Here are your Tottenham Hotspur morning headlines for Friday, 18 September.
Jose Mourinho stays coy as Gareth Bale nears Tottenham return
Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho refused to confirm or deny widespread reports Gareth Bale is on the brink of securing a return to the North London club.
football.london understands Spurs hope to announce the loan signing of Bale from Real Madrid, as well as the permanent signing of full back Sergio Reguilon, on Friday after a breakthrough in negotiations earlier in the week.
However, Mourinho said very little on the matter after Spurs’ Europa League win over Lokomotiv Plovdiv last night.
“I cannot comment, I don't comment on something that I don't know,” he said.
“For me, at this moment, until I'm told Gareth Bale is a Tottenham player, I still think and feel and respect the fact that he's a Real Madrid player, so I'm not going to comment on a Real Madrid player.”
Europa League performance could be turning point in midfielder’s Spurs career
Mourinho praised the impact made by Tanguy Ndombele in the win over Lokomotiv Plovdiv, stating the performance could be the turning point in the Frenchman’s Spurs career.
Ndombele has struggled to make an impression since making the club record move to Tottenham from Lyon last summer, but came off the bench to help change the game against Spurs’ Bulgarian opponents on Thursday.
“Tanguy is in a process of evolution. Last season he wasn’t,” Mourinho explained afterwards. “Last season he was stuck in a situation where I couldn't see evolution.
“In this moment he's training very, very well. He's recovering from his injury, he's recovering physically and today he gave us what we needed in this last 30 minutes.
“In this moment, I believe in Tanguy. I never doubted his quality. Never. I doubted in some moments his motivation and commitment and professional attitude.”
Former Spurs boss backs club to make another signing from Real Madrid
Harry Redknapp believes Tottenham should pair the arrival of Bale from Real Madrid with that of Luka Modric from the Spanish club.
Bale is close to securing a return on loan to the North London club and former Spurs boss Redknapp has stated Modric should also be targeted for a return eight years after he left for the Spanish capital.
“I'd go and see if I could get Luka Modric back,” Redknapp told Stats Perform News (via Goal).
“Take the pair of them, Bale and Modric. That would be a great coup. Luka is still a fantastic player. That would be amazing.
“I still feel they need somebody there; they've got the forward players, but they need somebody to supply the bullets. That’s where someone like Luka Modric can play killer passes, into great movement up front. They lack a player like that.”
