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The 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA is creeping up on us, and with England already booking their spot in North America, the talk now is who will be on that plane.

Thomas Tuchel will need to select a 26-player squad as he looks to end the Three Lions’ 60-year wait for a World Cup triumph.

Some are guaranteed to be in the squad, but there are others who still need to impress. Here’s a look at who is best placed to be included.

1

Goalkeepers

Jordan Pickford has been England’s number one since 2018 and the Everton star looks set to remain first choice heading into 2026, providing he stays fit.

With two more spots open for ‘keepers, there looks set to be a battle between Dean Henderson, James Trafford, Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale.

Of the four, Henderson and Pope are getting regular minutes for Crystal Palace and Newcastle, whereas Trafford and Ramsdale are finding minutes hard to come by. Tuchel has been picking Trafford, though, so Pope could miss out.

2

Full-backs

Top of the full-back charts are Chelsea’s Reece James and Tottenham’s Djed Spence, who have been regulars in Tuchel’s squads recently, with the former working under the England boss at Stamford Bridge.

Trent Alexander-Arnold was left out by Tuchel earlier this year following his move to Real Madrid, but his technical ability will surely see him selected even if it isn’t as a starter.

Elsewhere, Tuchel has warned Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly he needs more minutes at club level to be considered for selection. Nico O’Reilly is in a good position after starring under Pep Guardiola at Man City, whereas Tino Livramento is set to return to regular action with Newcastle soon.

3

Centre-backs

With Tuchel potentially going with a back four, Marc Guehi is on course to take one of two starting centre-back spots if he continues to star for Crystal Palace.

John Stones, Dan Burn, Ezri Konsa, Jarell Quansah and Trevoh Chalobah have all been in Tuchel’s squads and could battle it out to partner Guehi.

Meanwhile, Jarrad Branthwaite and Levi Colwill could make a late push if they can get enough minutes under their belt when they return from injury in 2026.

There may not be a place for Harry Maguire, though, who appears to have fallen out of favour at international level.

4

Central midfielders

Right now, Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson look set to be the two starting central midfielders in Tuchel’s England side, allowing the Three Lions’ attacking stars freedom to shine.

Adam Wharton appears to be next in line to come in for either Rice or Anderson, whereas Jordan Henderson has also made a few of Tuchel’s squads.

Alex Scott of Bournemouth was also handed a maiden call-up and AC Milan’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been in Tuchel’s squads in 2025.

5

Attacking midfielders

Further forward in an attacking midfield role, Tuchel will surely select Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden.

Real Madrid star Bellingham appears to be getting back to his best, whereas Tuchel sees Foden as a central player over a winger.

Cole Palmer has been injured at Chelsea and may have some work to do in 2026 to make the 26-player squad ahead of Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze or Morgan Gibbs-White.

6

Forwards

Captain Harry Kane will lead the line for England in North America, providing he stays fit, after starring once again for Bayern Munich, and Tuchel could select a number of versatile forwards instead of another striker to back up the Bayern Munich star.

The likes of Marcus Rashford and Jarrod Bowen can play out wide or through the middle, whereas Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon are currently first-choice wingers.

Players with work to do to make the squad include Ollie Watkins and maybe even Jack Grealish, despite his positive start at Everton. A surprise name to keep an eye on could be Brighton’s Danny Welbeck following his fine form in the Premier League.

The Boston Red Sox are making a surprising push to sign Juan Soto.

According to a report from New York Post MLB insiders Jon Heyman and Mark W. Sanchez, the Red Sox have stepped up their efforts to convince Soto to wind up in Boston. The franchise has stressed the four-time All-Star's fit with the franchise and its history with star players from the Dominican Republic, with David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, and Rafael Devers among them.

The greatest hitters in Red Sox history have also tended to be left-handed, which would make Soto a fit at Fenway Park. Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and David Ortiz all put up big numbers during their careers in Boston.

