but – I repeat – I haven’t heard from anyone.

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“We like that many teams are following him, but I also told the others who called me that – to date – we are not interested. No player is happy if he doesn’t play a lot, but he wants to fight for his place. We’ll see later how many games he plays, and we’ll evaluate, at this moment it’s premature to think about a transfer.”

Dragusin will get his opportunities

Ange Postecoglou would have wanted to use Dragusin in all of Tottenham’s Carabao Cup and Europa League matches, but the defender’s early red card against Qarabag robbed him of some important minutes.

With matches coming to think and fast over the next couple of months, one would expect the former Genoa man to get plenty of game time.

Troy Parrott makes an admission about his time at Tottenham Hotspur and about the drive he has to show what he can do at his former stomping ground this evening.

Homecoming for Troy Parrott

While Tottenham will be looking to make it three wins in three when they host AZ Alkmaar at home in the Europa League this evening, they will have to be wary of Parrott, who is keen to prove a point against his former employers.

The Republic of Ireland international, who was considered the most exciting young talent in the Spurs academy a few years ago, was let go by the North London club in the summer.

The 22-year-old has scored six times in 11 appearances for Alkmaar across all competitions and will be keen to add to his tally this evening.

Parrott is keen to show what he can do

Parrott confessed that many of his friends and family will be in the stands at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when he takes on his former side.

The striker remarked that he and his teammates are keen to take the opportunity to show what they can do on the big stage against a top side.

Parrott told De Telegraaf: “There are also some family members and friends living in London coming to the match, so it is a special match in many ways.

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“Look, there are a few world-class players there, it’s not going to be easy. But for me and my fellow players, it’s an exciting and beautiful evening. It’s an opportunity to show what we can do against such a big team.”

Parrott has no ill-feeling towards Spurs

The Alkmaar striker was rather philosophical about his struggles to break through at Tottenham, insisting that he is proud to have even made a few appearances for their senior side.

When asked about his lack of chances at Spurs, Parrott said: “Spurs is such a big club. I have been given a few chances to play for them and I am proud of that.

“You know: Spurs is a good club, they have always taken good care of me. They want to develop young players and deliver them to the first team. That is incredibly difficult because the club is in the top 5 of the Premier League.

“I actually have nothing bad to say about the club. It wasn’t meant to be that I broke through there. Now my own journey has begun. I’m on my own journey.”

Jose Mourinho has made a claim about Tottenham’s Europa League aspirations that might surprise some Spurs fans.

Jose Mourinho does not miss an opportunity to attack Spurs

Since being sacked unceremoniously sacked by Tottenham, Mourinho has not missed an opportunity to have a go at the club and their hierarchy.

He regularly points out the fact that Spurs are the only club where he failed to win a trophy and that he was sacked just before the Carabao Cup final in 2021.

However, the Portuguese coach has now surprisingly played up Tottenham’s chances of winning a trophy this season.

Mourinho on Spurs’ Europa League chances

Ahead of Fenerbahce’s Europa League showdown against Manchester United on Thursday, the special one designated two of his former sides as the favourites to go all the way.

He suggested that the strength and the quality of the Premier League make the Red Devils and Spurs the top contenders to lift the trophy in Bilbao next May.

Mourinho said (via Reuters): “If I have to say now which are the two biggest candidates to win the Europa League, I think it’s easy – Manchester United and Tottenham.

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“The Premier League is a different level of quality, intensity, pace, tactical culture – a different level of everything. Tomorrow, I think we are going to play against one of the two strongest teams.”

Tottenham hope to seal direct passage to the final 16

In the new format of the Europa League, teams who finish in the top eight will directly advance to the round of 16 while teams who finish from ninth to 24th will have to play an additional knockout round.

Ange Postecoglou’s men will be keen to avoid playing two further games, given how congested their fixture list would be at the start of next year.

Tottenham are one of just five teams with a 100 per cent record in the competition so far and they will want that to continue against Alkmaar.

Tottenham Hotspur are once again looking towards the Serie A to strengthen their backline, and they could even submit a player-plus-cash bid to make it happen.

Inter Milan star in Tottenham’s sights

Spurs are thought to be studying the market for central defenders and one young Serie A man has reportedly caught their eye.

This is according to InterLive, who say that Yann Bisseck is now attracting interest from North London in light of his performances for the Nerazzurri.

Although the 23-year-old is highly thought of at the San Siro, he is yet to establish himself as a regular in Simone Inzaghi’s starting eleven, and it has now suggested that he could soon be prised away from the Italian giants.

Tottenham could make a part-exchange offer

Inter Live allege that Bisseck’s versatility is something that Spurs find attractive, claiming that the Lilywhites could launch an assault on him next summer.

It is revealed that Tottenham could offer Radu Dragusin to Inter to sweeten the deal as Ange Postecoglou is not convinced by the Romanian.

However, as things stand, the Serie A club are not thought to be ready to consider any player plus cash offers for the young defender.

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Inter’s stance explained

The outlet says that Bisseck is liked a lot by Inzaghi, which is why Inter are not desperate to sell the German defender.

Any deal to sign him might have to be a straight cash deal and the centre-back is not expected to come cheap, given that he is contracted to the current scudetto holders until 2028.

However, the publication adds that this has not put off Tottenham, who want to test the waters to see if a deal for the former Koln man is doable.