Sports Mole

Seeking to snap another morale-sapping two-game losing run, Tottenham Hotspur take on Premier League top-four outsiders Bournemouth in North London on Sunday afternoon.

The Lilywhites' Europa League adventure is on the brink of ending after their 1-0 last-16 first-leg loss to AZ Alkmaar, while the Cherries are riding high on the back of reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Match preview

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Following 90 minutes of continental action next Thursday evening, Ange Postecoglou may no longer be able to proudly claim that he always wins trophies in his second year at a particular job, as the Lilywhites were found wanting and then some in the Netherlands when AZ welcomed them to the AFAS Stadion.

Lucas Bergvall's sliced clearance ended up looping into the far side of the net as the Eredivisie outfit gleaned a slice of revenge for their 1-0 league-phase loss to the Lilywhites, who were also slain by the same scoreline in their most recent Premier League outing.

Indeed, Erling Haaland's goal settled the blockbuster Spurs vs. Manchester City top-flight tie in the champions' favour, ending Tottenham's three-game victorious run in the Premier League and leaving them in an unlucky 13th place in the top-flight standings.

Unlucky would certainly be the word Postecoglou might use to describe his side's injury situation this season, but mediocrity rather than misfortune was the key factor in Thursday's defeat, and home has not been where the heart is for the Lilywhites in recent weeks either.

The narrow beating at the hands of Man City means that Tottenham have now won just one of their last nine Premier League contests in front of their own fans - losing six of them - and defeat on Sunday would see them lose eight Premier League home matches for the first time in a 38-game season.

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From a team that has already lost seven Premier League home games this term to one seeking their seventh top-flight win on the road, Bournemouth are also still on the hunt for a slice of silverware this season after holding their nerve from 12 yards against Wolves in the FA Cup fifth round.

There was little time for the Cherries to capitalise on Matheus Cunha's meltdown and subsequent red card in the last stages of extra time, but Andoni Iraola witnessed Matt Doherty and Boubacar Traore fluff their lines from the penalty spot before the quarter-final celebrations began.

Rewarded for their progression with a daunting last-eight clash against tournament favourites Manchester City, Bournemouth's shootout success was the perfect tonic to a Premier League drop-off, which has seen the Cherries lose three of their last four top-flight games and both of their last two.

Having fallen short against Liverpool, Wolves and most recently Brighton & Hove Albion, Iraola's seventh-placed men have fallen four points adrift of the Champions League positions, but Justin Kluivert's consolation at the Amex at least stretched their Premier League away scoring sequence to a terrific 10 games.

Sunday's visitors could complete their first-ever league double over Spurs should they maintain that hot streak, having prevailed 1-0 at the Vitality Stadium in December, although six of Bournemouth's last seven Premier League away games versus Tottenham have seen them fall to defeat.

Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Bournemouth Premier League form:

Bournemouth form (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

Just 20 minutes into his comeback appearance following a knee injury on Thursday night, Spurs marksman and ex-Cherries striker Dominic Solanke was substituted after taking a heavy knock in a collision with AZ goalkeeper Rome Jayden Owusu-Oduro.

However, Postecoglou stressed on Friday that the issue was nothing more serious than a "knee to the backside" and is therefore keeping his fingers crossed that Solanke will be fine to face his former club, but a start is likely out of the question.

Defensive duo Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero could also be in line for some minutes after making the bench in the Netherlands, while Ben Davies has not been ruled out either, but Dejan Kulusevski (foot), Richarlison (calf) and Radu Dragusin (knee) are still missing.

Bournemouth will soon welcome a key centre-back back to their ranks too, but not just yet, as Ilya Zabarnyi serves the third and final game of his suspension for his sending-off against Wolves in their Premier League loss to the Old Gold.

Zabarnyi will watch on from the sidelines alongside Enes Unal (knee), Marcos Senesi (thigh), Julian Araujo (thigh) and Adam Smith (calf), but Iraola refused to rule out Ryan Christie (groin) in his pre-game press conference.

The Cherries should be working with a largely identical squad from their cup success over Wolves, though, and Kluivert is sure to come back into the XI as he endeavours to build on a terrific record of 10 Premier League strikes away from home already this season.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Gray, Danso, Spence; Sarr, Bentancur, Maddison; Johnson, Son, Odobert

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:

Kepa; Cook, Hill, Huijsen, Kerkez; Adams, Scott; Semenyo, Kluivert, Ouattara; Evanilson

We say: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Bournemouth

Expect a clinic in high-pressing between Spurs and Bournemouth, who rank second and first respectively in pressures resulting in a turnover in the final third in the current Premier League season.