The Rex Sox are a surprising contender for Soto, the top free agent on the market, given their recent history of allowing star players to leave as a cost-cutting measure.

"Such an expenditure from the Red Sox would be stunning for a franchise that traded away Mookie Betts rather than signing him long term; that has cut payroll significantly beginning in 2020 and spent around $120 million less last season than the Yankees; and, relatedly, that has reached the postseason in one of the past six seasons, a span that has included three last-place finishes in the AL East," Heyman and Sanchez wrote.

"Perhaps the Red Sox and controlling owner John Henry have decided to awaken at a busy moment."

Stealing Soto away from the New York Yankees would also have to be seen as a coup for the Red Sox.

Boston faces stiff competition in the race for Soto's signature, as the Yankees, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and Los Angeles Dodgers are also in pursuit.

Soto is expected to land a deal that could surpass $600 million.

Former Liverpool winger Jordan Ibe has signed with Bulgarian side Lokomotiv Sofia. The 29-year-old will represent the club until 2027. The sensational switch comes just two weeks after Ibe put pen to paper at Kent-based side Sittingbourne. Once considered a future star of English football, the nomadic midfielder has bounced around non-league football in recent years.

• Ibe looks to revive career in Bulgaria

  The 'Railway Workers' announced the deal on their Facebook account earlier today. 

  Ibe had signed with Sittingbourne, currently playing in eighth tier of the English football pyramid, on October 31. He said he hoped the deal would help him "rediscover his love of football", after a switch to the Swedish second division with Umea fell through in the summer due to work permit issues. The ex-Bournemouth star has been open about his struggles with depression in the past few years. 

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• Jordan Ibe: Future Liverpool star to football nomad

  Ibe's move to Bulgaria is adds another chapter to a nomadic career that started with immense promise. He first caught the attention of the football public as an academy star with Wycombe Wanderers. In 2011, he joined Liverpool's youth setup and was widely tipped to be a future regular in the England team. During his tenure at Anfield, he made 58 appearances, scoring four goals and logging seven assists. 

  A £15m transfer to Bournemouth in 2016 was supposed to accelerate his development, however an inconsistent four-year spell on the south coast ended in his release in 2020. Ibe made 92 appearances for the Cherries in all competitions. 

  A year on the books at Derby County resulted in just one league appearance, as Ibe revealed he was suffering from depression. The club and player agreed to terminate his contract by mutual consent. 

  After a few months in Turkiye with Adanaspor, Ibe would spend the next few years bouncing around non-league outfits, making appearances for Ebbsfleet United, Hayes & Yeading United, Hungerford Town and Sittingbourne. 

• Lokomotiv Sofia's statement on Ibe's arrival

  Lokomotiv Sofia currently sit in 11th place in Bulgaria's First League. Originally founded in 1929, the club was wound up in 2015 due to insolvency, with a phoenix club founded in the resulting year. The original club won four league titles and four Bulgarian cups, and is historically considered one of the country's biggest clubs. 

  A club statement announcing Ibe's arrival read: "After a few difficult seasons, Jordan is ready to revive his career, and we all believe that this will happen at Lokomotiv.

  "The management of Lokomotiv wishes Jordon Ibe much health, happiness and success with the red and black jersey."

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• Lokomotiv Sofia
  

  When will Ibe make his Lokomotiv Sofia debut?

  Due to a lengthy winter break, Lokomotiv have already played half of their 30 league fixtures this season. The club has just four league games left this year, before play pauses until the first week in February, giving Ibe little time to get games under his belt if he's not deemed fit enough to start immediately. The Railway Workers' season continues with an away trip to Cherno More on November 22, with a home game against Arfa on November 28. 

Chelsea are reportedly making some transfer plans ahead of the January window to reinforce some pretty weak areas of the squad, with BlueCo now offered a pretty golden opportunity to do so.

