Tag: Tottenham Hotspur

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NEWCASTLE LAUNCH INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGED RACIST GESTURE AT TOTTENHAM GAME

Newcastle have vowed to take “the strongest possible action” against anyone involved in discriminatory behaviour following an allegation of a racist gesture made towards Tottenham fans.

The club and Northumbria Police are investigating a complaint in the wake of Sunday’s Premier League fixture at St James’ Park, which the visitors won 3-2.

A statement from Newcastle read: “Newcastle United is aware of an alleged racist gesture made by an individual towards Tottenham Hotspur supporters inside St James’ Park during Sunday’s match. An investigation is under way and the police have been made aware.

“Our message is clear — football is for everyone. Discrimination has absolutely no place in football, in the street, online or in wider society, and we will not tolerate it under any circumstances.

“Newcastle United will pursue the strongest possible action against anyone involved in discriminatory behaviour and will support any efforts by the authorities to secure a criminal conviction.

“The club is adhering to the Premier League commitment regarding abusive and discriminatory conduct, which facilitates the banning of any fan found to have been involved in abusive and/or discriminatory conduct from all Premier League stadia.

“For this alleged incident to take place at a time when all Premier League clubs are visibly supporting the No Room For Racism campaign shows the work we all have ahead of us, to which we remain absolutely committed.

“If you see discrimination, challenge it, report it, change it. There is no place for abusive or discriminatory conduct anywhere in football; we are United as One.”

Northumbria Police have warned they will take “swift and robust action” against those found guilty of discriminatory offences.

A spokesperson said: “We can confirm we are investigating an alleged racist incident during Newcastle United’s home fixture with Tottenham at St James’ Park on Sunday.

“Enquiries are ongoing with the club to identify anyone involved and ascertain whether criminal offences have been committed.

“As a force, we do not tolerate hate crime of any kind within our communities and are committed to taking swift and robust action against perpetrators.”

The alleged incident happened during an eventful afternoon at St James’ in the club’s first game under their new Saudi-backed owners, with play being suspended for 20 minutes during the first half because of a medical emergency in the stands.

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SPURS GET BACK TO WINNING WAYS AFTER IMPORTANT WIN OVER VILLA

Tottenham got back to winning ways with an important 2-1 victory over Aston Villa.

Spurs had lost their last three Premier League games to an aggregate of 9-1 and the pressure was beginning to grow on Nuno Espirito Santo following a dismal performance in last week’s north London derby defeat to Arsenal.

But Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s strike and an own goal by Matt Targett got the job done as Spurs go into the international break on a positive note.

It would only have been sweeter had Harry Kane been able to break his league duck for the season, but the England captain squandered a number of good chances to go six Premier League games without a goal for the first time since 2015.

Villa were outplayed but found themselves level with 22 minutes remaining as Ollie Watkins scored his first goal of the season, only for the hosts to regain their lead three minutes later.

There was no hiding how big a game this was for Spurs to arrest their slide going into the international break.

In the wake of that harrowing defeat at the Emirates last Sunday, Nuno changed to a 4-3-2-1 formation – one that has suited them better in recent times.

It was a sluggish start, with neither side creating anything in the opening 20 minutes before Spurs began to take the ascendency.

Kane nearly broke his drought in spectacular style as he sent a quickly-taken free-kick from near the halfway line towards goal, but a scrambling Emi Martinez was able to get back and save it.

Spurs made their dominance count as they took a 27th-minute lead.

Hojbjerg won the ball back high up the pitch and played in Son Heung-min. The South Korean returned the ball to the midfielder, who picked out the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

Villa got their act together and mounted a spell of pressure towards the end of the first half but never really tested Hugo Lloris in the Spurs goal, with John McGinn’s fizzed volley from 20 yards that whizzed just wide their best effort.

Some important defending from Oliver Skipp and then Cristian Romero stopped promising Villa moments early in the second half and Spurs soon returned to the front foot.

Right-back Emerson Royal saw an effort cleared off the line by Tyrone Mings after a break down the left and then Son lashed a shot over at the back post after Villa failed to clear.

Son was a clear threat down the left and a fine long ball by Eric Dier played him in on goal but he got too close to Martinez and the Villa keeper produced a good block.

The Argentinian was called into action shortly afterwards as he saved from Tanguy Ndombele after the Frenchman slalomed into the penalty area.