While Postecoglou's men do have our backing to stop the rot, Bournemouth ought to capitalise on the Lilywhites' European fatigue to leave with a share of the points.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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Arguably an unwelcome distraction to their Europa League adventure, Tottenham Hotspur must return to Premier League action on Sunday afternoon, when Bournemouth visit North London.

The Lilywhites will likely already have their eye on next week's last-16 second leg with AZ Alkmaar following a 1-0 defeat in Thursday's opening encounter by virtue of a Lucas Bergvall own goal.

Indeed, it is now Europa League or bust for Ange Postecoglou's side, as they remain entrenched in the bottom half of the Premier League table following a 1-0 home loss to Manchester City last week.

Here, Sports Mole rounds up Tottenham's latest injury and suspension news ahead of their clash with Bournemouth, who most recently progressed to the FA Cup quarter-finals at the expense of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Dominic Solanke

© Imago

Status: Major doubt

Type of injury: Knock

Possible return date: March 9 (vs. Bournemouth)

Dominic Solanke made his first appearance since the middle of January on Thursday evening after recovering from a knee injury, but the England international lasted just 20 minutes due to a knock. Postecoglou is keeping his fingers crossed that the issue is not severe, but he may now miss out on a reunion with his former side.

Dejan Kulusevski

© Imago

Status: Out

Type of injury: Foot

Possible return date: April 3 (vs. Chelsea)

The influential Dejan Kulusevski suffered a foot injury before the defeat to AZ Alkmaar, and Postecoglou has conceded that the ex-Juventus attacker is unlikely to return before this month's international break.

Ben Davies

© Imago

Status: Major doubt

Type of injury: Other

Possible return date: March 9 (vs. Bournemouth)

Postecoglou declared that Ben Davies was "close" to returning from an unspecified problem before the loss to AZ Alkmaar, but the Welshman was not involved in the Netherlands and therefore remains a serious doubt for Sunday.

Richarlison

© Imago

Status: Major doubt

Type of injury: Calf

Possible return date: March 9 (vs. Bournemouth)

Richarlison was given a three-week timeline to recover from his calf problem in the middle of February, which would potentially put him on course for a return this weekend, but it would still be a surprise to see him involved.

Radu Dragusin

© Imago

Status: Out

Type of injury: Knee

Possible return date: Unknown

Radu Dragusin is on the mend from the season-ending ACL operation he underwent last month, and the Romanian will not be back on the field until the latter stages of 2025.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR'S SUSPENSION LIST

Tottenham Hotspur have no suspended players for this match.

No Data Analysis info

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou has delivered an update on Dominic Solanke following his enforced withdrawal in their 1-0 Europa League loss to AZ Alkmaar.

The former Liverpool and Bournemouth striker made his first appearance since January 15 in the last-16 first-leg defeat, having previously spent several weeks out with a knee injury.

Solanke was introduced for Son Heung-min in the 72nd minute of the tie, but the England international was then taken off 20 minutes later following a collision with AZ goalkeeper Rome Jayden Owusu-Oduro.

Solanke was visibly grimacing as he left the field in injury time, sparking fears of another injury blow for Spurs' number nine immediately after his recovery from his severe knee concern.

Postecoglou was unsurprisingly questioned on Solanke's condition at full time, and while the Australian was hopeful that the Englishman had only sustained a knock, he could not say for sure.

Postecoglou unsure of Solanke injury severity

© Imago

"I am not even sure. It looks like a knock but I haven't really seen it. Hopefully nothing too bad," football.london quotes Postecoglou as saying.

During Solanke's short time on the field, the 27-year-old could not claw his side back into the game after an unfortunate Lucas Bergvall own goal gave the Dutch side the lead in the 18th minute.

The Swedish teenager's attempted clearance sliced off his shin and looped over Guglielmo Vicario, eventually nestling into the back of the net despite the best efforts of Djed Spence at the back stick.

Despite boasting 61% of the ball, Tottenham never truly looked like equalising at the AFAS Stadion, which Postecoglou attributed to a lack of aggression rather than the absence of effort from his players.

"I don't think it's a matter of effort or attitude. I don't think it is going out there and not trying, but like I said we didn't really come to grips and have the right mindset to tackle an away fixture in Europe," he added.

Tottenham suffer new suspension blow for AZ second leg

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"It is always tough and we obviously conceded the goal, which was a disappointing set of events but even after that we didn't really settle down into the game at all.

