Lingering Emotions

What a weekend, huh?

We had a rare midweek free of matches, but there ended up being a lot of news to keep us occupied.

I think a lot of us were hoping to see the telltale "club announcement" on Monday, but that didn't come to pass. Instead, there seems to be some retrenchment happening around Thomas Frank with a new assistant coach being added to his support team. It's looking more and more likely that he'll be here until at least the end of the season.

But perhaps the club knew we needed some uncomplicatedly good news after a tough farewell (of sorts—we'll see her again this weekend) to Ash Neville on Sunday, and responded with a contract extension for promising young fullback Ella Morris. We got an update on how her ACL recovery is going as well, and it's tantalizing to think about seeing her back on the pitch—especially with so many improvements made to the overall team since her injury layoff began.

In this issue: Aston Villa recap | Leicester recap | Transfer talk | News from around the Lane

We're going to have to cling hard to Spurs Women for the good vibes for a while longer yet, as the injury crisis at Spurs Men has somehow, against all reason or fairness, gotten even worse—despite finally seeing one of the long-term absentees return.

The Women's side also have to do the heavy lifting of keeping our hopes of cup glory alive as they start their FA Cup journey. As exciting as it was for the team to miraculously make it to Wembley a couple of seasons ago, this current iteration is better-equipped to actually challenge for silverware if the stars align again to reach the final. But we still have to get there, and that starts with our first matchup of the competition, but second against Leicester City in the span of a week. That means another encounter with our beloved former player Neville, though hopefully she doesn't get anywhere close to scoring an own goal this time. There's also a new ex-Tottenham addition to their team as Rachel Williams has just signed with the Foxes, returning to her first club.

Men's FA Cup Round 3 | Tottenham 1 - 2 Aston Villa

Odobert 54' | Buendía 22', Rogers 45+3'

There were two main talking points in this FA Cup defeat:

• Spurs' inability to play well over a full 90-minute game
• Craig Pawson's diabolical officiating

Neither factor is particularly surprising, especially the latter when you think of all the times Pawson has proven biased against us (we all saw the video from the Manchester City game years ago, enough said). But as usual this season, all the quality refereeing in the world couldn't help this Spurs Men team that can't seem to help itself.

The damage was done with two first-half goals from Aston Villa, and at no point in that half did we look like mounting a comeback.

The situation did improve in the second half with an early goal combination from two players who are still trying to solidify starter status—Randal Kolo Muani with the assist and Wilson Odobert with the well-placed strike.

But it was too little too late, and the other substitutions (Kolo Muani had replaced Richarlison when the Brazilian pulled a hamstring in the first half) were not effective.

On a positive note, Dominic Solanke finally returned from injury and played about ten minutes to get the matchday rhythm back in his legs.

This was Spurs' first 3rd round exit in the FA Cup since 2014, and we haven't made it any farther than the 5th round since 2018. Some extended runs in the League Cup (including a final) have papered over the disappointment slightly, but it's still not a good look for a club of Tottenham's stature. f

The lack of recent domestic cup success was thrown into stark relief thanks to the commemorative kits the players were wearing to mark the 125th anniversary of winning the 1901 FA Cup, as well as the pre-game recognition of the deaths of two former Spurs players, Terry Yorath and Martin Chivers, the latter of whom won the League Cup twice. The players looked suitably vintage in the special kits, but it was not a vintage Spurs performance.

Notable & quotable:

• There was a melee after the final whistle, seemingly instigated by Aston Villa player Ollie Watkins, and now both clubs have been charged for misconduct.

• We have yet to win a game in 2026, and only have one win in the last seven games in all competitions.

• This was Wilson Odobert's second goal of the season, but neither has come in league play.

• Dominic Solanke made his first appearance in any competition since the away win at Manchester City on August 23.

• Thomas Frank reflected on the necessity (and risk) of picking the best possible lineup in the midst of the injury crisis to try to progress in the cup:

I said before the game that we [are going] full strength. There was nothing [more we could do]. With the players, should we [protect them]? Micky is in a top place. That was definitely a player to think about [switching out], but we wanted to do everything we could to win the game. We did everything we could. Especially in the second half, you can see we did everything we could. Unfortunately, we faced a good Villa team as well that made two moments and scored two goals. We could only make one.