Villa were lucky to be still in the game and in the 68th minute they found themselves level.

A slick move saw the ball played out to Targett on the left and his ball across the face of goal was tucked home by Watkins from close range.

It would have been easy for Spurs to fold after that blow given their fragile confidence, but their response was excellent and three minutes later they were back in front.

Sergio Reguilon set Son free down the left and in similar fashion to Villa’s equaliser, the South Korean’s ball across goal was turned into his own net by Targett under pressure from Lucas Moura.

Although it was Spurs’ afternoon it was not Kane’s as he squandered two further chances, shooting just wide and then being denied one-on-one by Martinez.

Giovani Lo Celso also missed two chances to clinch it, but the hosts got their win.

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EMILE SMITH ROWE, BUKAYO SAKA STAR AS ARSENAL OUTCLASS TOTTENHAM IN NORTH LONDON DERBY

Arsenal produced a superb first-half performance to beat north London rivals Tottenham 3-1 and leapfrog their neighbours in the Premier League table.

Spurs had no answer for their hosts, who were spurred on by academy graduates Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka – both scoring and assisting in an impressive victory.

Smith Rowe opened the scoring and captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang doubled the lead before Saka struck in a first 45 minutes dominated by Mikel Arteta’s side and Son Heung-min hit a late consolation for the beleaguered visitors.

Questions are already being asked of Nuno Espirito Santo’s suitability for the role of Tottenham boss, just 88 days since he took charge – this was the first time in 18 years that Spurs have conceded three goals in three successive Premier League games.

They sat top of the league ahead of the international break, their fans taking great pleasure in seeing Arsenal propping up the table.

This emphatic win, however, sees Arsenal go above their neighbours as they continue to recover from a poor start to the campaign.

Son and Aubameyang both had early chances which were missed before ultimately being flagged offside.

It was the hosts, however, who had started the game the brighter and they duly delivered the opening goal just 12 minutes into the contest.

Martin Odegaard had time and space to spread the ball wide to Saka, whose low cross into the box was swept home by Smith Rowe, who arrived unmarked to send the ball past Hugo Lloris.

Thomas Partey then stung the palms of Lloris with a rasping effort before Aubameyang sent an effort whistling over the crossbar.

Arsenal did look nervy when Spurs could attack, mixing up a clearance before Son drew a smart stop out of Aaron Ramsdale.

Soon after and the home side had doubled their lead, countering at pace as Smith Rowe this time turned provider – bursting into the box and squaring for Aubameyang to finish.

Tottenham wanted the goal chalked off for a foul on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg but the challenge from the returning Granit Xhaka was deemed legitimate by referee Craig Pawson.

Things would get even better for the Gunners as Saka would get in on the act to make it 3-0.

Partey stole the ball off Harry Kane and Arsenal again broke behind the Spurs defence with three passes.

Smith Rowe found Saka – who ran into the box and was challenged well by a backtracking Kane, only for the loose ball to roll back into the path of his England team-mate who then finished low past Lloris.

Nuno reacted at the interval, introducing Oliver Skipp and Emerson Royal in place of Dele Alli and Japhet Tanganga.

It made little difference at the start of the second half, Arteta up in arms as he wanted a penalty for a foul on Gabriel Magalhaes as Arsenal pushed for a fourth goal.

Spurs were wanting their own spot-kick soon after as Ben White seemed to trip Kane, but Pawson and the VAR remained unmoved.

It did, at least, finally warrant a reaction from Spurs, Ramsdale saving low from a Kane shot which appeared to be heading behind.

The England skipper would then be guilty of missing a fine chance as he outmuscled Takehiro Tomiyasu and ran through on goal only to lift his shot wide of Ramsdale’s right-hand post.

Arsenal were happy to keep possession as the game wore on but Lloris had to be alert to push a low Saka shot wide.

Spurs would get on the scoresheet with 11 minutes remaining, Arsenal’s defence this time granting Son the freedom of their area for the forward to score from Sergio Reguilon’s centre.

A comeback never looked likely but Ramsdale did superbly to tip a deflected Lucas Moura shot onto the crossbar in stoppage time as Arsenal saw out the remainder of the game to go 10th in the table, one place above Spurs.