"You are going to face some pressure when you play away from home in Europe and weather the storm and get to grips with it, but we never really did so that was a disappointment."

The Lilywhites will have the chance to turn the tie around in next Thursday's second leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but they must do so without Rodrigo Bentancur, who picked up his third Europa League yellow card of the season in the Netherlands and is therefore suspended.

Either Pape Sarr or Yves Bissouma should deputise for the banned Uruguayan in the return fixture, where Spurs must better their 1-0 win over AZ from the league phase if they are to advance without the need for penalties.

Before Postecoglou's side return to European endeavours, their next Premier League fixture takes place on Sunday afternoon at home to Bournemouth.

No Data Analysis info

AZ Alkmaar secured an important advantage in the first leg of their Europa League tie with Tottenham Hotspur after a 1-0 win over the Premier League side at the AFAS Stadion.

The only goal of the game came when Troy Parrott's cross deflected in off the unfortunate Lucas Bergvall and past Guglielmo Vicario into the Tottenham net.

Spurs had their Italian goalkeeper to thank for keeping the score at 1-0 before the interval, as Parrott looked certain to score when he was clean through on goal against his former club, but Vicario made a fine save to prevent him from doing so.

The visitors offered very little going forward in the first half, but Bergvall almost made up for his own goal when a shot from distance curved just wide in opening stages of the second half.

AZ continued to push for further goals, but they had to settle for just the one in the end, leaving everything to play for next week in the return leg in London.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

This was a very disappointing night for the visitors, as they failed to register a shot on target in the first half, and in truth, AZ could have been further ahead by the break.

The hosts were positive throughout the game, and they looked more up for it than Spurs did, but they will probably regret not taking some of their chances after taking a relatively early lead.

In the end, the visitors will probably be grateful that it was only 1-0 to the hosts, leaving Tottenham with every chance of overturning the deficit next week in London.

AZ ALKMAAR VS. TOTTENHAM HIGHLIGHTS

Lucas Bergvall own goal vs. Tottenham Hotspur (18th min, AZ Alkmaar 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur)

A moment to forget for the Swedish youngster, as Tottenham have fallen behind in the Netherlands to an own goal!

Peer Koopmeiners swings in a corner, and former Spurs man Parrott plays the ball back into a dangerous area, with Bergvall sticking out a leg trying to prevent any further danger - but the ball loops into the net, despite Djed Spence's efforts to prevent it from going in.

MAN OF THE MATCH - TROY PARROTT

This result will have meant a lot to him, given he started his career at Tottenham - he played his part in the goal, and was a menace throughout the game.

Parrott will likely regret not taking the chance in the first half when he had only Vicario to beat, but the Republic of Ireland international was still the best player on the pitch tonight.

AZ ALKMAAR VS. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR MATCH STATS

Possession: AZ 39%-61% Tottenham

Shots: AZ 12-7 Tottenham

Shots on target: AZ 5-1 Tottenham

Corners: AZ 7-2 Tottenham

Fouls: AZ 14-12 Tottenham

BEST STATS

WHAT NEXT?

Tottenham are back in Premier League action at the weekend, as they take on Bournemouth at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

Tottenham Hotspur travel to the Netherlands to face AZ Alkmaar at the AFAS Stadion in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday night.

Spurs suffered a slender 1-0 Premier League defeat at home to Manchester City last week, while AZ were beaten 3-1 by Heerenveen in the Eredivisie on Sunday, and here, Sports Mole rounds up all of the latest team news for the two clubs.

AZ ALKMAAR vs. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

AZ ALKMAAR

Out: Sven Mijnans (Achilles), Jayden Addai (ankle)

Doubtful: Ruben van Bommel (unspecified), Mexx Meerdink (unspecified)

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Owusu-Oduro; Maikuma, Goes, Penetra, De Wit; Clasie, Koopmeiners; Poku, Buurmeester, Lahdo; Parrott

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Out: Antonin Kinsky, Fraser Forster, Timo Werner, Sergio Reguilon (all ineligible), Radu Dragusin (ACL), Dominic Solanke (knee), Richarlison (calf)

Doubtful: Dejan Kulusevski (foot), Micky van de Ven (thigh), Cristian Romero (thigh), Ben Davies (load management)

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Vicario; Spence, Gray, Danso, Udogie; Maddison, Bissouma, Sarr; Johnson, Tel, Son

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match .

