Here is your Tottenham Hotspur morning digest for Monday, September 21.
Mourinho excited with Bale and Reguilon signings
Tottenham confirmed the signings of Gareth Bale on a season-long loan and Sergio Reguilon on a five-year deal, both from Real Madrid, over the weekend.
Neither featured against Southampton on Sunday, but they are set to play a key part in Jose Mourinho’s plans throughout the season.
Mourinho discussed several topics after Tottenham’s 5-2 win over Southampton, including the inclusion of Bale and Reguilon.
“A coach always likes to have the best players in his squad,” he said when asked about the prospect of adding Bale and Reguilon to the team.
“Gareth, when fit and in condition, is one of the top players in Europe, and Sergio [Reguilon] was amazing last season in Sevilla.
“So if you ask me if I'm happy to have these players I have to say yes I am but there are other things that make a team and make a squad.
"A squad is a puzzle, a squad is a puzzle and in this moment our squad is not a puzzle and that's a problem that we have to understand.”
You can read Mourinho's full post-match quotes here.
Alli absence against Southampton is explained
Amid reports regarding a potential departure from Tottenham, Dele Alli was left out of Spurs’ match-day squad on Sunday.
Mourinho's side proceeded to dispatch Southampton, recording an impressive 5-2 victory which leaves Alli’s future in question.
After the win, Mourinho explained his reasons for not including Alli in the squad, which he confirmed was not due to an injury.
“No, we have a huge squad,” when asked if Alli was absent due to injury by BT Sport. “We have a squad with huge numbers that is very difficult to manage.
“It's not easy to be here with 18 players and to have ten in the training ground. Too many players.
"On the bench, I still have Sissoko, Lamela and Bergwijn. We have too many players for different positions.”
Ndombele proves his worth
After falling out of favour under Mourinho last season after struggling to prove his fitness, form and a positive attitude, Tanguy Ndombele finally produced a performance that his club-record price tag demands.
The French midfielder impressed in the Europa League in midweek, scoring the winner from off the bench against Lokomotiv Plovdiv, and was subsequently handed a role in the starting XI.
Ndombele was withdrawn at half-time, with Mourinho stating that he does not have the physical fitness to play a full match.
But in his first 45 minutes, he impressed, providing one lovely pass for Heung Son-min, though the Korean was flagged for offside, before playing a key role in Spurs’ first goal, spinning clear of pressure in midfield and instigating the Spurs attack.
You can read football.london’s full breakdown of the main storylines from Spurs’ impressive win here .