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KANE NOT SPURS’ ONLY PROBLEM – NUNO ESPIRITO SANTO

Nuno Espirito Santo insists Harry Kane’s struggles in front of goal so far this season is not the only problem Tottenham have to solve.

Despite a robust first-half display against Chelsea in the Premier League at the weekend, Tottenham put in a lacklustre display after the interval as Thomas Tuchel’s side eventually ran out comfortable 3-0 winners.

Much was made of Kane’s performance, playing much deeper on the left side of Spurs’ attack with the forward now without a goal from his first four league games for the first time since 2015/16.

But asked whether the striker was suffering a summer hangover from England’s Euro 2020 final defeat and an aborted move to Premier League champions Manchester City, Nuno was adamant Spurs problems were more a collective issue.

“There are so many problems we have to solve,” Nuno said.”Harry (Kane) is part of the team, like all of us. It’s all about the partnerships and the way we do things – everyone has to be involved.”

And when asked whether Kane was frustrated following the summer, Nuno added: “Nothing we can say or do now can change the past.

“What we have to do now is put it behind us and focus on the present.”

“The momentum we had before the international break has gone, there is an absence of players, we have to improve our levels of performance, we concede too many goals from set-pieces and we cannot sustain our play for long periods of the game.

“We are all trying to improve our performance in terms of goals, consistency and all the other aspects in the game and have to work to find the best solutions inside the team, in all the players.

Nuno takes his side to former club Wolves in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday looking for a first win in three games since the international break.

Prior to that period, Tottenham were top of the table with a 100 per cent record from their opening three Premier League games, and the Spurs boss is urging supporters to stick with his process.

Nuno said: “We started the season very consistent and solid with clean sheets, despite the situation that a lot of players were away.

“We did not score too much but winning- now we are not able to score and we are conceding.

“We have to look at what has happened, the results and performances have disappeared and the momentum and positive feeling has also gone.

“This is what we have to realise and find a way to get it back- our fans deserve much, much better than what we did on Sunday (against Chelsea).

“I was really pleased with the first half but the second half was not good.

“But what I can say is we are working very hard and the players are committed to playing better and things will improve.

“Our reaction to our problems is hard work and helping each other and that is how I work, with everyone involved.”

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CHELSEA THRASH SORRY SPURS 3-0 TO GO TOP OF THE TABLE

Thomas Tuchel’s half-time intervention allowed Chelsea to show their Premier League title challenging credentials with an impressive 3-0 win at Tottenham.

After being second best in the first half, Tuchel introduced N’Golo Kante and switched formation and it paid immediate dividends as Thiago Silva and the Frenchman both scored in the opening 12 minutes of the second half, with Antonio Rudiger adding a late third.

It extended their unbeaten start to the season and this statement victory – their third successive win at Spurs’ new home – shows they will be contenders to win the title this season.

Tottenham – like Chelsea – were mourning the death of Jimmy Greaves and they are a million miles away from the side that Greaves was a rampant scorer in during the 1960s and even further away from the one that reached the Champions League final just over two years ago.

After winning their opening three games under new boss Nuno Espirito Santo, things are beginning to unravel with a second successive 3-0 defeat in the league.

There are serious concerns over the form of Harry Kane, who was desperate to leave the club this summer and on this evidence it is easy to see why.

With the death of Greaves announced early on Sunday, this was a perfect fixture considering he played for both teams.

The atmosphere was heightened by a warming pre-match tribute to Greaves, where a host of former players came pitchside to join in the minute’s applause for Tottenham’s record goalscorer, who scored 266 goals in 379 appearances.

Tottenham fed off the energy of that and started the game brightly, with two loose balls in the area just evading Giovani Lo Celso.

Chelsea were a threat on the counter-attack, though, and had Spurs on the rack as they broke in a three-on-two situation.

Mason Mount fed Romelu Lukaku, whose return ball was under-hit, allowing Emerson Royal to get across and block Mount’s shot.

With Kane, Son Heung-min, Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli in the team there was a different feel about Spurs from the one that limped to a 3-0 defeat at Crystal Palace last week and they had two big openings.

Son, returning from an injury, sent Sergio Reguilon through on goal and the Spaniard had the opportunity to drive in on goal, but instead he tried to pass to Lo Celso and the ball was cut out.

