All posts by z3u9t.icu

Tottenham Hotspur will feel hard done by after salvaging a draw against Newcastle United on Tuesday evening, having come unstuck after Anthony Gordon dispatched a controversially won penalty for the home side.

There’s a case to be made that Rodrigo Bentancur had infringed play in the box, but the tussle was waged between two players – one of whom was the 6 foot 7 Dan Burn – and there’s also a case to be made that Bentancur was pulled to the floor by the Newcastle defender.

Even as Cristian Romero’s brace rescued his side, Thomas Frank will know the pressure valve has not been released, and he still has much to prove if he is to cement his managerial berth in north London.

Frank's struggles at the Spurs helm

Tottenham have been something of a mixed bag in the Premier League this season. Their home performance woes have spilt from last year into the current term, with the defeat to Fulham meaning three have been lost on the bounce in the top flight.

Tactically, Tottenham are not creating enough. James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are sidelined, have been since the summer, but this is no excuse for the stunted playmaking quality that has been on show. Spurs’ players are not maximising their own skillsets.

Frank is a more pragmatic manager than Ange Postecoglou before him, but his Brentford side still produced clinical and concise attacking play.

Man City

2nd

26.7

Chelsea

4th

24.0

Arsenal

1st

23.5

Crystal Palace

5th

22.7

Liverpool

8th

22.2

(18) Tottenham

11th

12.6

Now, much has been left to be desired in his Lilywhites team, and ENIC Group could be forced into cutting off their new manager and replacing him with a summer target.

Indeed, Daniel Levy (remember him?) interviewed Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, as per TalkSPORT, who confirm that he has his sights set on a move up the ladder, albeit with a preference to see out the season.

Given the depth of Tottenham’s interest, this could be a deal revisited. And anyway, it’s not like the Spanish tactician has done anything to deter suitors this year.

Why Iraola is a better stylistic fit

Iraola is a young manager, but he has taken to the Premier League with ease, inculcating his aggressive, attack-focused football at the Vitality Stadium and recording Bournemouth’s highest-ever points total (56) last year.

He has transformed Bournemouth from a band of hard-batting, relegation-contending troops to an easy-on-the-eye attacking force, so intense and energetic. The fact he boasts a superior points-per-game record to Frank in the Premier League only adds fuel to the argument.

It’s a style of football that feels tailor-made for a club like Spurs. To dare is to do, after all, and one of the biggest criticisms of Frank’s tactics has been a pragmatism and lack of creative ambition.

The Spaniard has even been generously named “the best coach in the Premier League” by journalist James Horncastle for his impact on the south coast, and though the Cherries are struggling for form right now, with four losses from five outings, there’s little question that he has laid out his credentials at the top.

Talented players like Xavi Simons are struggling. Tottenham are in a rut. Could Iraola provide the solution? His ability to adapt – evidenced after a summer exodus – could also play favourably into a north London outfit who have undergone a fair amount of chopping and changing in recent years.

It is not yet time for ENIC chiefs to push for a managerial change, but Frank will know that he will soon be on borrowed time if unable to prove that his tactical vision is slowly taking root at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Should push come to shove, Iraola may well prove the perfect replacement, his self-defined “rock and roll” brand of football aligning with Spurs’ free-flowing identity.

The new Son: Spurs prepared to pay £65m to sign "world-class" talent

Tottenham Hotspur could be about to fork out a hefty sum to land a new attacker for Thomas Frank.

ByEthan Lamb Dec 3, 2025

How the mighty have fallen at Liverpool.

Expectations for the season heading into this campaign would have been that Arne Slot and Co could achieve the tricky feat of lifting back-to-back Premier League titles, having splashed the cash on the likes of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz in the summer.

Yet, the Reds are now deep in a depressing patch of form that has seen them lose a staggering nine matches from their last 12 outings – which has left them marooned in mid-table in the top-flight – with a 4-1 defeat at the hands of PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Wednesday night surely the pick of a bad bunch.

Not a single Liverpool shirt would trudge off at the end of the shambolic loss at Anfield with much credit left in the bank, as Ibrahima Konate’s error-ridden season continued against the Dutch visitors.

Konate's disastrous season continues

Liverpool will want January to come around in a flash now, having been linked with Marc Guehi to fix their leaky defensive issues.

