Vote for Pedro
This week's title has been reader-approved. There are more Napoleon Dynamite fans in the COYS world than I expected!
Seriously though, Pedro Porro really saved our bacon in the FA Cup. There's not a whole lot else to talk about from that match, so I'll keep the recap brief and move on to more pressing topics, like the upcoming weekend matches (the Women's team begins their FA Cup campaign) and a veritable cornucopia of transfers and club news.
In this issue: Burnley recap | Previewing the weekend matches | Transfer Talk | News from around the Lane
FA Cup Round 3 recap | Tottenham 1 - 0 Burnley
Porro 78'
It's not that this match was totally devoid of quality build-up play from Spurs, but the absence of Son Heung-min was keenly felt. The finishing was far from efficient. It took a wonder goal from Porro (fully intended, mind you) to progress into the 4th round.
Starting XI:
There were two changes to the lineup from the previous PL match against Bournemouth. Kulusevski was back from suspension and took over the right winger spot from Brennan Johnson so that Johnson could replace the absent Son. Pape Sarr is also away on international duty and was replaced by Oliver Skipp.
The bench was perhaps the more interesting selection. Micky van de Ven and Ryan Sessegnon both returned from injury to be included in the matchday squad for the first time in months. Meanwhile, Dane Scarlett was back from his loan and replaced the now-injured Alejo Véliz for attacking depth. Eric Dier picked up an injury in training and didn't make the bench—although there was also the matter of his imminent transfer to Bayern Munich lingering over his exclusion.
Key takeaways:
• Johnson continues to struggle with his cross and shot selection when forced to play on the left flank rather than his preferred right side. A certain incoming loan will probably free him up to play more minutes on the right in coming games.
• Emerson Royal had probably his best performance at right centerback, although that is still not saying much. At the very least it was closer to what we expect from an Angeball centerback, with more commitment to the buildup play and better adherence to the high line. Improvement is really all you can ask for out of a player who's playing out of position due to necessity, and it reflects well on Ange's management of Emerson as well.
• Ben Davies has been more than serviceable at left centerback and is arguably our most consistent performer since the injury crisis began (alongside Porro). Unfortunately, he picked up a hamstring injury late in this game that will keep him out for about 4-5 weeks.
• The game kind of passed Skipp by, to the point that I forgot he had started the game. Because of injuries and absences in the midfield, he's unlikely to be transferred or loaned out this January—especially since he's a homegrown player—but the summer window is another story.
• Bryan Gil also does not seem long for this club, and those of us who have been rooting for him to make it work probably just need to make peace with his imminent exit (whether that's in January or the summer).
• Sessegnon had some promising moments in his substitute cameo but was clearly rusty after such a lengthy layoff. I will be curious to see if he's used as depth for the leftback position (obviously behind Destiny Udogie in the pecking order) or if he'll play primarily at left winger.
• Scarlett and Jamie Donley also entered the game in the 83rd minute with Sess but didn't have a ton of opportunity to impact the game. They didn't look totally out of their depth, at least. Scarlett is unable to go out on another loan this spring since he's already made an appearance for two clubs this season (Spurs and Ipswich), but you do have to question whether a loan would be more beneficial to Donley at this stage of his career than making only sporadic first-team appearances—or featuring primarily for the U21s again, who are having a fantastic season (10 wins in 10 in the PL2).
• As for Burnley, they had a couple of big chances that were squandered with woeful finishing. We dodged a bullet!
SAtP Player of the Match: Pedro Porro
Simply the only choice.
It's worth noting that this was (somehow) Porro's first goal of the season in all competitions. However, he currently leads the team in assists, so it's not like he hasn't been making his impact known.
Notable and quotable:
• In the absence of all three members of the leadership team, Rodrigo Bentancur was given the captain's armband for this cup match. Ange Postecoglou explained his reasoning:
It is a reward for him. He has been through a lot this last 18 months. He embodies everything we want to be as a club in terms of his attitude and character.
Ben Davies also played a key leadership role before and throughout the game.
• And what reward do we get for beating Burnley? A meeting with Manchester City in the next round. At least it's at home, and City have a few key injuries to deal with at the moment. But I'll talk about that game more in-depth when the time comes for a preview.
Previewing Women's FA Cup Round 4 — Sheffield United
Spurs Women are up first on Sunday with a cup matchup against Championship side Sheffield United. Although the match is a home game, it doesn't appear to be streaming on SpursPlay live and also isn't on the FA Player schedule. So for those of us watching from afar, we'll have to catch the replay. Sigh.
