FROM MUNICH TO LONDON? THE SECRET REASON LEON GORETZKA WANTS TOTTENHAM MOVE NOW
Thomas Frank is ready to spend! Discover why Ruben Neves, Dusan Vlahovic, and Leon Goretzka are on Tottenham's 2026 transfer radar.
Looks like Tottenham might be busy during the January transfer window. Thomas Frank himself suggested as much.
We'll definitely be in the market, no doubt, the Dane said. We want new players in as early as possible, like always, and we'll see if we can get anyone before January 31st.
The winter window isn't just about signing players for now, though. Premier League clubs can chat with players in foreign leagues whose contracts are up in the summer, aiming for a pre-contract agreement for a free summer transfer.
Tottenham could take advantage of this, as quite a few players could be signed for free next summer.
Here are three players who might interest Tottenham in January...
Ruben Neves
Neves left Wolves for Al Hilal in 2023, but his contract with the Saudi Arabian club ends next summer. At 28, he captained Wolves when they were promoted to the Premier League in 2018 and played over 250 times for them in six years, so he has tons of experience. Al Hilal reportedly paid £47 million for him, so getting him for free would be a great move for Tottenham. But he'll probably have a lot of offers, and Spurs might even try to buy the Portuguese star in January for less money.
Dusan Vlahovic
The Serbian player is a surprise pick. Word is, Vlahovic doesn't plan to renew his Juventus contract, so he's expected to leave next summer. At 25, he's previously been linked to the Premier League, especially Arsenal in 2021. He’d give Frank more choices besides Dominic Solanke and Richarlison. The striker has scored six goals in 17 games for the Italian team this season, and a deal seems possible.
Leon Goretzka
This would be a real statement. The German player has been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium recently. At the moment, the midfielder is happy to leave the Bundesliga champions. Goretzka is 30 years old; he has nearly 300 appearances for Bayern. And he'd bring skill and a winning attitude to the Spurs team.
VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE
Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.
Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.
This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.
What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.
VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."
VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.
At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.
Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.
The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.
Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.
A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.
Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth
Referee: Sam Barrott
VAR: Craig Pawson
What: VAR check for a foul in the box
When: 11th minute
BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW
Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.
Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.
This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.
Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.
Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.
Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.
After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.
It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.
“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.
“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”
About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.
“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.
“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.
“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.