Then, just after the half-hour it was Son who was in after a Lo Celso pass, but the South Korean’s touch was heavy and Kepa Arrizabalaga came out to block the shot.

Tuchel was not happy with what he saw and brought Kante on at half-time and switched to a 3-5-2 formation.

And it transformed the game as Chelsea took a 49th-minute lead.

Marcos Alonso had a flying shot tipped over by Hugo Lloris and at a second corner from that save, Silva climbed highest and found the bottom corner with his header.

Chelsea were rampant and deserved the luck they got for their second goal just before the hour.

Lo Celso ran into trouble and was dispossessed, with Kante afforded space to line up a shot, which took a wicked deflection off Eric Dier and flew into the bottom corner.

Spurs – seemingly shattered from their first-half exertions – had nothing in the way of a response, with Kane’s fizzed shot at Arrizabalaga their only meaningful effort of the second half.

At the other end Chelsea had enough chances to rack up a handsome victory, but Lloris saved well from Silva, Timo Werner was twice denied when through on goal and Lukaku headed straight at the Frenchman.

Eventually the third goal came in injury time as Rudiger swept home Werner’s cross as Chelsea end the weekend on top of the Premier League table.

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FORMER ENGLAND, CHELSEA AND SPURS STRIKER JIMMY GREAVES DIES AT 81

Former England, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur striker Jimmy Greaves has died. He was 81.

One of England’s greatest forwards, Greaves scored 44 goals in 57 international appearances and is Spurs’ record goal-scorer with 266 goals in 279 games.

Greaves also played for AC Milan and West Ham United and scored a total of 366 top-flight goals during a 14-year career, which stood as a record for most goals scored in Europe’s top five leagues for 46 years until it was broken by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017.

A member of England’s 1966 World Cup-winning squad, Greaves missed out on the final after getting injured during the tournament. He was replaced by Geoff Hurst, who scored a hat trick in England’s 4-2 win against West Germany.

Alcoholism cut Greaves’ career short at the age of 31, and he also had health issues during his later years and suffered strokes in 2012 and 2015.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher described Greaves as “the best goal scorer we have seen”, while Spurs striker Harry Kane called him “a true legend.”

Gary Lineker, a former Tottenham and England striker, said: “Terribly sad news that Jimmy Greaves has died. Quite possibly the greatest striker this country has ever produced. A truly magnificent footballer who was at home both in the box and on the box. A charismatic, knowledgeable, witty and warm man. A giant of the sport.”

England manager Gareth Southgate said the national team would pay tribute to Greaves in next month’s World Cup qualifier against Hungary at Wembley, while Spurs and Chelsea also paid tribute to their former player.

“Jimmy Greaves was someone who was admired by all who love football, regardless of club allegiances,” Southgate said in a statement released by the Football Association.

“I was privileged to be able to meet Jimmy’s family last year at Tottenham Hotspur as the club marked his 80th birthday. My thoughts are with them and I know the entire game will mourn his passing.”

Born in east London in 1940, Greaves signed for Chelsea and made his professional debut at the age of 17. He scored 132 goals in 169 games, racking up 100 league goals by the time he turned 20.

He attracted interest from Italy and signed with AC Milan in 1961, but only managed 12 appearances and nine goals in his single season at the club.

Greaves returned to England with Spurs in 1962 for £99,000 and scored in the FA Cup final as Tottenham lifted the trophy that season.

His nine seasons in north London coincided with the most successful decade in the club’s history. Greaves would also win the FA Cup with Spurs in 1967, as well as the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1963.

Greaves made his England debut in 1959, scoring in a 4-1 win against Peru. He holds the record for the most hat tricks scored by an England player and netted the first of his six in an 8-0 win against Luxembourg in 1960.

He scored the last of his 44 England goals in 1967 and is fourth on England’s all-time goal-scorers list behind Wayne Rooney, Bobby Charlton and Gary Lineker.

After leaving Spurs in 1969, Greaves moved across London to sign for West Ham, where he stayed for two seasons until 1971. Due to alcoholism and fitness issues, Greaves was less prolific during his final two years in the top flight and scored 13 goals in 40 appearances for West Ham before he retired in 1971 at the age of 31.

After retiring, Greaves pursued a career in broadcast media and presented popular football talk show “Saint and Greavsie” alongside former Liverpool striker Ian St John from 1985 to 1992.

