Here is your Tottenham Hotspur digest for the morning of Wednesday, November 25.
Rio Ferdinand identifies Tottenham midfielder as signing of the season
Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand believes Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has been the signing of the season in the Premier League.
The Dane has quickly become a key part of Jose Mourinho’s midfield unit since arriving from Southampton in the summer transfer window, impressing in Spurs’ 2-0 home win over Manchester City on Saturday.
Asked to name his signing of the season, Ferdinand picked out Hojbjerg on the basis of the impact he has made at his new club and how he is bringing the best out of his teammates.
“Hojbjerg. An absolute massive signing for Jose,” he told Rio Ferdinand Presents Five YouTube channel.
“You have to give him huge, huge, huge credit identifying him - he is going to come here and he is going to be the breaker, the person that sits in there, does all the nasty work, the hard jobs, stops the other teams from playing, pass it to the people like the Kanes and the Sons to go and do their bits of magic.”
Spurs midfielder’s City performance will have Frank Lampard on alert
There were a number of standout performers for Tottenham Hotspur in their 2-0 win over Manchester City but Tanguy Ndombele was particularly impressive.
The French midfielder has earned the trust of Mourinho after a less than convincing first season in North London following his club-record transfer from Lyon, becoming an important part of the Tottenham midfield this term.
Ndombele was exceptionally effective at keeping City’s attacking midfielders quiet throughout Saturday’s game, with the 23-year-old shielding the ball, dribbling and playing passes forward when opportunities arose.
As football.london’s Josh Williams points out, this will have Frank Lampard on alert ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash between Chelsea and Spurs at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues full of attacking playmakers.
New UEFA rule could impact Tottenham’s Europa League fixture
Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League fixture against Ludogorets on Thursday night could be impacted by a new rule from UEFA.
As reported by Tema Sport, the Bulgarian side are struggling to name a squad capable of travelling to North London to take on Mourinho’s men, with two players testing positive for Covid-19 and injuries piling up.
This could put the fixture in some doubt. If Ludogorets cannot meet the matchday requirements, the game would have to be reschedule for a future date.
“If less than 13 players registered on the A list or no registered goalkeeper are available, UEFA may allow a rescheduling of the match, if the relevant national/local authority seeks new tests to allow a sufficient number of players (at least 13 including at least one goalkeeper) to participate in the match,” reads UEFA’s rules.
