We learned Spurs could make the Brazilian’s life difficult by triggering their unilateral option to extend his contract until 2028. They’ve now decided against doing so.

Also, the attempts to terminate his current deal have also been abandoned. So everything is now pointing towards January.

Tottenham will ‘facilitate’ Richarlison exit

ESPN Brazil journalist Bruno Andrade provided a lengthy update on Richarlison’s situation. And his main information is that the forward will leave Tottenham in January.

There is already an understanding between the two sides about finding a solution.

“From January, the doors are wide open,” Andrade said. “Richarlison will leave Tottenham in January, or possibly English football, for another market.”

His current contract runs until June 2027. That means he’ll be able to negotiate a pre-contract with another club from January. Tottenham, though, aren’t planning to make him wait until the summer.

“Tottenham have told his representatives that they’ll facilitate his departure,” Andrade explained. “He won’t need to sign a pre-contract and then wait until June to leave for free.”

A pre-contract could still strengthen Richarlison’s hand. Andrade suggests it could put further pressure on Spurs to lower their asking price for an immediate January transfer.

For Tottenham, getting something for him in January clearly makes more sense than losing him for nothing months later.

Contract extension is off the table

There had been another complication hanging over Richarlison. Tottenham have a unilateral option to add another year to his contract.

Richarlison couldn’t prevent them from activating it. However, that possibility has now been removed.

“Tottenham have already informed his representatives that they won’t trigger the automatic extension option,” Andrade said. “Tottenham could do that to create a bigger battle, but they won’t.”

That’s important given how catastrophic the relationship became over the summer. Instead of dragging the situation out for another year or trying to get more money from a future deal, Spurs now appear ready to draw a line under it.

Legal battle has also been abandoned

Richarlison had been looking at ways to terminate his Tottenham contract. One possibility was an amicable agreement. His camp had also explored whether there were grounds to terminate it for just cause. Neither route is going any further.

“The attempt to terminate the contract for just cause, or even by mutual agreement, is dead. Both possibilities are dead,” Andrade said.

“Tottenham’s legal department and, especially, Richarlison’s legal team realised there weren’t sufficient grounds to take this forward.”

That leaves a conventional January transfer as the obvious solution. Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates remain possible destinations. Andrade stresses there is currently nothing agreed with any club.

A good offer from England could also change things. Brazil, however, isn’t part of Richarlison’s thinking at this stage. Andrade specifically rules out Vasco da Gama, Palmeiras and Fluminense for January.

“So what’s certain is this: Brazil is out of the equation, termination by mutual agreement or for just cause is completely off the table, and the extension won’t happen either,” he concluded.

After months of arguments, failed moves and legal possibilities, the situation finally looks a little simpler. Richarlison stays at Tottenham until January. Then Spurs are fully prepared to help him go.

The post Tottenham make January exit decision and tell player’s camp – Extension now ruled out appeared first on Sport Witness.

The striker came up through the ranks of Spurs’ academy and made his first team debut in 2019.

He played 96 minutes from four appearances for Tottenham during the 2019/20 season, and three were under José Mourinho.

The north London club sent him on loan to Millwall, Ipswich Town, MK Dons, Preston North End and Excelsior. His performances for the latter convinced AZ Alkmaar to buy him from Spurs in 2024.

This move paid off as the Republic of Ireland international starred for the Eredivisie side in the last two seasons. To put it in context, he scored 51 goals and contributed 17 assists from 97 matches.

Tottenham missed out in summer 

The 24-year-old’s impressive performances for AZ resulted in reports of the Premier League interest in the summer.

Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Leeds United initially showed interest while West Ham United tried to sign him in August. Real Betis won the battle in the end and secured Troy Parrott’s services for €16m plus €4m bonuses.

He has two goals and an assist from five matches for Manuel Pellegrini’s side. The striker has also starred for his national team, scoring four goals from four matches during this international break.

This has resulted in rumours of interest from a few clubs and Estadio Deportivo states this includes Roberto De Zerbi’s side. The newspaper points out their interest from the last window too.

