Tottenham Round-Up, Friday 6th November: De Zerbi Gives Injury Update and Williams-Barnett Verdict Ahead of Leeds Trip
Spurs head to Elland Road on Saturday looking to make it four Premier League wins on the bounce, and Roberto De Zerbi faced the media on Friday to preview the game (Football365) (Spurs Web). The Italian confirmed a triple injury blow in his squad update, though Rodrigo Bentancur and Tosin Adarabioyo are both back available for selection after suspension and injury respectively (Evening Standard) (Football.London) (TottenhamHotspur.com). De Zerbi also gave an update on Lucas Bergvall and Savio among others, and confirmed one previously sidelined player is now ready to return to face Leeds (Spurs Web). Bergvall himself remains out, having been missing since picking up a knee injury against Manchester United back at the start of October (Evening Standard).
The big talking point from De Zerbi's press conference was Luca Williams-Barnett, with the manager admitting the teenager's full debut could have come earlier than it did, in the win over Chelsea (Football.London) (Spurs Web). De Zerbi says he believes the youngster is ready to start matches (ESPN), and there's growing pressure from pundits and supporters alike for him to be unleashed from the off at Leeds - Football.London and TeamTalk both report calls for him to be given the nod (Football.London) (TeamTalk), while a fan poll found 65% of those surveyed want him handed a full debut against the Yorkshire side (Spurs Web). Elsewhere in the youth ranks, Jun'ai Byfield has been training with the first team this week ahead of the Leeds trip, following in the footsteps of Williams-Barnett (Evening Standard).
Pundits have been weighing in on the game itself. Chris Sutton has given his score prediction for the trip to Elland Road, suggesting Spurs' recent swagger can continue (Spurs Web), while Alan Shearer has also offered his verdict on whether Tottenham can make it four straight wins (Spurs Web). Not everyone is convinced the run continues, though, with TeamTalk noting one pundit expects the winning streak to come to an end against Leeds (TeamTalk). De Zerbi himself has played down talk of a European push, insisting his side "are not good enough" to be discussed in that context yet despite the upturn in form (Spurs Web), though former Spurs goalkeeper Brad Friedel has struck a more optimistic note, saying he believes the Lilywhites can push for Europe and praising Antonin Kinsky (Spurs Web).
Off the pitch, CEO Vinai Venkatesham has been speaking about the club's direction. He revealed that Spurs were effectively planning for relegation during last season's nightmare run before avoiding the drop on the final day, and discussed what frustrated him and the "irresponsible" approach the club steered clear of (Evening Standard) (Football.London) (Spurs Web). On a more ambitious note, Venkatesham also stated that Tottenham's ultimate aims are to win both the Premier League and the Champions League (Spurs Web). The Key Match Incidents panel, meanwhile, have ruled that two of referee Chris Kavanagh's big decisions during the win over Chelsea went against Spurs (Spurs Web).
On the transfer front, there's continued speculation around Tottenham's midfield. Spurs Web reports the club are keen to add further to their options alongside Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali by potentially signing an AC Milan loanee (Spurs Web), while the same outlet claims Tottenham have made initial contact with Milan over Youssouf Fofana (Spurs Web). Elsewhere, reports link Spurs with Boca Juniors attacker Leonel Flores, said to have impressed a Chelsea player (Spurs Web), and Sports Mole suggests a striker addition is now viewed as a priority following the club's struggles in front of goal, with Richarlison out of favour (Sports Mole) (Spurs Web). TeamTalk also reports that Tottenham and Manchester United are continuing to keep tabs on Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White, though Forest are said to see him as central to their own plans (TeamTalk). On the Harry Kane front, Football.London reports there is a clause in his new Bayern Munich contract that could still, in theory, pave the way for a return to Spurs down the line (Football.London).
Finally, some club and academy news: Tottenham's new Together Tottenham initiative has launched with the aim of creating 150,000 life-changing opportunities for young people in the local area by 2030 (TottenhamHotspur.com), Mikey Moore has received his first call-up to the England Under-21s set-up (TottenhamHotspur.com), and Tyrese has been shortlisted once again for a Premier League 2 prize (TottenhamHotspur.com). Will Lankshear, meanwhile, continues to impress while out on loan at Middlesbrough after leaving Spurs in the summer (GiveMeSport).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