Konate wasn’t the only ropey figure in the Reds’ porous backline against PSV, though, with Virgil van Dijk setting the tone for what was in store when giving away an early penalty from a brainless handball.

But, after a “nightmare” showing against Nottingham Forest last time out in the Premier League, as it was branded by the Athletic’s James Pearce, the Frenchman did himself no favours in trying to get back into the good books of Anfield supporters, by putting in another shaky showing against Peter Bosz’s fortunate away side.

His woes were summed up when he failed to clear the ball away for PSV’s rampant third of the one-sided affair, which then resulted in second-half substitute Ricardo Pepi breaking forward with pace to play a major part in the Eredivisie outfit’s game-clinching strike.

For Konate’s sake, who has now been in the heart of a “disgraceful” defence – as it was bluntly branded by Reds-based content creator DAVEOCKOP – across Liverpool’s last three games, where ten goals have been given up, Slot should ditch him for the next away match at West Ham United.

Yet, worryingly, Konate was far from the worst performer on a night that will live long in Anfield infamy. Indeed, another underperformer faces the axe for their must-win clash at the London Stadium.

Not just Konate: Liverpool star faces the chop

Indeed, although it meant very little come the full-time whistle, Konate would, at least, come away from the game with just one misplaced pass next to his name and three ground duels won.

Unfortunately for the under-fire number five, though, his horror moment leading to PSV’s third is all that will be remembered, with Cody Gakpo also another figure that generated a lot of criticism come the full-time whistle, as his goalless stretch of form shows no signs of stopping.

Games played

6

Minutes played

315 mins

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

It’s now been six games in November for the Dutchman with no goals or assists coming his way, but it could have been very different against PSV on another occasion, as Gakpo spurned a big opportunity against his former employers when the score was just 2-1.

On top of fluffing his lines to the dismay of Anfield, the hot-and-cold 26-year-old also lacked the same cutting edge that PSV showed throughout when bursting forward with pace, with possession given away 21 times by Gakpo when attempting to set his teammates up for chances.

On an evening when the defence received the majority of the pelters, Gakpo wasn’t completely immune from scathing criticism himself, with Liverpool World’s Will Rooney handing him a very low 3/10 post-match rating after the dust had settled on the harrowing loss, noting that he needed to “be better” in various attacking scenarios to up his score.

Further labelled as “laughable” on the ball by one Reds content creator, Gakpo will surely be worrying now that he will be shoved down to the substitutes bench for the tie with the Hammers up next, as Slot makes selection decisions that he hopes save his skin.

Journalist David Lynch has stated that he doesn’t think Slot can “survive” his predicament, whatever he does next, but it does look like a smart immediate call anyway to drop both Konate and Gakpo, to attempt to steer the collapsing ship back on course.

Ranked: The worst title defences in Premier League history

Look away now, Arne Slot…

ByTom Cunningham Nov 25, 2025

Celtic head into the final international break of the year off the back of a 4-0 win over Kilmarnock at Parkhead under Martin O’Neill in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

The interim head coach has won both of his league games in charge of the club by a 4-0 scoreline, and those two results have left the Hoops seven points behind Hearts in the table, with a game in hand.

Celtic now have an international break to assess their managerial situation after Brendan Rodgers tendered his resignation last month, following a 3-1 defeat to the league leaders.

The Hoops may decide to go with a longer-term option in their bid to overtake Hearts and claim the Premiership title once again, rather than allowing O’Neill to see out the remainder of the season.

Celtic set to make move for managerial target

In fact, a fresh report suggests that the Scottish giants are making moves to bring in a new head coach to take O’Neill’s place and replace Rodgers at Parkhead.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

According to TEAMtalk, Celtic are set to make a formal approach to appoint Bodo/Glimt manager Kjetil Knutsen as their next permanent boss this season.

The report claims that the Hoops are ready to make a move for the Norwegian tactician after they learned that he is keen on taking a step up in his career, and that a move to the club would match his ambitions, because of their budget and European football.

TEAMtalk adds that his contract at Bodo/Glimt is due to expire in January, meaning that compensation now would be minimal, but it does not reveal whether or not he would want to see out the final two games of the Eliteserien season.