Tottenham Hotspur could be without 11 players for Thursday's Europa League last-16 first-leg clash with AZ Alkmaar at the AFAS Stadion.

Dejan Kulusevski has been pictured wearing a protective boot on his left foot and is reportedly set for at least a week on the sidelines. Radu Dragusin (ACL) is a long-term absentee, while Thursday's game is set to come too soon for both Dominic Solanke (knee) and Richarlison (calf).

Ange Postecoglou has revealed that defensive duo Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero (both thigh) have an "outside chance" of returning against AZ as they have both taken part in training, while Ben Davies (load management) will also be assessed ahead of kickoff.

Four players who are ineligible after being left out of Spurs' Europa League squad for the knockout rounds are Antonin Kinsky, Fraser Forster, Timo Werner and Sergio Reguilon. The absence of the former two all but confirms that Guglielmo Vicario will continue between the sticks.

If Van de Ven and Romero are not fit to start, then Archie Gray and Kevin Danso are expected to resume their centre-back partnership, while Postecoglou will weigh up whether to start Pedro Porro or in-form Djed Spence at right-back as Destiny Udogie operates at left-back.

Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma will both be pushing to start in centre-midfield after beginning as substitutes in last week's 1-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester City. Bissouma could replace Rodrigo Bentancur in the deep-lying role, while Sarr may start ahead of either Lucas Bergvall or James Maddison.

Like Danso, fellow January signing Mathys Tel has been added to Tottenham's Europa League squad and he is in contention to start in attack with Brennan Johnson and Son Heung-min, who has scored seven major European knockout goals for Spurs; only Dimitar Berbatov (12) has scored more for the club this century.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup: Vicario; Spence, Gray, Danso, Udogie; Maddison, Bissouma, Sarr; Johnson, Tel, Son

No Data Analysis info

The bookmakers' favourites to win this season's Europa League are Tottenham Hotspur, who travel to the Netherlands to take on AZ Alkmaar at the AFAS Stadion in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Thursday evening.

While Spurs secured fourth spot in the 36-team League Phase standings, AZ finished in 19th place and required a 6-3 aggregate victory over Galatasaray in the playoff round to reach the knockout rounds.

Match preview

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Since the beginning of December, Tottenham have played 23 times across all competitions and have lost 11 of those, most recently suffering a narrow 1-0 home defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League a week last Wednesday.

Spurs are in danger of failing to secure a top-10 finish in the Premier League, let alone a European spot for next season as they sit 13th in the table and nine points behind 10th-placed Aston Villa, 10 points behind the top seven and 14 points behind the top four with 11 games remaining.

Having already been knocked out of both domestic cups, head coach Ange Postecoglou is now under pressure to deliver Europa League glory to Spurs supporters after stating at the start of this season that he "always win things in my second year".

Postecoglou believes there is still "an opportunity" to salvage Tottenham's season both in the Premier League and Europa League. The Lilywhites ended the League Phase with back-to-back wins over Hoffenheim (3-2) and Elfsborg (3-0) and they have already beaten Thursday's opponents AZ this season, winning 1-0 at home on matchday three.

Spurs have won seven of their last 11 games in major European competition against Dutch opposition (D2 L2), including their most recent away at Ajax (3-2) in May 2019 en route to the Champions League final. However, they have only come out on top in three of their last 18 away legs in major European knockout ties (D5 L10).

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Since drawing 2-2 with Galatasaray in the second leg of their Europa League playoff tie, a week after claiming a statement 4-1 home victory in the first leg, AZ Alkmaar have had mixed success on the domestic front.

After edging past Fortuna Sittard by a 1-0 scoreline in the Eredivisie, De Kaasboeren secured their spot in the KNVB Beker final after beating Hercules 4-3 on penalties following an entertaining 2-2 draw in 120 minutes. However, AZ fell to a 3-1 league loss at Heerenveen last weekend.

Maarten Martens's side subsequently missed the chance to climb back into third place - the Europa League qualification spot in the Eredivisie table - and they now sit sixth with 10 games remaining to reduce the three-point gap to the top three.

AZ travel to title hopefuls Ajax in their next Eredivisie match, but they can now focus fully on their two-legged Europa League tie against Spurs, with no domestic fixture scheduled over the weekend, and will endeavour to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since the 2013-14 campaign.

De Kaasboeren, who have won only two of their previous 19 meetings with English clubs, have scored 19 Europa League goals this season, with only three teams netting more; they have not scored more than 20 goals in a major European season since 2006-07 (26).