I wish I had more intel on our opponent, but will frankly admit that I don't watch the Championship regularly. There are a few familiar names in their squad (Sophie Barker, Sophie Haywood, Jess Sigsworth, and Isobel Godwin to name a few), but they are currently closer to the relegation zone than the promotion spot in the Championship table. This should be an opportunity for Robert Vilahamn's Spurs side to not only secure a spot in the next round of the competition but also see the introduction of new signings, whether as starters or substitutes (Wang Shuang sounds likely to start based on Robert's latest press conference comments). I would expect a strong lineup to start with but early subs to see out the game and make sure everyone gets minutes ahead of the WSL season resuming next weekend. Of course, there's plenty of debate to be had around just who will start, with key players like Olga Ahtinen and Eveliina Summanen just now coming back from injury. Vilahamn may take a more cautious approach in reintegrating them since we are not facing a WSL opponent in this first round (for us) of the cup.
Note: unlike in the Men's FA Cup, there aren't replays, so a draw after regulation time would result in extra time followed by penalties if needed.
Sadly, there is another element to this game that must be acknowledged. In September, Sheffield United's longest-serving player, Maddy Cusack, was found dead in her home. There has since been an investigation into the circumstances that may have led to her death, including the suspension of United's manager, Jonathan Morgan. He has since been reinstated and will be back on the touchline for the first time since his suspension when United visit Tottenham this weekend.
The article below details the issues with the club-handled investigation that have led Cusack's family to request a separate, follow-up investigation from the FA itself.
Daniel Taylor
Mental health is a sensitive (and important) issue across the whole sport, not just women's football. It doesn't seem like United has dealt with the investigation properly, at a time when all football clubs should be committed to better protecting and supporting their players, and to have allowed such a shoddy and perfunctory investigation is quite shameful. I sincerely hope the FA's investigation will be more thorough and have some actionable solutions to improve the club culture and prevent future tragedies like Cusack's untimely death.
I'll bookmark a couple of follow-up articles below as well, all great reporting by Daniel Taylor, including a follow-up on the FA's review and the government's response:
Daniel Taylor
Daniel Taylor
This is a terrible thing for Cusack's teammates to have to go through and no matter what the result is on Sunday, we should all wish them well and hope they can find some peace amid grief.
Previewing PL Matchday 21 — Manchester United
It's a strange thing for a club of Manchester United's stature that we're meeting them for the second time this season, and they still have not pulled out of their persistent slump. The only time they've come anywhere close to approaching a good run of form this campaign was their three-game win streak across two PL matches and a Champions League game back in October. Otherwise, their results have been very up and down, never falling into a losing streak longer than three games either. Quite a few of their good results have required individual heroics more so than a cohesive team effort.
If I was being charitable, I would point out that they've had a lot of absences—injury-induced or not—that have contributed to their mercurial performances. Erik ten Hag has made frequent changes to United's starting XI, with captain Bruno Fernandes and struggling goalkeeper André Onana two of the few mainstays. There is a certain player who shouldn't be playing football at all, let alone getting regular minutes as he has, but I'll leave that for Ten Hag's conscience to grapple with (assuming he has one).
United fans will be hoping that Marcus Rashford stays on track (he's had a goal contribution in each of their last three matches) and that they can cobble together a functional defense despite all the injuries. Onana should have been missing out due to international duty for AFCON like Sofyan Amrabat but made a special arrangement with his club and country (Cameroon) to only depart for the tournament after our game. That does reek a bit of desperation, I must say, though watch this turn into a jinx and he has the game of his life.
Still, you never take a match at Old Trafford for granted as a likely win. It's not like we are heading into this game with our full-strength lineup, as we (mostly) did for the previous home win in August. However, we will have two new feathers in our bow (or should I say, new darts in our pack), dependant upon the most recent arrival receiving his work visa in time. (I'm being coy only because I'm saving the transfers segment for last.) This new addition of pace might allow us to literally run a beleaguered United off the park. Unfortunately, it sounds like it is still too soon for James Maddison to return, but Micky van de Ven is likely to start alongside one of the aforementioned new signings or the (still doubtful) Cristian Romero. Giovani Lo Celso is out with a mystery ailment and Dane Scarlett will also miss out due to a knock from training. It's a good thing the other new signing is a forward! Dejan Kulusevski will likely be starting at the #10 position in place of Lo Celso.
Regardless of all the moving pieces in both squads, this is a winnable game and a positive result would allow us to keep pace at the top of the table. Thanks to the PL's staggered winter break scheme, we get more than a week's rest between this game and the FA Cup matchup with the other side of Manchester, so there's no reason not to go all out for three points. It would be a good confidence boost ahead of that tricky fixture as well.