Chelsea fragile at the back after key injuries

Before the Blues’ 2-1 win over Premier League champions Liverpool just prior to the international break, Enzo Maresca was left desperately short of defensive options.

Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah and Levi Colwill were all unavailable for the clash, but Chelsea somehow still managed to seal a dramatic win despite their major lack of choices.

Youngster Josh Acheampong was given the nod at the heart of their defence for that game, and again away to Nottingham Forest, with Tosin, Fofana and Chalobah since becoming available once again.

However, the same cannot be said for Benoit Badiashile or Colwill, with the pair sidelined through long-term injuries, especially the latter, who won’t return until 2026.

Maresca publicly stated that he wanted a new centre-back in the summer transfer window, only for BlueCo not to grant his wish, and this has threatened to have dire consequences.

However, it is believed by some media sources that Chelsea are now prioritising another defender in January as one of their key objectives, in a bid to rectify their summer mistake.

Some reports even suggest they’ve held talks with Marc Guehi’s camp ahead of a potential winter move (Simon Phillips), while others state that Chelsea have been offered Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo.

If the club do decide to make a mid-season addition or two, all signs point towards it being a centre-back, or potentially a goalkeeper.

Amid ongoing concerns surrounding Robert Sanchez’s pedigree as a ‘title-winning’ shot-stopper, Chelsea have attempted to bring in a world-class option this year, most notably AC Milan’s Mike Maignan.

Chelsea tried and failed to sign Maignan last summer, but it is an opportunity that is expected to open up again soon with the France international’s contract expiring in 2026.

The 30-year-old would be a fantastic choice as Chelsea reportedly prepare to approach Maignan over a pre-contract in January, but according to journalist Graeme Bailey and TBR Football, they could have a much more immediate alternative.

Chelsea offered Marc-André ter Stegen on Barcelona loan deal

Bailey reports that Chelsea are one of the sides to be contacted by representatives about Marc-André ter Stegen and the Barcelona captain’s availability.

The 33-year-old, who boasts a Champions League winners medal and six La Liga titles from his time at the Camp Nou, is currently out with a back injury but could make his long-awaited return in December — just before the window reopens.

Much has been made about Chelsea’s very young squad and the lack of experience in it, so a deal for ter Stegen would certainly help to balance this issue by bringing proven top-level know-how to the dressing room.

The German would also provide very good competition for Sanchez, or even replace the ex-Brighton man entirely, and Barça are willing to green-light an initial loan before negotiating a permanent exit in the summer.

The prospect of ter Stegen coming to London is a very intriguing one, but there are a few key hurdles to consider.

For one, he earns around £280,000-per-week, so Chelsea would need to agree a favourable split of his salary with Barca before green-lighting this move.

Ter Stegen’s injury history lately isn’t exactly encouraging either, with the keeper playing just nine times for Hansi Flick since the start of 2024/2025.

The postseason was made for players like Giancarlo Stanton. He's one of those special players who locks in and rises to the occasion when the lights are brightest. The New York Yankees' slug-heavy designated hitter has been critiqued at various points for his high strikeout rate (which was nearly a career-high in 2024), but you have to credit his ability to turn it on when it matters most.

Stanton has homered 15 times in 35 playoff games. His postseason home run rate of 10.4% in the postseason dwarfs his career regular-season rate of 6.2%.

After another three-run blast on Friday night to expand the Yankees' lead over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 4 of the ALCS, his teammate, Juan Soto, who was driven in from third base, had to just stop and enjoy it before he began his trot.

It was Stanton's fourth home run of the 2024 playoffs (eight games). He has struck out just three times, going six consecutive games without letting an opposing pitcher get him out on strikes.

Newcastle United are evolving, adapting to a new variant of Eddie Howe’s tactical ideology after a summer of change and upheaval.

Namely, the record-breaking sale of Alexander Isak to Premier League champions Liverpool rocked the boat and then some, but Newcastle have replaced Isak with Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa.

