Gareth Bale Left From Real Madrid Squad Amid Premier League Return

Real Madrid out of favor Gareth Bale has been axed from Zinedine Zidane 22-man squad for their final La Liga game of the season amid speculations he could return to the Premier League.

Bale appears to be on his way out of Madrid this summer, with Newcastle United having been linked with a move for the Wales international if a proposed Saudi-led takeover of the club is approved.

The 31-year-old has also been linked with a return to former club Tottenham, while Manchester United have been suggested as a possible destination numerous times in recent years.

And a return to English football may have moved a step closer after Bale was left out for the newly crowned Spanish champions' clash away at Leganes on Sunday night.

Reports have suggested Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is desperate to move Bale on in the summer transfer window.

The forward could be seen celebrating awkwardly when Real sealed the Spanish title against Villarreal on Thursday, standing to one side as his team-mates jubilantly threw Zidane in the air.

Since the season resumed in June, Bale has made just two appearances for Los Blancos - and has failed to feature in their last six games.

Bale was snapped watching last Monday's win over Granada from the stands through pretend binoculars, while was also seen pretending to fall asleep with a face mask over his eyes during Madrid's 2-0 win over Alaves three days before that.

His antics angered some fans, while Bale's former Tottenham teammate Dimitar Berbatov accused the Welshman of "disrespecting" Real Madrid.

"Gareth Bale is in the headlines again for pretending to sleep in the stands when he found out he was going to be an unused substitute," Berbatov told Betfair.

"When I saw it I couldn't believe it. I watched him put his mask over his eyes and pretend to be asleep.

"I cannot support that. It is unprofessional and disrespectful to Real Madrid.

"Madrid need to find a solution to the Bale saga. It's not good for Bale or the team."

At one stage last summer, Bale appeared set to switch to Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua which was not materialized.

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Tottenham Records A Positive Case Of COVID19

The Premier League have announced a positive case of coronavirus after 1,197 samples across the fifth round of testing this week.

With exactly two weeks until the top-flight season resumes, numbers of positive cases have remained very low but climb from the zero recorded in the fourth set of tests.

Tottenham have revealed that the individual to have tested positive for coronavirus is a player/staff member from their club.

The individual's name will not be disclosed.

They are currently asymptomatic and will now self-isolate for seven days.

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Tottenham Midfielder Dele Alli Robbed At His Residence

Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli was robbed after burglars broke into his North London residence in the early hours of Wednesday.

There were reports that five people in the house including the 24-year-old England star at the time of the robbery, with Alli, his brother, their girlfriends and another friend present.

Alli had scored nine goals in 35 appearances for Tottenham when the season was suspended in March because of the ongoing lethal coronavirus pandemic.

Premier League teams could return to training next week with players unsure about resuming set to speak to their club captains in the next 24 hours.

League captains held a meeting with the Premier League and medical experts on Wednesday afternoon to talk through the protocols which will be in place to make sure training is as safe as possible.

Premier League clubs could start training again next Tuesday if the proposals are backed by players and managers and approved by the government and Public Health England.

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Mauricio Pochettino fired at Tottenham Hotspur

During the international break, Mauricio Pochettino has been axed as Tottenham Hotspur manager.

The club sits 14th in the Premier League table, without a win in its last five league games.

“We were extremely reluctant to make this change and it is not a decision the Board has taken lightly, nor in haste,” the club said in its official statement.

Regrettably domestic results at the end of last season and beginning of this season have been extremely disappointing.

“It falls to the Board to make the difficult decisions – this one made more so given the many memorable moments we have had with Mauricio and his coaching staff – but we do so in the Club’s best interests. 

Mauricio and his coaching staff will always be part of our history. I have the utmost admiration for the manner in which he dealt with the difficult times away from a home ground whilst we built the new stadium and for the warmth and positivity he brought to us. 

I should like to thank him and his coaching staff for all they have contributed. They will always be welcome here. We have a talented squad. We need to re-energize and look to deliver a positive season for our supporters.”

Reports had suggested over the past few days that his position was becoming more and more untenable, but there was no indication that a change was this imminent. The Telegraph reported Monday look Daniel Levy during the international break about the direction and they suggested the game against West Ham United this weekend could be “make or break” for the Argentine.