Public denial to Tottenham 

Troy Parrott’s recent form has resulted in a debate online among Spurs supporters over the English club not giving him enough opportunities to showcase his talent.

A Tottenham fan account on X, formerly known as Twitter, even asked whether the club should bring him back. Real Betis’ official account on X responded to that saying ‘no’.

Estadio points it out and says this was a ‘resounding no’ from the La Liga side. Parrott has been a ‘complete success’ for sporting director Manu Fajardo, and his side have no plans to sell him.

The frontman has a contract until 2031, and the report states it includes a €100m clause. Spurs or any other club will have to activate the clause to snatch him from the Andalusian club.

In short, Tottenham have to spend bid to sign their former player, provide they convince him.

No.

— Real Betis Balompié (@RealBetis_en) October 2, 2026

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The Sweden international joined the Gunners from Sporting last summer.

He and his agent, Hasan Cetinkaya, pushed hard to secure a move to the Emirates. In July 2025, Sport Witness repeatedly covered the saga involving him and Arsenal.

The former Coventry City man returned to England at the end of that month. The north London club agreed to pay €63.5m in fixed fee plus €10m bonuses. This is when the bonuses will come into effect.

He finished his debut season at Arsenal with 21 goals and three assists from 55 matches. That includes the Champions League final and the EFL Cup final defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City respectively.

Gyökeres won the title last season but hasn’t enjoyed a good run with the north London club this season. He’s played 207 minutes from five matches and is yet to score or assist. This includes 29 minutes from two Premier League matches.

Arsenal man sends message to Arteta

On September 27th, the frontman said it’s frustrating to settle for a backup role and he can’t do anything about it.

He said: “Of course, it’s frustrating, no matter where you are. You always want to be on the pitch and make a contribution, score goals.”

“It can be frustrating at times, but I just try to do my best when I get the chance and focus on what I can control.”

Mikel Arteta has favoured Kai Havertz ahead of the 28-year-old, and Havertz suffered an injury blow while with Germany last month.

His absence can allow Viktor Gyökeres to start for Arsenal. The latter seems to have sent a message to the manager by scoring in all four matches for Sweden. This includes winners in both [2-1 and 1-0] matches against Romania.

Former Tottenham star unhappy with Arsenal man 

Ex-Spurs striker Teddy Sheringham has been speaking to Hajper about Viktor Gyökeres and Nettavisen have relayed his comments.

Sheringham had two different spells at Tottenham Hotspur. The first was between 1992 and 1997, and the second was between 2001 and 2003. He managed 125 goals and 53 assists from 277 matches for Spurs.

He said: “It shocks me that he still plays like a child. I don’t think he has understood what it means to be an attacking player and what he has to do.”

“There are different ways to play striker, but he needs to be told to hold onto the ball when it comes to him. He does some things well, but constantly gives the ball away and when you are 28 years old, you should have learned this a long time ago.”

The Tottenham favourite’s criticism of the Arsenal star comes after he scored four goals for Sweden in this international break.

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His performance against Deportivo La Coruña, which “left fans drooling”, has already been around over the weekend. The 20-year-old played 80 minutes, got an assist and earned plenty of praise in Portugal.

Monday’s reports now provide a little more explanation for that performance.

Porto have been putting considerable individual work into Souza behind the scenes. And it seems the Tottenham youngster’s response has been about as good as they could have hoped for.

Souza earning points with Farioli

According to O Jogo, Francesco Farioli’s staff have spent plenty of time giving Souza individual instructions since his arrival. The work has covered both the physical and tactical sides of his game.

Porto knew the Brazilian would need patience after his move from Tottenham. He had only made four appearances for Spurs before heading to Portugal.

What seems to have particularly pleased the coaching staff is how Souza has dealt with that situation.

O Jogo say he’s embraced the process with “great commitment”. His maturity and humility have also impressed, while he continues to show a real hunger to learn and play.

That combination has seen him “gain points” with Farioli despite his lack of competitive minutes. So the newspaper believes those minutes are now getting closer.