With three goals in six games, Woltemade, 23, looks a real talent, described as the “problem and solution” by reporter Craig Hope, who was discussing United’s teething problems as they adapt to a different brand of striker who, albeit, has towering potential.

Wissa’s fortunes differ, however, having yet to play or even train with the first team after his move from Brentford this summer due to a knee injury.

For all the positive additions, though, the sense can’t be shaken that the Magpies have parted with several top talents in recent years, and they might have had a big impact this season and beyond.

As Howe himself has revealed, one of those players is Elliot Anderson, who the boss would love to welcome back to St. James’ Park.

Howe's latest comments on Elliot Anderson

In 2024, Newcastle sold Anderson to Nottingham Forest. The fee was mooted to be around £35m. Here was a top midfield talent, but PSR demanded levies from Newcastle, and this was a sacrifice PIF had to make.

In hindsight, the Toon chiefs must wish they had found another way to circumvent their financial problems. Hailed as a “phenomenal player” by Three Lions teammate Reece James, the 22-year-old has only gone from strength to strength since leaving his boyhood club, so complete in his midfield role.

Howe said this week that he wants the Geordie back at the club, but that won’t be an easy one to get over the line. Anderson is the centrepiece of the Tricky Trees project, and bringing him back to Tyneside would cost a pretty penny indeed.

Nonetheless, Newcastle can dream of a reunion. Anderson’s dynamic approach to his craft suggests he would be perfect alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali, creative, crunching in the duel and a veritable workhorse.

It’s a great shame that Newcastle didn’t keep him in the ranks, but the decision was an understandable one.

Anderson wasn’t the only prospect who should have stayed put, though. Indeed, another was sold around the same time who has since proved themselves in the Premier League.

The other talent Newcastle should re-sign

If Yankuba Minteh ever wore the Newcastle shirt after completing his transfer from Danish side Odense Boldklub in 2023, it was not in a competitive capacity.

Now he plays in blue and white, having joined Brighton & Hove Albion one year ago in a £30m package. Last season, Minteh impressed for the Seagulls; raw and unpolished, yes, but the Gambian winger showcased his physical and technical qualities, scoring seven goals and assisting five more across all competitions.

Across six Premier League games so far this term, Minteh has scored once and registered two assists.

And the underlying data highlights why Brighton paid the big bucks for a young gem, untested in the English game after spending the 2023/24 season on loan in the Netherlands with Arne Slot’s Feyenoord.

As per data-driven platform FBref, he ranks among the top 12% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe for successful take-ons, the top 5% for carries into the penalty area and the top 1% for tackles won per 90 over the past year.

The 21-year-old has even won 6.8 duels per game in the Premier League so far, and though his distribution could use some work, he’s a real menace in the final third.

It’s something Newcastle know only too well. After all, Minteh has scored two goals in two matches against Newcastle, including a draw in the Premier League last season and as the Seagulls knocked Howe’s outfit out of the FA Cup in the semi-finals.

Following these blows, Spanish reporter Jose Alberto Chozas even called him “public enemy number one for Newcastle fans”, and understandably so at that.

If Minteh continues to make headway in the Premier League with Brighton, there’s every chance he will strike once again, and that’s something Howe cannot abide, given he had him in his grasp.

While Newcastle ended a lengthy search for a pacy right-sided forward this summer when landing Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest for a £55m fee, there’s little to suggest the Sweden international’s ceiling stretches higher than Minteh’s.

And anyway, where is the harm in having a duality of choice on the flank? Jacob Murphy is only 30 years old, but he won’t be around forever, and Minteh boasts the profile Howe looks for.

As with Anderson, it is going to cost Newcastle a hefty sum indeed, should they be interested in bringing Minteh back to the club in the coming years.

However, his trajectory on the south coast suggests that they must act swiftly, for Minteh is only getting better and better, and his price tag will rise concurrently.

