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KOLO MUANI SURVIVES CAR CRASH; THOMAS FRANK CONFIRMS STRIKER IS FIT FOR FRANKFURT

Tottenham’s UCL hopes are tested as Porro joins a 14-man injury list and Kolo Muani survives a scary pre-flight car accident.

Kolo Muani survives car crash; Thomas Frank confirms striker is fit for Frankfurt
Kolo Muan was in a Ferrari crash hours before Tottenham’s flight

Tottenham’s defensive problems just got worse ahead of their big Champions League showdown with Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday. And, as if that wasn’t enough, attacker Randal Kolo Muani walked away unscathed from a car accident on Tuesday.

Spurs are already battling a long injury list, and now they’ve lost two more important defenders for this must-win trip to Germany. Winning would let them skip the play-offs and move straight into the next stage, but they’ll have to do it without Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven.

Thomas Frank said Porro picked up a hamstring injury and won’t be back for about a month. Van de Ven took a knock too, but Frank expects him to be ready for Sunday’s Premier League game against Manchester City. With Porro out, Djed Spence is set to start at right-back against a Frankfurt side that’s already out of the tournament. Kevin Danso will probably slot in alongside Cristian Romero at centre-back.

It’s not like Spurs had many options left anyway. Rodrigo Bentancur, Richarlison, Ben Davies, Lucas Bergvall, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, and Mohammed Kudus are all injured. Radu Dragusin, Yves Bissouma, Mathys Tel, and the new faces—Conor Gallagher and Souza—aren’t eligible to play.

On top of that, Frank confirmed that Kolo Muani is okay after his “minor accident” on the way to the airport. Pictures popped up online showing him and Wilson Odobert next to a banged-up Ferrari. Odobert, driving his own car, stopped to lend a hand. Both of them still managed to catch the flight to Germany later that day. Frank said nobody else was hurt, just a blown tyre causing some delays.

Off the pitch, Spurs are looking to sign Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone before the January window slams shut. And as for Omar Marmoush, it looks like he’s staying put for now—Manchester City aren’t selling, but there’s still a chance Spurs could land him in summer 2026.

CONOR GALLAGHER CONFIRMED AS "VITAL" STARTER FOR SPURS FOLLOWING BENTANCUR’S INJURY LAYOFF

Conor Gallagher proved the doubters wrong against Man City. Discover why his €40m move to Tottenham is finally paying off for Spurs.

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Conor Gallagher secured first Spurs assist as Tottenham snatched a point at City

Chelsea and Atletico Madrid both decided Conor Gallagher wasn’t worth the trouble. At Chelsea, he had his moments—Pochettino liked him, but the fans never really warmed up. When Chelsea shipped him off to Atletico, it made sense. Enzo Fernandez stepped up, took over Gallagher’s role, and fit in perfectly next to Caicedo, with Cole Palmer adding that extra spark up front.

Things didn’t get much better for Gallagher in Spain. He barely got a chance at Atleti, lost his spot in the starting eleven, and pretty much ended up on the transfer list before anyone had time to blink. Interest was lukewarm at best until the winter window rolled around. Aston Villa wanted him and went after him pretty aggressively, but then Tottenham swooped in late. Spurs needed someone to patch up the midfield after Bentancur’s injury, so they just paid up—40 million euros, no hesitation.

His start at Tottenham? Rough. Honestly, that was to be expected. He’d played well at Palace before, but after his struggles at Atleti, he needed time to adjust. Sitting on the bench in Spain didn’t do him any favours.

Then Gallagher showed up. People doubted whether he could really add creativity and move the ball forward for Spurs, so his early struggles got people worried. But then came the 2-2 draw against Manchester City. He suddenly looked like the player both Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank were so desperate to sign.

Against City, Gallagher flipped the script. He set up a crucial assist, drove play forward on the dribble, and kept drawing fouls—everything the Spurs needed. Defensively, he was all over the place in a good way: two tackles, three interceptions, a full 90 minutes, and a huge part of the Spurs clawing their way back into the game.

Tottenham fans loved it. They saw the effort, the attitude, and the hunger to win. Gallagher just wouldn’t quit, and in that second half, he, Xavi Simons, Pape Matar Sarr, Destiny Udogie, and Dominic Solanke ran the show. Four of those guys have been carrying Spurs lately, so Gallagher is fitting right in with them. That’s a pretty good sign he’s going to work out just fine in North London.

AC MILAN MEDICAL FAILURE: THE HIDDEN KNEE INJURY THAT CRUSHED MATETA’S £30M MOVE

Jean-Philippe Mateta's £30m move to AC Milan is OFF. Discover why a failed medical has put his France World Cup dreams in jeopardy.

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Mateta’s "dream move" suddenly turned toxic.

Jean Philippe-Mateta’s got a real headache right now. The Crystal Palace striker just watched his £30 million dream move to AC Milan blow up at the last minute, all because a knee problem showed up during his medical.

The thing is, Mateta’s been carrying this injury for a while. Now he’s stuck: should he go under the knife and try to recover in time for the World Cup? He wants to make the France squad this summer, but nothing’s guaranteed. Even if he has surgery, there’s no telling if he’ll be fit enough—or have enough time on the pitch—to convince Didier Deschamps he deserves a spot.

The injury’s been dragging him down anyway. It’s messing with his form and his game time, and he’s worried he won’t get a real shot at proving himself for France if he isn’t at his best.

It’s tough because he’s coming off a fantastic year at Palace. FA Cup winner, big goals, helped the club reach Europe—it’s been a dream run. But now he might have to go back to Selhurst Park, even though he’s made it clear he’s had enough and wants out.

Honestly, it feels like only a matter of time before he leaves. His contract runs out next summer, and Palace can’t risk losing him for nothing. They’ve already watched Marc Guehi go to Man City for a bargain, just because his deal was running down.

Now Mateta has to sit down with Palace and the doctors to figure out what to do about his knee. Surgery would sideline him for months, probably killing his World Cup chances.

He’s gutted about Milan falling through, especially after Juventus cooled their interest and Nottingham Forest had an offer turned down. Over the weekend, he even unfollowed Palace on Instagram and posted a fed-up emoji. No one really knows if he’ll even make the squad for the Brighton game.

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