Zaidu remains injured, leaving Francisco Moura and Souza as the natural options on the left. That could see the Tottenham man start sharing the position with Moura as Porto’s schedule gets busier.

‘He hasn’t reached his ideal point yet’

Record also spoke to coach Orlando Ribeiro, who worked with Souza earlier in his development.

Interestingly, Ribeiro sometimes used him as a winger. He believes the youngster’s biggest strengths remain obvious when he’s going forward.

“He is better in the attacking phase. He has vision, understands attacking dynamics very well, passes well and is quick,” he said.

There has been progress at the other end of the pitch too.

“He evolved. You could already see that with Santos’ first team. He didn’t lose his attacking characteristics, but he improved.”

Ribeiro doesn’t think Tottenham or Porto are dealing with the finished product yet.

“He hasn’t reached his ideal point yet. He’s still developing, but I see a very promising future for him.”

The coach believes Souza’s career could reach a “very high level” once he enters his peak years between 26 and 31.

Friday provided some evidence that all the work around him is paying off. And Souza is doing enough every day to turn that promising unofficial debut into an official one very soon.

The post Tottenham Loan Watch: ‘Great commitment’ – Youngster winning over coaches appeared first on Sport Witness.

Roberto De Zerbi has started the duo in the heart of Spurs’ defence this season. Xavi has used Van Hecke in the heart of the defence while moved the 25-year-old to the left-back position.

The 26-year-old joined Tottenham from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer and has started every fixture so far. He had maintained his place with the national team as the new manager started him alongside Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk.

At the weekend, the centre-back suffered a setback in Oranje’s 2-1 win over Serbia. He had finished playing the full 90 minutes but was in pain the following days. Therefore, the national team released him and the defender returned to the north London club.

On Sunday, Van de Ven, picked up an injury in their latest win over Serbia.

Tottenham man injured 

At the weekend, De Telegraaf journalist Valentijn Driessen urged Xavi to drop the Spurs man in favour of a recognised left-back. However, the Spaniard started him against Serbia as a left-back.

Towards the end of the tie, the Netherlands international suffered an injury, and Voetbal International covers his situation. Xavi made his fifth substitution in the 82nd minute and the Spurs man’s setback took place after this.

Luka Jović accidentally landed on Micky van de Ven’s arm, resulting in a wrist injury, and he had to leave the pitch. Therefore, the manager couldn’t bring in a replacement for him, and the Netherlands finished the match with 10-men.

In his post-match press conference, Xavi was asked about the Tottenham Hotspur captian.

He said: “It is okay. He felt dizzy because he had a lot of pain in his finger. But it is not a major injury.”

Another report from VI relays it and adds Micky van de Ven’s setback ‘appears to be less severe at first glance’.

Major relief for De Zerbi and Tottenham

Last week, Jan Paul van Hecke withdrew from the Netherlands squad because of a foot injury. Xavi said he couldn’t even touch the ball.

However, VI now explains Van Hecke’s injury is also not serious. In fact, the Dutch duo could possibly be available when Tottenham Hotspur face Manchester United in the league later this weekend.

Roberto De Zerbi should provide more clarity about their fitness, while VI’s report should definitely come as a relief for both manager and the north London club.

Spurs are bottom of the table with two points after five matches, Van Hecke and Micky van de Ven’s availability can be a major boost for the upcoming clash.

The post Van de Ven and Van Hecke: Double injury update for Tottenham from Netherlands appeared first on Sport Witness.

The Bianconeri’s deal for the Senegal international accelerated very quickly in the transfer window. This was largely because Roberto De Zerbi had publicly revealed the player’s desire to leave.

Sarr hasn’t exactly been a regular in Turin yet, featuring in three games in all competitions. On joining, he had to recover from a muscle injury and that had held him back.

Now, he’s winning over fans and one of them is manager Luciano Spalletti.

Confidence Sarr will come good

Today’s print edition of TuttoSport has a detailed feature on the Tottenham loanee, who was signed as an alternative to Franck Kessie. When the Ivorian rejected Juve, they had to act fast and the club’s executives became alert to the idea of signing Sarr.