TEAMtalk have recently revealed that a host of the Premier League’s top clubs are already sniffing around after witnessing the star’s early-season form, so Newcastle must pounce while they can.

Newcastle have sold "one of the best signings in the PL" & it's not Isak

Alexander Isak struggles at Liverpool as shrewd signing shines elsewhere after Newcastle exit

By
Will Miller

Oct 3, 2025

Trent Alexander-Arnold has opened up about the exact moment he started learning Spanish ahead of his blockbuster summer move to Real Madrid. The England international ended a 20-year association with Liverpool by joining Los Blancos for £8 million (€10m/$11m) in June, wowing football supporters as he fluently spoke the language during his unveiling.

• Trent stunned supporters by speaking Spanish during his Real unveiling

  Addressing an audience which included Real club president Florentino Perez, Alexander-Arnold surprised football fans around the world when – in Spanish – he said it was a "dream come true" to switch to the Santiago Bernabeu.

  "Thank you so much to president Florentino Perez and Real Madrid for this opportunity," he said. "Signing for a club like Real Madrid doesn't happen every day. It's a dream come true. I'm very happy and proud to be here. I'm eager to show the club and the fans what I can do.

  "I want to show them what I can do, I want to win many titles, be champions, and continue to grow and enjoy football with the best in the world."

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• England international announced he was leaving Liverpool in May

  Having displayed such an exemplary grasp of the language, many were left wondering just how long Alexander-Arnold had been planning to move to Real for, before the deal was confirmed. The 27-year-old announced he was leaving Liverpool upon the expiration of his contract in May, but Real later paid the Reds a fee to release him early so he could represent them at the Club World Cup.

  Confirming his decision to leave Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold said in a video on social media: "After 20 years at Liverpool Football Club, now is the time for me to confirm that I will be leaving at the end of the season. This is easily the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life.

  "I’ve been blessed enough to live out my dreams here and I will never, ever take for granted the special moments I’ve been fortunate enough to have lived through with you all. My love for this club will never die."

• Spanish teacher confirms exactly when Trent started learning language

  In a video on Instagram, Alexander-Arnold’s Spanish teacher, Sara Duque, has since revealed that the defender has been studying the language for five months, meaning – if correct – he only started learning on May 30 and not before he had announced his departure from Liverpool.

  Writing on social media, Duque said: "5 months. That’s all it took, but it wasn’t easy.

  "Trent didn’t just learn Spanish. He chose to start from zero, to sound imperfect, to keep showing up, day by day.

  "When he stood on that stage in Madrid and spoke with calm, clarity, and heart, it wasn’t about fluency. It was about respect, courage, and a genuine desire to belong.

  "As his language coach, that moment meant everything. Because what I saw wasn’t just a player speaking another language, it was a person growing beyond himself.

  "In football, words can build trust, connection, identity. And this is what true professionalism really looks like."

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• Former Liverpool defender explains why he decided to study Spanish

  Displaying his fluency in Spanish once again, Alexander-Arnold lifted the lid on his experience learning the language, saying in the accompanying video on Instagram: "Hi, I'm Trent. I started learning Spanish with Sara five months ago. 

  "I didn't speak any Spanish before. I wanted to learn Spanish to communicate better with my team-mates, my coach and the Madrid fans – and adapt better to the culture.

  "I really like the lessons because they were very football-based. The terminology we were learning about was press conferences, interviews and vocabulary that I would need to talk to my team-mates on a day-to-day basis within the club. 

  "This helped me very, very much and I really enjoyed every lesson."

Amad Diallo was controversially denied what looked like a clear penalty against Brighton following an intervention from VAR. The flashpoint happened when Amad tangled with Brighton's Maxim De Cuyper in the box, and while it initially looked like a foul, replays indicated that De Cuyper appeared to make the lightest of touches on the ball first.