I interpreted that to mean that Micky van de Ven is in the red zone in terms of minutes played and energy expended, which is worrying. But it's probably a minor miracle that he's been relatively unscathed so far this season, in contrast to his first two seasons with the club, in which he had lengthy absences for muscle injuries. I am literally knocking on wood after writing that sentence.

WSL MD 12 | Tottenham 1 - 0 Leicester City

Neville (OG) 40'

Okay, if you've listened to the latest N17 Women episode, you will know that I was in deep denial about Ash Neville being credited with the own goal that won Spurs the game.

My main reason for doubting was that she didn't seem to get the first touch off Eveliina Summanen's corner kick, and I also noticed that Spurs attributed the own goal to Leicester's keeper, Olivia Clark, in the club match report instead of blaming Neville (unlike Leicester's equivalent report, which held her culpable). That matched up with what I saw on replays, where you can clearly see that Clark got an erratic hand to the ball.

But I am now willing to accept that it was an unfortunate own goal on Neville's part, key word unfortunate. The BBC match report observes that it was Clark who punched the ball into Neville, at which point it then ricocheted into the goal. That makes sense, and I can deal with it being down to bad luck and not a clear error from Ash.

Sure, she probably could have had better positioning to defend the corner kick, but considering she just got to Leicester and had zero existing chemistry with her new goalkeeper, it makes sense that there would be some communication issues from which a mistake could easily happen.

All right, now that I've gotten all that conspiracy theory thinking off my chest, I will put away my push pins and string, and we can move on to the rest of the game.

Signe Gaupset had a strong debut, immediately asserting herself in the attack and coming close to scoring a couple of times herself (Leicester had an effective offside trap). She was only allowed to play 65 minutes to help her ease into her new league.

Loan signing Maika Hamano also made her club debut, replacing Gaupset in the lineup. It took her longer to get into the game, but near the end of the action, she was placing some very tidy passes into the box and showed off her technical level.

Despite some good things happening in the buildup play, the final third decision-making just wasn't there for the most part. Two of our best chances on goal fell to centerbacks, neither of whom could finish. We also didn't have a shot on goal by an actual Spurs player until Beth England managed one in the 84th minute, and then another just before stoppage time. I think a lot of that lack of sharpness can just be chalked up to post-winter break rust, however, and I'm not too concerned about getting back on track with scoring in the next game.

The win against Leicester took us up to 4th place in the Women's Super League table, level on points with Arsenal (don't look at the goal difference disparity, just don't!). Considering that our next league match is against Liverpool and Arsenal play at Chelsea, there's a very real chance we end that matchday in 3rd.

Notable & quotable:

• There was a lovely farewell ceremony for Ash Neville after the game, including a guard of honor from her former teammates and some commemorative gifts from the club, plus a group photo. It's not really goodbye (in a literal sense, we will see her again on Sunday), but I'm glad she got the proper sendoff she deserves as a club legend.

• This was the fifth time in a row that we have beaten Leicester at home in WSL play with the exact scoreline of 1-0; it's still the only scoreline for this particular home fixture. That doesn't mean we can be complacent about the FA Cup rematch this weekend; we've played them twice in the competition, both at home, and lost the first one in 2022 with a 1-3 score, then won the second one in 2024 with a 2-1 finish.

• Two of the five January signings featured in this game, while another two stayed on the bench (Martin Ho only used two subs total), and the last (Julie Blasktad) was not included in the matchday squad.

• We picked up zero yellow cards for the first time in the WSL this season.

• Signe Gaupset earned Player of the Match on her first start for the club.

• Gaupset was excited about her first performance in a Spurs shirt:

Finally being able to play for this club and help the team felt really special. I’m really, really happy and proud to make my debut, and it feels even better when you come away with three points... Of course, it’s a new experience for me—it’s a more competitive league with better teams—but it was really fun to play, and I was grateful to get the chance to start from Martin.

• Ho is not content for the team to rest on its laurels from the first half of the season:

We know we’ve got a lot of work to do to get to where we want to go and where we want to be. After Christmas, with it being the first performance and first game back, there’s always a little bit of nerves and rustiness. We need to get that out of our bodies, but to come away with three points is important.

Transfer talk

• As mentioned earlier, Ella Morris signed a new long-term contract with the club to keep her in Lilywhite for the foreseeable future.

