Tottenham Round-Up, Thursday 12th November: Striker Search Dominates as Ebnoutalib 'Decision' Casts Doubt, Mikey Moore Loan in Question
Tottenham's women's development side kept their unbeaten league-phase record in the Subway Players Cup intact after a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Brisbane Road, though they came up short in the resulting penalty shootout (TottenhamHotspur.com). On the senior women's front, Spurs drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace in the League Cup on Wednesday night, and they're back in action against Everton in the Women's Super League on Saturday before facing Leicester in the League Cup next Wednesday.
The striker search continues to generate plenty of headlines. Spurs Web reports that Roberto De Zerbi's private view of Dominic Solanke may concern fans as the club look to bring in a new forward (Spurs Web). TeamTalk and Football365 both suggest Tottenham have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Bundesliga hotshot Younes Ebnoutalib, with the striker said to have reached a decision over a 2027 move that doesn't favour a switch to Spurs (TeamTalk) (Football365). Elsewhere, GiveMeSport claims Tottenham are exploring an "audacious" move for Bournemouth's Eli Junior Kroupi, while Spurs Web says the club are ready to sanction an "unusual" deal in January to beat Arsenal to the Frenchman (GiveMeSport) (Spurs Web). Sports Mole also reports that Spurs have joined Arsenal in tracking AC Monza's prolific Gustavo Varela, with Spurs Web adding that his release clause has rocketed in value after a nine-goal, ten-game run (Sports Mole) (Spurs Web). Further forward business was floated by Spurs Web, who looked at how a reported £50m release clause for Galatasaray's Aleksey Batrakov could strengthen De Zerbi's midfield (Spurs Web), while a reported Lens centre-back dubbed the "new Varane" has also been linked with Tottenham among a host of Premier League suitors eyeing a 2027 move, according to Sports Mole (Sports Mole).
The striker debate has an old boy at its centre too. Harry Kane has praised former Spurs academy graduate Will Lankshear's "goalscoring instinct" since his move to Middlesbrough, as reported by Spurs Web (Spurs Web), with Football.London suggesting Tottenham's lack of transfer activity up front leaves them facing an awkward situation given how well Lankshear has settled. Jamie O'Hara has gone further, telling Spurs Web he thinks it was "ridiculous" to sell Lankshear and that Tottenham only have themselves to blame for their striker shortage (Spurs Web). Spurs Web have also crunched the underlying numbers and found Tottenham rank first in the league for one statistic but 18th in another, something they say exposes De Zerbi's biggest attacking problem (Spurs Web).
Mikey Moore's struggles in Germany remain a live topic. TeamTalk reports Spurs are ready to consider terminating his loan at Cologne in January after a tough start to life in the Bundesliga, with sources suggesting the Rangers return could be back on the table (TeamTalk). Spurs Web say Cologne are "unimpressed" so far and that the Bundesliga side's manager has given Moore "homework" to work on over the international break amid what's being described as a "complete mess" (Spurs Web). For his part, Moore has told Football.London he still dreams of a Rangers return, explaining his loan decision, while Spurs Web carried further comments from the winger on why he changed his mind about going back to Scotland last summer (Football.London) (Spurs Web).
On the midfield front, Spurs Web report Conor Gallagher's stance amid continued January interest from elsewhere, with suggestions De Zerbi could instead tweak his position at Tottenham rather than sanction a sale, as part of a wider transfer round-up that also touched on a Barcelona defender being linked (Spurs Web).
There's been plenty of Harry Kane talk beyond transfer gossip. Kane has refused to rule out playing against Tottenham in a future Premier League return, according to Spurs Web (Spurs Web), while he also opened up about the "unique and difficult moments" he went through during his trophyless spell at the club (Spurs Web). Tim Sherwood revealed Kane had texted him that there's "still time" for a Premier League return (Spurs Web). Elsewhere, GiveMeSport claim Mauricio Pochettino has "always loved" a Manchester United player and sees him as a Tottenham version of Dele Alli, while Football.London report Pochettino could get a "dream" reunion with Spurs supporters later this season if he takes charge at Old Trafford.
In academy news, Luca Williams-Barnett has had a mixed week - picking up a Premier League award after just 18 minutes of senior football according to Spurs Web (Spurs Web), before being left red-faced after missing a Panenka penalty for England U19s (Football.London) (Spurs Web). On the injury front, an FA regulatory commission has ruled that Micky van de Ven was lucky to avoid a "debilitating injury" from Jan Philippe Mateta's challenge, as Crystal Palace's appeal over the red card was addressed (Spurs Web). Finally, goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky revealed the unusual label De Zerbi gives him in training, essentially treating him as "a midfielder" (Spurs Web), and Football.London confirmed Talking Tottenham's Christmas live show with Alasdair Gold and Ryan Taylor is coming to Signature Brew in December (Football.London).
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.