• Old Trafford fumes as penalty denied

  Referee Anthony Taylor waved away the appeals deeming De Cuyper's contact on the ball saved him from conceding a penalty. But while watching United fans were apoplectic at the decision their side went into half-time against Brighton with a 2-0 lead after Matheus Cunha scored his first goal for the club in the 24th minute, Casemiro added a second ten minutes later with a deflected strike. A thrilling second half then saw Bryan Mbeumo stretch United's lead to 3-0 but Brighton set up a nervy finish thanks to goals from Danny Welbeck and Charalampos Kostoulas. However, Mbeumo struck again in stoppage time to seal victory.

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• Why the decision was not given

  The Premier League confirmed why the decision was not given after the game in a statement on social media that read: "The referee’s call of no penalty to Manchester United was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that De Cuyper played the ball."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  'Are you having a laugh?' Fans react to VAR

  There was furious reaction penalty call as fans at the ground and those watching at home all claimed Man Utd had been stitched up. 

  @TurkTalksFC said: "I could see that was a penalty from the lower Stretford End. Just seen a replay. Are you having a laugh??? That is diabolical from Anthony Taylor and VAR."
  There was a similar reaction from @StretfordPaddck, who said: "My head is absolutely gone. Checked and cleared by VAR but that looked blatant?!"
  And @samuelluckhurst aimed his anger at the match officials, he said: "That's ridiculous from ref Taylor and VAR. Looked an obvious penalty. Taylor said recently referees can't be perfect. No, but that was an easy decision."
  While @Muppetiers added: "Lmao how is that not a penalty. Typical Anthony Taylor day playing against an extra man."

  And this United fan was absolutely fuming, claiming some kind of conspiracy, @aobrien7 said: "The guy needs to seriously be investigated. More of a foul there than anything Yoro did, but nothing. It's beyond a joke these days. Awful refereeing week in and week out."

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• Amorim hits back at Arne Slot

  United earned a stunning win over deadly rivals Liverpool last weekend, but Arne Slot took aim at Amorim’s ‘long-ball’ tactics at Anfield. But the United boss has hit back, he said: "I don’t care what Slot is saying, what people are saying about our team. I can watch the game and say we can do better and we need to do better in the future but sometimes you need to adapt to the game. So I don’t need anyone to evaluate my team. I can evaluate my team and I am really clear that we should play better with the ball and we are going to try to do that in this game. I’m not saying my players don’t want to win or run, but we need to sometimes (when) it’s getting harder (in matches) to force ourselves to do the basics. If you look at Brighton and the way they play, every team that pressed a little higher struggled and they won. We need to be prepared – not just against the top teams but against opponents that are (also) really good."

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank hailed Joao Palhinha’s role as emergency centre-half and opening goalscorer in the 3-0 Carabao Cup win over Doncaster.

Palhinha’s improvised strike, a Jay McGrath own goal and Brennan Johnson’s stoppage-time breakaway comfortably disposed of League One Rovers.

Frank hails Tottenham star Palhinha

On-loan Portuguese midfielder Palhinha, who picks £7m per year, wants to seal a permanent move to north London in 2026. He stepped into an injury-hit back-line while Archie Gray, often forced to play auxiliary centre-back under previous boss Ange Postecoglou, took his preferred midfield role.

“Archie can play centre-back and right-back but I see him as a midfielder and I like to see him there.”

Spurs would have scored more but for two remarkable air shots from Mathys Tel from only six yards out. Tel has yet to find the net since making a permanent switch to north London this summer but Frank said: “I don’t think he’s having a bad run.

“I think it was a step up in terms of performance. He got into good situations.”

"Goes under the radar" – Tottenham told "important" Frank star deserves far more credit

He goes largely unnoticed.

By
Emilio Galantini

Sep 24, 2025

Spurs went ahead in the 14th minute after Rovers goalkeeper Ian Lawlor missed his punch at a corner.