Greaves eventually received his World Cup winners medal in 2009. Due to FIFA rules which were subsequently overturned, only the players who finished England’s 4-2 win over West Germany on the pitch received winners’ medals in 1966.

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EUROPA: INJURY INFESTED TOTTENHAM SHARE DRAW WITH RENNES

Tottenham came from behind to draw 2-2 in their opening Europa Conference League Group G game at Rennes, but it was a costly evening as they suffered more injury problems.

In their toughest looking assignment of the inaugural third-tier European club competition, they went ahead through Loic Bade’s early own goal before the French team hit back either side of half-time through Flavian Tait and Gaetan Laborde.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s leveller earned Spurs a point, but Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura limped off and with a Premier League match against Chelsea in 72 hours, their attacking numbers look short.

Son Heung-min is already facing a race against time to be fit with a calf injury while Giovani Lo Celso does not get back from his quarantine camp in Croatia until Saturday, leaving Nuno Espirito Santo with a headache.

One man who might have forced his way into Nuno’s plans was Tanguy Ndombele, who was give his first appearance of the season after asking to leave in the summer.

It did not take Ndombele long to show Nuno what he was capable of as a sublime piece of skill created an 11th-minute opener for Spurs which capped an impressive opening.

Yards away from his manager in front of the technical area, the Frenchman produced an audacious off-balance back-heel to set a counter-attack going. Oliver Skipp passed to Harry Kane, whose incise first-time ball put Moura in clear and the Brazilian’s attempted cross was deflected into his own net by Bade.

That was as good as it got for Tottenham as Rennes began to take control of the game.

They should have had a leveller soon after as Benjamin Bourigeaud’s shot was beaten away by Pierluigi Gollini into the path of Adrien Truffert, but the left-back could not keep his header at an open goal down and it went over the crossbar.

Spurs did not get away with it for much longer as Tait levelled in the 22nd minute.

The midfielder played a one-two with Serhou Guirassy, left Ndombele and then curled a low shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

Nuno’s side were on the rack and things got even worse when Bergwijn, back from an ankle injury, went off after appearing to suffer a recurrence.

Hojbjerg’s arrival steadied the ship and Spurs got through to half-time without suffering further damage.

Their plans went further array early in the second half as Moura limped off and was joined by Harry Kane, who was also taken off in a seemingly planned substitution with the Chelsea game in mind.

With them went Tottenham’s best chance of winning and they found themselves 2-1 down in the 72nd minute.

Rennes attacked down their left and Gollini spilled a low shot from Kamaldeen Sulemana, with Laborde enjoying the easiest of tap-ins.

With 17-year-old Dane Scarlett leading the line, Spurs could have wilted, but they found a leveller four minutes later.

Matt Doherty’s cross was deflected kindly into the path of Hojbjerg and the Dane poked home from close range as the points were shared in France.

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TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM WINS RIBA ARCHITECTURE PRIZE

Tottenham Hotspur’s 63,000-seat stadium has won a major architecture prize.

The stadium in north London, which hosted its first Premier League game in April 2019, is one of 54 winners of the 2021 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) National Awards.

The awards recognise the UK’s best new buildings and provide an insight into design and economic trends, according to RIBA.

The arena was praised as a “tour de force in stadium design”.

Judges lauded it for “delivering an unparalleled experience for the multiple users of this collection of buildings” and praised its location.

They said: “Uniquely, it is located on a high street, helping to embed it in the local community.”

The stadium cost £1bn to build and is the biggest club ground in London and second only to Manchester United’s Old Trafford in the Premier League.

The viewing experience at the stadium has frequently drawn praise; fans who can afford front-row seats are never more than eight metres from the touchline.

In recognition of Spurs’ past, there are heritage plaques, including one of the centre circle at Tottenham’s former home of White Hart Lane, and pictures of the club’s heroes lining the walls.

Christopher Lee, who designed the stadium, has previously described how he wanted it to be at the heart of the community.

And in sporting terms, Mr Lee said he had tried to create “the most incredible, atmospheric, intimidating seating bowl you can play amazing football in”.

He said he wanted to create a “giant megaphone” to drive noise and songs and chanting, and that this ambition inspired the stadium’s design.

The club played at White Hart Lane for 118 years before the ground was demolished in 2017.