They assessed a lot of his footages from the last season in London. Despite the club’s poor form, they felt the midfielder will offer value to their squad.

He is now seen as a player of ‘absolute value’.

Spalletti is also increasingly convinced too. TuttoSport highlight that before Juve’s loss to Sassuolo, he had big praise for him.

“He’s a complete player, he has this ease of running and you find him everywhere, precise and punctual. When you think you can’t bring the team together down there, he gets there. He has this running ability and deep stamina.”

“In this exploration, he brings quality because he knows the tackle, he knows the technical quality, the finishing. We’re convinced we have a strong player at our disposal, and he’ll show it to us starting tomorrow if necessary.”

This was followed by Sarr impressing against NEC Nijmegen and Atalanta. Now, he is expected to start against Cagliari at the weekend, having done well during the international break too.

Big chance to make impact

At Tottenham, Sarr often had his development strangled by injuries and the club’s lack of planning. Now at Juve, he is back fit and is expected to play quite a bit due to their injury crisis in midfield.

The 24-year-old should see this as a golden opportunity to make a real impact. It will also help him join the Bianconeri permanently and if Juve do qualify for the Champions League, it would only favour Sarr.

The next few months will be key in all of this. Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram are out until 2027 and this should give the Spurs loanee a big chance.

The post “He’s a complete player” – Manager falling for Tottenham man on loan spell appeared first on Sport Witness.

The 25-year-old prefers to operate as a centre-back and can also play on the left side of defence.

Roberto De Zerbi has promoted him as the new Tottenham captain and started him in four Premier League matches this season. The Netherlands international has partnered his compatriot, Jan Paul van Hecke, in the heart of Spurs’ defence.

Change of position for Tottenham player 

New manager Xavi used Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk and Jan Paul van Hecke as the two centre-backs for the first two matches. The latter then suffered an injury and has already returned to Tottenham Hotspur.

Therefore, the Spaniard started Jurriën Timber alongside Van Dijk against Greece earlier this week. This meant Micky van de Ven started as a left-back and played every minute in three matches.

Marciano Vink and Kenneth Perez have criticised the 25-year-old’s performances during this international break. Perez said: “We really have a problem at the left-back position.” 

De Telegraaf journalist Valentijn Driessen is now joining in the, somewhat over the top, lashing out at the defender.

He was analysing the Spurs defender’s latest form against Greece for the newspaper’s podcast, Kick-off. FcUpdate, who relays his comments, says his disappointing performance earlier this week was ‘not an isolated incident’.

“You can almost see Van de Ven looking around as if to say: what am I supposed to do? He just needs to receive clear instructions before a match and not all sorts of tactical tricks otherwise,” he said.

“It seems as if those guys have it in their heads that Xavi’s instructions are more important than playing with a free spirit. In the first half, they were just messing around.”

Manager urged to drop Tottenham man 

Valentijn Driessen has urged Xavi to drop Micky van de Ven in favour of a recognised left-back.

“It has been three matches in a row now. I hope Xavi will just put a normal left-back there for once. Like [Chelsea’s Jorrel] Hato, whom I think is better centrally than at left-back. But he also plays left-back regularly,” Driessen explained.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side are yet to register a league win and are now bottom of the table with two points from five matches.

The growing criticism of the Tottenham Hotspur player from the Netherlands comes after Spurs’ poor start to the season. Should Van de Ven give attention to them, it may impact his own performance.

The post ‘Not isolated incident’ – Manager called to drop Tottenham player as criticism continues to grow appeared first on Sport Witness.

The 20-year-old is currently on loan at the Portuguese side on loan from Tottenham. He’s yet to play for them competitively but has taken the first steps on that path this week.

He started, and impressed, in a friendly clash with Deportivo La Coruna. A Bola explained that the youngster had left those watching “drooling” with a display that was ‘the real deal’ and ‘at an excellent level’.

“Wonderful experience”

Those watching were certainly left impressed, and it seems Souza is more than happy with what he’s seen so far as well.