Why Celtic should appoint Kjetil Knutsen

The Hoops should appoint the Norwegian boss, who Johan Mjällby claimed would be the “perfect fit”, because he could come in and crush Hearts with his track record of winning titles.

Knutsen’s Bodo/Glimt side are currently one point behind Viking in the Eliteserien with two matches left to play, and they have won the title in four of the last five full seasons.

2025

28

64 (2nd)

2024

30

62 (1st)

2023

30

70 (1st)

2022

30

60 (2nd)

2021

30

63 (1st)

2020

30

81 (1st)

As you can see in the table above, the Celtic target knows what it takes to win domestic leagues and to coach a team to achieve success on a consistent basis, which is exactly what the Hoops will be looking for in their next head coach.

The Scottish giants are currently seven points behind Hearts, but that could be four if they win their game in hand, and there is still plenty of football left to be played before the end of the season.

Bodo/Glimt had never won the Eliteserien before Knutsen took charge of the club, and now they are serial winners who have dominated the league for the past five or six years.

Celtic would be hiring a proven winner who can lead a team to glory, even in difficult circumstances, given that his club had never won a league title before his arrival, which is why he could be the dream appointment to crush Hearts this season.

Celtic plot move to sign Stefan Ortega for just £500,000 in January

The Bhoys have a new stopper in their sights and could take advantage of his contract situation.

BySean Markus Clifford Nov 10, 2025

Therefore, the Bodo/Glimt tactician could be the perfect man to come in and win the league title for the Hoops, despite the position they find themselves in, because of his impressive track record when it comes to winning league titles.

Tottenham Hotspur’s squad in 2025/26 is packed with numerous midfield stars, but it’s apparent that boss Thomas Frank is yet to work out his best combination in such an area.

The Dane has utilised a three-man midfield in the vast majority of his 11 Premier League outings to date, often varying between two deep-lying options with a ten and a flat three.

Joao Palhinha arrived in the summer on a season-long loan from Bayern Munich and has started all but one, with his ball-winning presence a real component to the Lilywhites’ side.

The same can’t be said for £52m addition Xavi Simons, as the Dutchman has struggled to nail down a starting position in his attacking midfield role – subsequently being named in the starting eleven on just six occasions.

However, there’s little denying that one player would have easily walked into the current squad had he still been on the books after his previous spell in North London.

Spurs’ most underrated player in the last decade

When talking about Spurs’ most underrated players in numerous years, many players will be mentioned, but one will always rise to the top – with that man being Mousa Dembélé.

The Belgian midfielder joined the Lilywhites from Fulham for just £15m back in the summer 2012, with very few supporters anticipating the levels he would produce in the capital.

He would go on to rack up a total of 249 senior appearances during his seven-year spell at the club, often catching the eye with his physicality and dazzling feet.

Standing at 6’1, you wouldn’t expect a player to easily get past the opposition, but Dembele used to glide past his men – leading to his tally of 10 goals and 11 assists.

Many of his former teammates have sung his praises in recent years, even labelling him as one of the most underrated players they have played alongside in their careers.

Former right-back Kieran Trippier is just one player to sign his praises, with the Englishman stating: “He was a remarkable player. He was unbelievable, I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves for being such an unbelievable player.”

Since his move to Guangzhou City back in 2019, the Lilywhites have massively lacked a player of his quality, with Frank and the supporters undoubtedly wishing they had a player of Dembélé’s talents at present.

The Spurs star who was tipped to be the next Dembele

In the last six years since Dembele’s departure from Spurs, the hierarchy have spent upwards of £300m on the midfield department alone – a simply staggering amount of money.

Numerous of their additions still remain on the books in North London, with the aforementioned Simons just one of the options Frank is still able to call upon.

Pape Matar Sarr and Lucas Bergvall are two other young stars who have been brought to the club in the last few seasons, with both cementing themselves within the first team ranks.

The latter of the duo joined for just £8m from Swedish side Djurgarden last summer, but has already racked up a total of 60 appearances despite being just 19.

However, Yves Bissouma is another midfield addition that remains in North London, but his time at the club has been far from successful in the last few years.

The Malian joined for a reported £25m from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer of 2022, leading to journalist Alasdair Gold claiming he’s just “like Dembele”.