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Tottenham, Chelsea to play world’s first net zero match

According to a release, Tottenham Hotspur will work to minimise emissions from matchday activity such as travel to and from the stadium for both fans and clubs, and dietary choices at the stadium.

On September 19, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea are all set to renew their city rivalry in the Premier League but this time there will be a sense of uniqueness permeating through the proceedings. According to a release issued by Spurs’ official website, the match aims to become the world’s first elite-level football game which aims to be a net zero carbon fixture. With that in mind, they have branded the match as #GameZero.
What does net zero mean

Net zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere.

In the context of the match, this can be achieved when direct emissions associated with it (for example, fan and employee travel, energy use of the stadium, production of food and drink) are reduced as much as possible and the remainder is ‘offset’ through natural projects, says BBC.

These can include investing in organisations that plant trees or charities that help clean oceans, or by contributing to projects exploring more ways to produce renewable energy.

Spurs and Chelsea vow to adhere to the plan

According to the release issued by the Tottenham website, for the match to be net zero, the club will work to minimise emissions from matchday activity such as energy used to power the game, travel to and from the stadium for both fans and clubs, and dietary choices at the stadium.

They will be encouraging fans attending the Chelsea match to take sustainable actions on the day, including, using public transport, cycling to the match, choosing a plant-based food option with all food served inside the stadium locally and sustainably sourced, with plant-based options available across all outlets and in Premium areas. They will also keep an eye on recycling waste with clear recycling instructions for fans on its bins, as well as a reusable beer cup scheme.

Furthermore, the Spurs squad will travel to the match by coach to reduce the number of car movements, and as the away team, Chelsea will also be asking all their staff to travel across London sustainably.

Both sets of players will head to the stadium on a coach that is running on biofuel, which is a form of renewable diesel produced from food waste products and reduces carbon emissions significantly and the players from both teams will also be drinking water on the day from cartons provided by Spurs, as opposed to plastic bottles, the release further stated.

Spurs chairman hails historic occasion

Tottenham Hotspur chairman, Daniel Levy, said: “We are delighted to be the chosen partner of Sky on this ground-breaking initiative that will demonstrate the role our game can play in addressing the urgent issue of climate change.

“As the Premier League’s greenest club, Tottenham Hotspur is passionate about our planet – we look forward to showcasing our wide range of sustainable measures that are already in place and encouraging our fans to take simple actions that can make a huge difference.”

In January, Spurs were named the Premier League’s greenest club, after a study was conducted by the Sport Positive Summit, who are supported by the UN.

This match is supported by COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference and Jonathan Licht, managing director at Sky Sports, explained that even small changes can help.

“We hope that by using the power of sport, we can inspire and support football fans to make simple changes to reduce their carbon footprint and make more climate-friendly choices,” he said.

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Adama Traore determined to push for Tottenham Hotspur move

Nottingham Forest v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Carabao Cup Second Round Adama Traore of Wolverhampton Wanderers warms up ahead of kick-off during the Carabao Cup match between Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers at the City Ground, Nottingham, UK on 24th August 2021. Nottingham England United Kingdom fletcher-nottingh210824_np4pZ PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xMIxNewsx

Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Adama Traore has reportedly urged his agent to push through a move to Tottenham Hotspur in the closing stages of this summer’s transfer window.

The 25-year-old has been on Tottenham’s list of potential targets this summer since Nuno Espirito Santo – his manager at Wolves – took over in North London.

Wolves’ asking price of at least £40m has so far proved to be a major sticking point in any negotiations, and new boss Bruno Lage recently insisted that no key players would be allowed to leave the club before Tuesday’s 11pm deadline.

However, Spanish outlet Cadena SER claims that Traore has instructed his agent Jorge Mendes to secure a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium so that he can reunite with Nuno.

Wolves remain reluctant to lose their star man, and are unlikely to lower their demands for a player who still has two years remaining on his contract at Molineux.

Traore has been one of the team’s standout performers in their three Premier League games so far this season, despite Wolves still searching for their first point and first goal of the new campaign.

The Spain international has previously been linked with Liverpool, Chelsea and Leeds United, but Spurs are now considered the clear front-runners for his signature should he leave Wolves.

Wolves, meanwhile, are understood to be considering a move for Valencia forward Goncalo Guedes as a replacement for Traore.