“I felt really good; I’m happy to make my debut in this beautiful, wonderful shirt. I want to highlight the squad, which is ready for the League matches and the return to competitive play,” he told Porto Canal.

It seems the Tottenham man is more than happy with the experience overall too, despite his lack of minutes to date.

“It’s been a wonderful experience, better than I expected. Everyone at FC Porto has welcomed me warmly and is helping me with the adaptation process. I just want to give something back,” he added.

Season focus

The focus now will be on getting into Porto’s first team for the remainder of the season. An impressive performance in this game is certainly a good start.

He’s in Portugal this season for a reason – to get the playing time that wasn’t going to be on offer under Roberto de Zerbi at Tottenham this season. The arrival of Andy Robertson in the summer meant competition was likely to see the youngster on the sidelines.

Now everything appears to be going well at Porto, at least if his comments are anything to go by. The hope will be to build on a friendly display that’s got everyone talking.

The post “Better than I expected” – Tottenham man sounding positive after leaving fans mouths watering appeared first on Sport Witness.

Van de Ven has started all three of the Netherlands’ games in this international break, playing 90 minutes against Germany, Serbia and Greece. All three of those have been at left-back.

It’s continued a growing theme in international football for the defender, whose last game at centre-back came in the 1-0 defeat to Germany in October 2024. That is just one of two centre-back appearances for him, despite that being his primary position at Tottenham.

Calls for change

It’s an experiment that has rarely worked. While Van de Ven is not uncomfortable in the position, he is also not a left-back either. And it seems the calls for change are now growing.

One of those who is being very vocal in those is Valentijn Driessen. And he already has the perfect replacement in mind – Aston Villa’s Ian Maatsen.

“He (Van de Ven) hasn’t played well for three consecutive matches now. I hope Xavi simply puts a proper left-back there for a change,” he said on De Telegraaf’s Kick Off Podcast.

Aston Villa man ready

The journalist then made it crystal clear who should fill the left-back position in the next international break.

“Ian Maatsen. Koeman didn’t rate him, but every time you see him play—like against Spain in the Nations League last year – he performs really well. He is simply an excellent player.

“I’d rather have a player like that than Van de Ven. Yes, he’s fast, but if you field someone solely to recover from errors, I think you’re missing the point; it’s also about whether someone is comfortable on the ball.”

The question is whether Maatsen can force his way into the picture. This is perhaps his best opportunity to do so given Lucas Digne left Aston Villa this summer.

That’s left him battling Matteo Ruggeri for the starting role. Perhaps if he wins that battle, the Netherlands will also be ready to grant Driessen’s wishes.

The post “Simply an excellent player” – Calls for Aston Villa man to replace Tottenham star appeared first on Sport Witness.

The youngster is currently on loan at Porto, having joined the Portuguese league leaders on loan from Tottenham in the summer.

He’s yet to make his official debut for the club but was handed his chance to impress in Friday’s friendly with Deportivo La Coruna. And what an impression he ended up making.

Positive debut

A Bola report on the game today, which Porto won 3-1. The newspaper is particularly enthusiastic about the Tottenham loanee, who “left fans drooling” with his performance.

A Bola insist that he is ‘the real deal’ after watching him put in a performance that saw him playing ‘at an excellent level’. He even provided the assist for André Silva’s go-ahead goal.

The newspaper states that the 20-year-old finished the game exhausted but left a very positive impression on everyone who watched him.

As first appearances for your new club go, it sounds like things couldn’t have went better for the Tottenham loanee.

Future plans

He’ll now be looking to break into Francisco Farioli’s side permanently for the remainder of the season.

What he needs right now is regular minutes in a competitive league, and Porto can certainly offer that in Portugal. Indeed, Portugal has often been a breeding ground for young talent down the years.

Tottenham’s plan was clearly to give him time away from Spurs to develop his game and then bring him back next year for a second look. Having paid €15m earlier this year, it’s obvious that they think there’s talent there.

The question is whether they can get him to a level where he’ll be comfortable in the Premier League. At least time is on their side on that front.

For now, the focus is on what happens in Porto and Friday’s friendly was clearly a major step forward for everyone.

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