Transfer Talk
Strap in, there's a lot to discuss! For once, Tottenham is getting its winter transfer business done early across all teams, including the Academy.
Let's ease in with some of that youth movement.
Academy teams
• Milly Boughton (who recently made her senior debut) and Elkie Bowyer will be joining Lenna Gunning-Williams on loan at Ipswich Town. Lenna has reflected on her positive loan spell with the "Tractor Girls" so far in a recent interview on Spurs' website. It sounds like a positive environment for all three of them to thrive and develop in, and they will continue to train part-time at the Tottenham training ground as well under the dual-registration arrangement.
• Matthew Craig has joined Doncaster Rovers on loan for the remainder of the season. After making his senior debut late last season, he's been featuring regularly for the U21s this campaign, including captaining the side at times. He's sure to get some decent minutes at the League Two level.
You may recall that his twin brother Michael also played for Spurs at the Academy level previously, but signed with Reading in 2022 and has been featuring regularly for their senior team this season. Just a little #SpursAlumni update.
• Ashley Phillips, still yet to make his senior debut, is going on loan at Plymouth Argyle for the second half of the season. He just made his loan debut today and earned Player of the Match! Another stint in the Championship will be good for his development, but it's a tad disappointing that we won't get to see him play a competitive match for the senior team until next fall at the earliest. He's had limited appearances at U21 level due to an injury that he just recently recovered from.
Women's team
There haven't been any more incomings—yet... Juventus centerback Amanda Nilden is rumored to be joining, but the departure of her teammate and fellow centerback Linda Sembrant could throw that move into doubt. It would be nice to get another centerback in this month since the depth chart is a little slim after Shelina Zadorsky's loan move, but otherwise, there aren't any huge needs elsewhere across the pitch.
There have been a couple of outgoings, however, and one rejected outgoing loan.
• Gracie Pearse is going on loan to Championship side Charlton Athletic for the rest of the season. She's only appeared for Spurs in the League Cup so far and with at least one defensive signing already this transfer window, she's unlikely to be getting many minutes in the WSL. She had a successful loan to Bristol City last season in the same league, so fingers crossed that this is another great development opportunity for the young defender under former Spurs co-manager Karen Hills' leadership. Could Gracie help another team gain promotion?
• Far more surprising was the announcement that Ria Percival is going on loan to Crystal Palace for the second half of the season. Although she's made a few appearances in the league, including two starts and one goal scored, she hasn't looked quite the same fitness-wise since returning from her ACL surgery. Ria is a fan favorite for good reason, always giving 100% for the badge, so it's disappointing that there isn't a place for her in the current squad. We can hope that she is able to get back to her best and play out the rest of her contract at Spurs next season, but we also have to brace ourselves for the possibility that we may have already seen the last of her in lilywhite. Best of luck to Ria with Crystal Palace either way; the Eagles are just two points off the sole promotion spot in the Championship, and Ria's experience and versatility will surely be an asset to them in their push towards the WSL.
• The club rejected a loan for Barbora Votíková to the new NWSL expansion club Bay FC. Reading between the lines, this suggests that Robert Vilahamn has guaranteed Barbora a certain amount of playing time for the rest of the campaign.
Men's team
Now it's time for some actual signings!
• Timo Werner joins us on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season. Anyone who has followed me on Twitter for a while and witnessed my frequent meltdowns around Timo during Germany games will know that I have complicated feelings about the former Leipzig and Chelsea forward, but truthfully, he is already winning me over a little with his obvious enthusiasm for the loan move. At the end of the day, we just want players to be excited to play for the club, right?
And if I'm being fair, he will probably be a good fit for Ange's system with his pace, pressing, and clever runs, which will create plenty of space and opportunities for the, ahem, more efficient shooters in the squad. But y'all have been warned: he will make at least two to three errors during the remainder of the season that will make you want to tear your hair out in frustration. Or as it's affectionately known: Timo Time.
• Joining the club with far less baggage (unless you count his blabbermouth agent), is Romanian centerback Radu Drăgușin, who signed a contract until 2030. Although he previously played at Juventus with Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur, he most recently played for Genoa.
A brilliant aspect of the timing of this signing is that he is still 21 until February, and thus can be registered in the U21 list and not count against the homegrown quota. It's almost disturbing how savvy the recruitment team (including the "consulting" Fabio Paritici) have become in recent seasons, although the Matt Doherty loan debacle still rankles a bit.