AZ Alkmaar Europa League form:

AZ Alkmaar form (all competitions):

Tottenham Hotspur Europa League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

AZ Alkmaar will be without key attacking midfielder Sven Mijnans as he is nursing an Achilles tendon injury. Jayden Addai (ankle) is also sidelined, while Ruben van Bommel and Mexx Meerdink are both doubtful.

Zico Buurmeester, who scored against Heerenveen last weekend, is set to continue in the number 10 role in the absence of Mijnans, operating just in front of centre-midfield duo Jordy Clasie - formerly of Southampton - and Peer Koopmeiners.

Former Tottenham striker Troy Parrott is AZ's top scorer this season with 17 goals in all competitions, including four in the Europa League, and the 23-year-old Irishman is expected to lead the line for the hosts.

As for Spurs, Dejan Kulusevski has been pictured wearing a protective boot on his left foot and is reportedly set for at least a week on the sidelines. Radu Dragusin (ACL) is a long-term absentee, while Thursday's game is set to come too soon for both Dominic Solanke (knee) and Richarlison (calf).

Antonin Kinsky, Fraser Forster, Timo Werner and Sergio Reguilon are all ineligible after being left out of Spurs' Europa League squad, while Postecoglou has said that Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero (both thigh) have an "outside chance" of returning against AZ as they have both taken part in training. Ben Davies (load management) will also be assessed ahead of kickoff.

January signings Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel are both expected to make their first European appearances for Tottenham, the latter will likely be joined in attack by Son Heung-min, who has scored seven major European knockout goals for Spurs; only Dimitar Berbatov (12) has scored more for the club this century.

AZ Alkmaar possible starting lineup:

Owusu-Oduro; Maikuma, Goes, Penetra, De Wit; Clasie, Koopmeiners; Poku, Buurmeester, Lahdo; Parrott

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Spence, Gray, Danso, Udogie; Maddison, Bissouma, Sarr; Johnson, Tel, Son

We say: AZ Alkmaar 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Winning the Europa League is now Tottenham's priority and Postecoglou can ill-afford to watch his side - one still possessing quality despite their lengthy injury list - produce a below-par performance if they wish to secure an important first-leg advantage.

AZ Alkmaar will be no pushovers for the North Londoners and are yet to lose at home in Europe this season (W4 D1), but we think that this run may come to an end and Spurs find a way to secure a slender win in the Netherlands.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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Tottenham Hotspur return to action on Thursday evening when they square off against AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.

Ange Postecoglou's side will take to the pitch having enjoyed more than a week off since their 1-0 reverse at the hands of Manchester City on February 26.

Although Postecoglou would have preferred to have been participating in the FA Cup at the weekend, the break has allowed for a much-needed break for his over-run squad and key players to put themselves on the brink of a return.

Here, Sports Mole rounds up Tottenham's latest injury and suspension news ahead of their trip to the Netherlands to face opponents that they edged out in the League Phase last year.

Ben Davies

© Imago

Status: Minor doubt

Type of injury: Other

Possible return date: March 6 (vs. AZ Alkmaar)

Davies has not made an appearance for Spurs since the win over Manchester United on February 16. However, having had an extra week to recover from a minor issue, the expectation is that the Wales international will be fit to feature on Thursday night.

Richarlison

© Imago

Status: Minor doubt

Type of injury: Calf

Possible return date: March 6 (vs. AZ Alkmaar)

Injury-riddled striker Richarlison has been currently working his way back from the calf injury that he sustained against Liverpool in the second leg of the EFL Cup semi-finals at the start of February. However, the forward is on the brink of recovering and returning to the squad.

Radu Dragusin

© Imago

Status: Out

Type of injury: Knee

Possible return date: Unknown

Romanian centre-back Dragusin recently underwent successful surgery on the ACL problem that he sustained in January, one that will sideline him for the rest of the season.

Dominic Solanke

© Imago

Status: Major doubt

Type of injury: Knee

Possible return date: March 9 (vs. Bournemouth)

Star striker Solanke is also rehabilitating from his own knee injury, albeit one far less serious than Dragusin's. Although there is a slim chance that he could return to the squad for this fixture, the game against Bournemouth three days later is more realistic.

Cristian Romero

© Imago

Status: Major doubt

Type of injury: Thigh

Possible return date: March 9 (vs. Bournemouth)

Romero's recovery from a quadriceps injury is taking longer than anticipated, but Postecoglou is confident that the Argentine will be fit to return in the early stages of next month. As it stands, a place in the squad against AZ cannot be ruled out, albeit it remaining unlikely at this stage.