Sean Grehan headed the loose ball off the line but only as far as Palhinha, who hooked an overhead kick back over the defender and into an empty net.

Spurs doubled their lead three minutes later when Wilson Odobert raided down the left and sent in another low cross. Doncaster defender McGrath was unable to sort his feet out in time and succeeded only in bundling the ball into his own net.

Rovers almost pulled one back before the break when Owen Bailey’s Paolo Di Canio-style volley was tipped onto a post by Spurs keeper Antonin Kinsky.

That was the only moment of mild peril Spurs faced, however, and Frank was able to shuffle his pack by sending on Lucas Bergvall and Richarlison for the final 30 minutes as well as handing a late debut to 16-year-old Luca Williams-Barnett.

Johnson wrapped things up in stoppage time after being sent racing through on goal by Bergvall.

Rovers boss Grant McCann said: “I was disappointed with the goals we conceded.

“I don’t think we made it hard for them to score against us but in between that, especially in the second half, it was an excellent performance.”

Well, it would be fair to say that Tottenham Hotspur surpassed most people’s expectations last night.

Ange Postecoglou’s side went into the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final away to Eintracht Frankfurt off the back of a dire 4-2 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League, so plenty of fans and pundits alike feared the worst.

However, the North Londoners put in a superb performance on the night, demonstrating that, when near their best, they can be a real force to be reckoned with.

In fact, there were brilliant displays across the pitch from the visitors, but a couple really stood out and are now undroppable, including Dominic Solanke.

Solanke's game vs Frankfurt

It’s been a challenging couple of months for Spurs’ record-signing, as, since returning from his knee injury towards the end of February, he failed to score in eight games across the league and Europa League until his ninth appearance last night, that is.

After James Maddison won the Lilywhites a penalty in the 38th minute, it was up to the former Bournemouth star to put it away, and with a well-placed shot down the middle, he did just that.

However, it wasn’t just the goal that made his performance such an impressive one, as the Englishman ran himself into the ground all game, be that to help craft chances for his teammates or to pressure the hosts’ backline and stop them from gaining any sort of foothold in the game.

Unsurprisingly, the watching press was equally impressed, with Alasdair Gold awarding the poacher an 8/10 match rating at full-time and writing that he ‘gave everything’ and that Frankfurt ‘never had a moment of quiet with him.’

In short, it was the sort of display that makes him undroppable for the semi-finals, which could also be said for one of his fellow starters.

The Spurs star who is now undroppable

So, there were a few other starters from last night that put in a solid showing, from Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur to Mathys Tel and Destiny Udogie, but when it comes to the other star of the night, it has to be Cristian Romero.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

As one of the club’s co-vice-captains, the World Cup winner led by example last night, and while he may have had one of his trademark moments of madness towards the end of the match, he was simply superb for the rest of the game.

Alongside centre-back partner Micky van de Ven, the Argentine restricted the hosts from gaining any serious chances at goal and then, on top of that, he also played the ball into Maddison, which won the side their game-winning penalty.

Like Solanke, the former Juventus gem left quite the impression on Gold, who awarded him a 9/10 match rating and wrote that he ‘defended well’ and put in ‘one of his best displays of the season’.

It might sound like hyperbole, but it’s really not, and the defender’s statistics help further illustrate how good he was.

For example, in his 97 minutes of action, he amassed a combined expected goal and assists figure of 0.44, made ten clearances, blocked one shot, made four interceptions and two tackles, won nine of 12 duels, lost the ball just seven times, took 71 touches, played one key pass, created one big chance and completed 100% of his dribbles.

Ultimately, it was a brilliant performance by Spurs last night and an even better individual performance by Romero, which makes him simply undroppable for the rest of the campaign.

Fewer touches than Vicario: Ange must axe Spurs dud who lost 66% of duels

Tottenham Hotspur booked their place in the Europa League semi-finals with a 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

2

By
Ethan Lamb

Apr 18, 2025