A round-up of news and views relating to Tottenham Hotspur over the past 24 hours.
Michael Dawson is likely to return to the Spurs squad for the visit of Swansea this weekend, and the England defender has called on his teammates for a response to last weekend’s defeat to Everton. Dawson missed the match at Goodison Park, where Spurs lost 2-1 despite holding a 1-0 lead until the 90th minute, but is confident Spurs can return to winning ways at home on Sunday.
Swansea manager Michael Laudrup has said that the Tottenham match is perfectly timed for his side, as the trip will ensure his team are not distracted by their success in the Capital One Cup. Swansea qualified for the semi final by beating Middlesbrough 1-0 on Wednesday night:
“It’s great to have the semi-final there, but I am happy we play Tottenham away on Sunday,”
“That’s perfect, because I know on Sunday everyone will be focused once again.
“It would have been much more difficult to play a home game against a smaller team on Sunday or Saturday, so Tottenham away is perfect.”
Ledley King has spoken about the Northumberland Development Project today, saying that the new stadium is absolutely crucial to Spurs’ long term progress as a club. King believes that the stadium, coupled with the new training centre which opened this year, will be a boost in attracting talented young players to the club.
Jan Vertonghen has spoken today about the reasons he chose to sign for Spurs rather than their bitter rivals Arsenal, saying that Arsene Wenger wanted to use him as a defensive midfielder. The defender also spoke about his current role covering at left back for Spurs, saying he is looking forward to a move back to the centre, as he isn’t agile enough to face wingers like Nani and Sterling.
Benoit Assou-Ekotto is being courted by Cameroon boss Jean-Paul Akono, who hopes to convince the left back to return form international football. Assou-Ekotto retired from playing for Cameroon in 2010, but the manager hopes to change his mind, with the Indomitable Lions failing to qualify for the last two African Cup of Nations.
Miralem Pjanic has spoken about the rumours linking him with a January exit from Roma, with Spurs and Barcelona reportedly interested in the midfielder. Pjanic says he is happy at Roma, but you “never know what can happen.”
The Spurs Next Gen side have qualified for the next round of the tournament, despite losing 2-0 against Anderlecht today. Spurs qualified as one of the best third-placed teams, with Anderlecht also through as they claimed second place in the group behind Barcelona.
Spurs defender Steven Caulker has been given a two game international ban for his part the in row at the end of the England U21 game in Serbia. Blackpool’s Tom Ince has also been banned, as have four Serbian players. The Serbian FA have been fined €80,000. The FA intends to appeal the bans, saying that the players acted correctly in protecting themselves.
Harry Kane may return for Norwich City before the end of the year according to manager Chris Hughton. The on loan Spurs striker suffered a broken metatarsal in September, but has recovered more quickly than expected.
image: © wonker
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