In the three years with the Lilywhites, the 29-year-old has already racked up a century of appearances – even finding the back of the net on two separate occasions.

Games played

28

Goals & assists

2

Pass accuracy

89%

Tackles won

2.1

% of tackles won

63%

Duels won

5.2

Interceptions made

1.2

Recoveries made

5.4

However, it’s been a period that has been littered with controversy, with Bissouma being suspended by the club back in August 2024 after being pictured inhaling laughing gas.

Frank’s arrival has seen the downward spiral continue for the Malian, with the Dane leaving him out of the UEFA Super Cup clash with PSG after being consistently late for training.

In the three months since the final, he’s failed to make a single appearance for the Lilywhites, even being left out of the Premier League and Champions League squads for the first half of 2025/26.

Such an omission is a sign that the manager simply doesn’t see the 29-year-old as part of his long-term plans – with the hierarchy desperately needing to offload him in January.

Bissouma currently earns a reported £55k-per-week in North London, with the club paying him a staggering £1.4m since his last competitive outing in the first-team.

Not only has he failed to reach the levels many anticipated upon his move, but he’s also bleeding the club dry of crucial funds that will be needed in January.

His lack of action, current earnings and disciplinary record all point to an exit for the midfielder in the upcoming winter window, with the club needing to make his departure a priority.

Frank will no doubt want to clear him off the books, raising funds for the January market, which is no doubt a crucial point of the season in his quest to secure Champions League football a second successive year in North London.

Spurs have "one of Europe’s best finishers" & he could end Richarlison's stay

Tottenham Hotspur can offload Richarlison if Thomas Frank shows faith in one other squad member.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 14, 2025

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank is apparently making plans for the possible arrival of Brentford forward Kevin Schade as new co-sporting director Fabio Paratici works on a deal behind-closed-doors.

The 23-year-old, who was signed by Frank in a £22 million deal from SC Freiburg just over two years ago, has gone on to seriously impress at the G-tech Community Stadium.

Schade initially joined on loan in January 2023, but after Brentford made his stay permanent, the German sought to repay their faith.

While he missed almost the entirety of his full debut campaign with a hip adductor injury, Schade fired back to full form and fitness in 2024/2025 — bagging 12 goals and three assists in all competitions under Frank whilst playing in every single Premier League match for them.

The former Bundesliga sensation is already off the mark and running for Keith Andrews’ new-look Brentford side this season too, and he’s now attracting serious attention from N17.

According to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg recently, Tottenham are among the teams keeping close tabs on Schade, and the Germany international is “one to watch” this season with his contract expiring in under three years.

Frank’s obvious tie with Schade from their time together at Brentford has also led to speculation that Spurs could try their luck at a January deal.

This is now backed up by an intriguing update via CaughtOffside and journalist Mark Brus, who shared what Frank has now got in mind for Schade at Tottenham.

What Frank has "already" planned for Schade at Tottenham

Quoting multiple sources of his, Brus claims that Frank has “already planned how he’d slot into the system” for Spurs, with another source reporting “Paratici is working behind the scenes” on a deal.

Another source adds that Tottenham see Schade as the “perfect profile” to come in and bolster Frank’s attacking options.

However, this all being said, the Bees are known to be stubborn negotiators and have placed a £48 million price tag on the forward’s head as we slowly enter 2026.

Frank, amid his wave of injury problems, still has Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison yet to return, and once they come back, it’ll be difficult to see where Schade could fit in given their current wide options.

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

8.26

Brentford 3-2 Liverpool

8.00

Brentford 2-2 Chelsea

7.35

Brentford 1-0 Aston Villa

7.31

Brentford 3-1 Man United

7.03

via WhoScored

Wilson Odobert, Brennan Johnson, Mathys Tel, Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus also stand out among their crop right now, with Mikey Moore also to return from his loan spell at Rangers at the end of the season.

Spurs arguably have more pressing matters to deal with, like their potential need for a reliable striker.

Paratici and co-director Johan Lange have been linked with a move for Brentford’s Ivan Toney or Juventus star Dušan Vlahović amid the uncertainty surrounding Richarlison’s future and Dominic Solanke’s fitness woes.

That being said, if Frank is indeed already making plans to slot Schade into his Spurs setup, the Dane appears to be serious.