Morris is looking forward to returning from her ACL injury to help the team continue its growth under new manager Martin Ho:

I’m very excited. It’s an amazing club to be a part of. Just seeing the growth of the team from last season to this season, how Martin has come in and given the girls a sense of belief. It’s an exciting time to be a part of it, where we’re pushing in the league now. It’s definitely a club with ambition, and a club I want to be a part of.

Ho added his own thoughts on her contract extension:

Ella is one of the most exciting young full-backs in the country and we are absolutely delighted that she has committed her future to Tottenham Hotspur. To earn a Lionesses call-up at such a young age says everything about her quality, and the way she has attacked her ACL recovery shows the mentality we value so highly here.

• Spurs Men finally, thankfully, made a permanent signing. Conor Gallagher joins from Atlético Madrid on a long-term contract. The 25-year-old provides much-needed reinforcement to our midfield ranks and will also count as a homegrown (though obviously not club-trained) player in the squad. With the World Cup on the horizon (don't get me started on that topic, seriously), he will be looking for consistent game time to get a toehold back in the England squad.

Gallagher expressed enthusiasm about joining Spurs, and judging from the ear-to-ear grin in all of his signing photos, it seems genuine:

I wanted to be a Spurs player and thankfully the Club felt the same. It was very easy, it happened very quickly and I'm ready to get on the pitch. I know how great the fans are, I’m really happy to be a part of it here and want to create special moments and memories together.

Apparently, his nickname is "Pitbull", and he's quite a dog lover himself. My favorite photo of the week is of Gallagher posing with his dog, Freddy:

• Damola Ajayi is heading out on a new loan after being recalled from Doncaster Rovers earlier this month; he'll spend the second half of the season with Bromley in League Two.

News from around the Lane

• Fabio Paratici is set to leave the club... again... and hopefully it will stick this time. He departs at the end of the month to join Fiorentina.

• There were two more changes to the sporting side of the club, both incomings:

• Carlos Raphael Moersen has been appointed as Director of Football Operations, a new role meant to "focus on strengthening the foundations that support performance on the pitch." The club announcement also notes that a key part of his role will be overseeing women's football at Spurs; it's unclear if his involvement is in lieu of hiring a separate Sporting Director for the Women's team (long rumored to be happening), or if that is a distinct role that will be filled later on.
• John Heitinga has joined Thomas Frank's coaching staff as First Team Assistant Coach, with an emphasis on coaching defense as his main priority.

Next month will see a further addition as Dan Lewindon joins as Performance Director.

I have been wondering for a while if Frank has become a bit of a lame duck manager, with fans widely speculating that the club is waiting until the season ends to relieve him of his duties because a better option is not yet available. Actively adding to his coaching staff could possibly contradict that view, but Moersen's hiring does suggest that the club is continuing to build a sporting structure that will function consistently and separately from any coaching changes. It does seem like we're in a wait-and-see phase at the moment.

• Pape Sarr has reached the AFCON final with his national team, Senegal. They'll take on Morocco on Sunday in the high-pressure environment of their opponent's capital stadium. Good luck to Pape!

Up next:

January 17 | Spurs Men vs West Ham United
Team news — Rodrigo Bentancur has undergone surgery; Richarlison is out for up to seven weeks with a hamstring injury; Lucas Bergvall, Destiny Udogie, and Dominic Solanke are all likely to feature; Yves Bissouma is available for selection after returning from AFCON, while Pape Sarr is still at the tournament; Cristian Romero returns from suspension; new signing Conor Gallagher is available for selection

January 18 | Spurs Women vs Leicester City
Team news — Julie Blakstad is available for selection; Cathinka Tandberg and Olga Ahtinen are back in training but unavailable this weekend; Charli Grant, Luana Bühler, and the long-term injured players remain out

Fixture notes: If you are a fellow FotMob user, please be advised that the app has an incorrect kickoff time listed for the Women's game; the match will actually begin at 12 pm UK/7 am ET.

The good news for fans who aren't local is that you can stream the game here on SpursPlay. There may be a UK-based broadcaster streaming it as well, but as of this writing, I'm not aware of a US-based broadcaster who is.

Well, that ended up being rather a lengthy issue, but I suppose it's good to have lots of news—and most of it positive, if you ignore the fresh glut of Spurs Men injuries. They might be limping into the latest London derby, but at least Spurs Women have their tails up.

COYS

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