Micky van de Ven

© Imago

Status: Major doubt

Type of injury: Thigh

Possible return date: March 9 (vs. Bournemouth)

Likewise, Van de Ven is in a similar position to Romero as he builds up his fitness after a thigh injury. The Netherlands international has been tipped to have 'an outside chance' of making the squad for this game.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR'S SUSPENSION LIST

Tottenham Hotspur have no suspended players for this match.

No Data Analysis info

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly reached a final decision over the long-term future of Timo Werner.

Since January 2023, the Germany international has been allowed to spend time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium by his parent club RB Leipzig.

At the time, the deal worked for all parties, particularly the player who was interested in a return to London after his previous period with Chelsea as well as joining a club where he could earn more game time.

However, the versatile attacker has been able to contribute just three times and six assists from his 41 appearances in all competitions.

Despite that below-par return, a buy clause of £8.5m remains in place for Spurs, one that arguably brings value courtesy of Werner's experience and ability to play across the forward line.

Will Spurs sign Werner?

Nevertheless, as per The Mirror, Spurs currently have no intention of activating that option in the summer.

The report suggests that Werner is already of the opinion that he will be returning to RB Leipzig where talks will need to be held over his next move.

Werner holds a contract at the Bundesliga outfit until 2026, yet there will seemingly be little desire from either party to extend terms.

Although Werner is a club legend through his 113 goals and 47 assists from 213 appearances, he failed to impress during the first half of 2023-24 and would likely struggle to earn regular football upon his return.

MLS side New York Red Bulls are allegedly monitoring the situation in the event that Werner wishes to take on a fresh challenge in the United States.

Was there ever any doubt?

Ever since head coach Ange Postecoglou publicly criticised Werner for his performance in a Europa League fixture at Rangers, the writing has appeared to be on the wall.

Werner has also recently spent a period on the sidelines through injury at a time when Postecoglou has recovered some of his other attackers and Spurs make gradual improvements.

Spurs won three Premier League games in a row before Werner returned to the squad for the 1-0 reverse at home to Manchester City last week.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma has reportedly caught the eye of one Premier League team and two foreign clubs ahead of the summer transfer window.

The Mali international is alleged to be one of seven senior Spurs players who could be moved on this summer, having quickly lost his status as an undisputed starter in North London.

Bissouma was a bit-part player during his debut campaign in the English capital under Antonio Conte and Ryan Mason, but he formed an effective partnership with Pape Sarr during the earliest days of Ange Postecoglou's tenure.

However, the 28-year-old struggled to maintain the form that made him a weekly starter, and he has only made the first XI on 12 occasions in the 2024-25 Premier League season.

Furthermore, Bissouma is still under the same contract terms he first signed in North London, and he will become a free agent at the end of the 2025-26 campaign should he not sign an extension.

Crystal Palace 'among clubs' interested in Bissouma

Rather than risk losing him for nothing next summer, GIVEMESPORT claims that Tottenham will try to recoup some - if not all - of the £24.1m that they paid Brighton & Hove Albion for the midfielder in 2022.

Three clubs have allegedly been alerted to the fact that Spurs are open to a summer sale, including Premier League rivals Crystal Palace and Ligue 1 duo Marseille and Nice.

Spurs are not said to have any intention of offering Bissouma a new contract at present, and the player is open to a return to the French top flight, where he represented Lille between 2016 and 2018.

However, the report adds that Palace are 'expected' to enquire over Bissouma's availability and could have an edge in the race if the 28-year-old wants to stay in London where he is settled.

Bissouma has registered two goals in 88 appearances for Tottenham in all competitions across the last two-and-a-half years, netting both of those efforts in the 2024-25 Premier League season against Everton and West Ham United.

Could Bissouma exit lead to Adam Wharton opportunity?

If Palace do decide to firm up their interest in Bissouma this season, an intriguing exchange could arise involving Adam Wharton, who is understood to be on Tottenham's transfer radar.

The Eagles may very well be running the rule over Bissouma as a potential replacement for the in-demand Wharton, also believed to be wanted by both Manchester clubs after quickly adapting to the demands of Premier League football.

However, Tottenham could try to use Palace's interest in Bissouma to their advantage, giving rise to the possibility of a part-exchange deal or a separate transaction for Wharton with their London rivals.

Spurs are back in action on Thursday night, taking on AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 showdown, before hosting Bournemouth in Sunday's Premier League battle. body check tags ::