Anyway, here's a topic for the comments: are you pro- or anti-manbun? I do feel like we've been lacking representation of that hairstyle since Gareth Bale departed for the last time, but I could do without it in combination with Radu's beard/mustache situation. It's giving pirate, to me. Though if that increases his "marauding centerback" vibes I suppose I will allow it.
Fit-wise, it sounds like he can play on either side of the centerback duo, which is a relief for a team that has been as injury-prone as ours recently. There will surely be ample game time for him to get acclimated this season. He may even get a start for his Spurs debut tomorrow if Cristian Romero isn't deemed fit enough to start. He's quite pacy, so it would be interesting to see him working in tandem with Micky van de Ven. At the same time, he also has some similarities to Romero in terms of the tenacity of his tackles and his penchant for picking out a progressive pass—or driving the ball forward himself.
I'm really looking forward to seeing what he can do, as well as getting a glimpse of his potential ceiling as such a young player. Again, this super smart recruitment bolsters the young core that will grow together at Tottenham.
Spurs could have two January signings making their debut on Sunday. That would be as many January signings making their spurs debuts in January as in the previous 12 years.
— Charlie Eccleshare (@CDEccleshare) January 10, 2024
Ange hasn't ruled out further transfers this month, but at least the most important business is done.
There are also a couple of outgoing transfers to mention, both of which fall into the "for the best" category.
• Eric Dier ends his nine-year tenure at the club with a move to Bayern Munich. Technically, it's a loan with an option to extend for a further year, but his Spurs contract is up in the summer so it's kind of a moot point. Like many promising young players at Tottenham in the recent past, he burned bright at the start but faded as his Spurs career went on, with a brief resurgence in Antonio Conte's first season. For his sake especially, this was a necessary transfer. A fresh start was needed. And he'll get to play with his good friend Harry Kane again, so that's nice for them. I'm not convinced it's smart from Bayern's perspective, but that is my problem as a fan of the latterly cursèd club, not y'all's.
I have complicated feelings about Dier (mostly because of his questionable social connections), but for what it's worth, I found his farewell video quite touching.
A message from @EricDier 🤍 pic.twitter.com/8acFtN50S0
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 11, 2024
• Djed Spence (he of the "we barely know ye" camp) is departing on loan again after being returned early from Leeds. He's going to Genoa for the rest of the season. He really needs to turn his career around, but it's unlikely to be at Spurs even after this loan.
News from around the Lane
Just a few tidbits to wrap up the week:
• Spurs Women played a friendly against Charlton Athletic to prep for the resumption of the WSL season, as well as the start of the FA Cup campaign. All three new signings got game time, with Wang Shuang and Matilda Vinberg starting and Charli Grant appearing as a substitute. Significantly, Ellie Brazil scored her first goal since returning from ACL surgery. Jess Naz also got on the scoresheet in the 2-0 win for Spurs.
• We also got the updated squad numbers for the Women's team. Asmita Ale is switching to #19 as Matilda Vinberg takes on her previous #13 shirt. Charli Grant will be #2.
• The club shared a schedule for the Asian Cup and AFCON group-stage matches involving Spurs players. Best of luck to Sonny, Pape, and Yves.
• Ange Postecoglou spoke about his role in transfer recruitment:
I think it’s a matter of faith and trust to say 'ok' because every time you bring a player in or make a transfer, there’s an investment there. It’s not limitless. It doesn’t matter how big the club is.
Most clubs feel more secure doing it if they have faith and trust in those decisions and these are my decisions, I take responsibility for the transfers.
He also talked about the conversations he has with new signings before they arrive:
I don't try to sell anything. It's just a conversation. With Timo too and any player I've signed, it's just a conversation about what I believe and my thoughts on them as [layers, where I see them fitting in. And trying to create a picture in their heads about what they'll encounter when they get here and what they're trying to build and the rest is up to them. Part of the key for me is they want to come to this football club. I'm not going to bend their arm or try to convince them. Part of it is them getting excited about having to come to us.
Oh, and the title race:
Ange Postecoglou says Tottenham have to believe they're in the title race. 👀
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) January 12, 2024
Where do you think Spurs will finish this season? pic.twitter.com/BemYSlHXhd
• Son Heung-min and Beth England are both nominated for EA Sports' Team of the Year. Vote here!
• The Men's U21s team has a perfect record in the PL2 so far, with 10 wins in 10 matches. The latest win even came without the benefit of Jamie Donley's services. Will Lankshear has shouldered a lot of the goal-scoring burden and scored a brace in the last match.
Let's hope that tomorrow is a double-win day for Spurs!
COYS
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