Pochettino had been with the club since joining in 2014. They reached the Champions League final last season, losing to Liverpool.

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Pochettino Not Eager On Any January Arrivals

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino does not expect the club "are going to do anything" during the January transfer window.

Spurs completed a 7-0 demolition of League Two side Tranmere in the FA Cup on Friday, meaning they remain in the running to win four competitions this season.

Son Heung-min scored in the rout but will now head off on international duty with South Korea at the Asian Cup, leaving Pochettino without one of his key performers ahead of a crucial run of fixtures.

Next up is the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final against Chelsea, while their next Premier League fixture sees a rejuvenated Manchester United visit Wembley next weekend.

Spurs did not add to their squad in the previous window and Pochettino dismissed the idea of any new arrivals coming in during this month, too.

"I don't believe that we are going to do anything," he told the media after the cup game.

When asked if he felt his squad was strong enough to cope with such a busy fixture list, the Argentinean added: "I'm so happy with my squad. Always you can improve, different things you can or not."

Fernando Llorente seized the chance to start in the third-round tie, scoring a second-half hat-trick as Tranmere conceded six goals after the break.

The Spanish striker has been linked with a return to his homeland, with former club Athletic Bilbao and Valencia linked, and his deal with Spurs expires at the end of the campaign.

"Yes, it's a six-month contract with the club and we will see what happens," Pochettino said about Llorente's future.

"As I explained for different players, it's not only in our hands, it's what the player wants. Of course, now the window is open we're going to talk."

Pochettino showed no mercy on Tranmere, playing Dele Alli for the full 90 minutes and bringing Harry Kane – who scored the final goal in the rout – off the bench with the score at 6-0.

"It's important for him to score and have 20 minutes playing football," Pochettino said of Kane.

"I think it was important for him and for the team an important victory and to get to the next stage of the FA Cup. It was an important fixture for the club. To be in four competitions is an important thing."

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Lloris Determines To Win Silverware With Tottenham

Tottenham Marshall and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is determined to end the club's wait for silverware this season.

Spurs have impressed under manager Mauricio Pochettino, however, Tottenham are without a trophy since winning the 2008 EFL Cup.

Tottenham are third in the Premier League this season and nine points behind leaders Liverpool, while Spurs are in the Champions League last 16 and EFL Cup semi-finals against Chelsea.

A World Cup winner with France at Russia 2018, Lloris said: "This [winning silverware] is what we work for.

"We know we are in the Premier League and there are a lot of contenders, big teams, big players, and that is why we are excited to be here.

"We are in the most competitive country, so we keep working with the same mentality and do our best.

"We have shown in the past that Tottenham is very competitive and we are reducing the gap with the best."

Following their shock 3-1 loss at home to Wolves, Tottenham will face Cardiff City on Tuesday.

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Moussa Sissoko Dismisses Tottenham Critics

Moussa Sissoko is unconcerned by criticism from Tottenham supporters and has set his sights on a repeat of last season's success.

Sissoko became Tottenham's record signing when he joined for £31.5million from Newcastle United in August 2016 but he fell out of favour with boss Mauricio Pochettino in his first season at the club.

Reports surfaced linking the former Toulouse player with a move away but Sissoko went on to have a much-improved season in his second campaign for Spurs, making 33 Premier League appearances and scoring one goal.

Sissoko accepts he had a difficult start to life at Tottenham but is not worried about the response from some supporters, who booed the 28-year-old during a draw with Southampton last term.

"I came late, I didn't have pre-season and it was a new challenge for me. But last year I played a lot of games and I did well - like the team. This year is going to be the same.

"I will try to play more and I will try to do better and better. I'm happy with everyone here. The staff are always happy with me so I'll try to keep going."

Despite finding his feet under Pochettino, Sissoko missed out on a place in the France squad for the World Cup.

Didier Deschamps opted to leave the midfielder behind and his side went on to lift the trophy without Sissoko, who remains positive about his chances of adding to 53 Les Bleus caps.

"This is life sometimes," he said. "I wanted to be part of this team but the manager decided to leave me out. This is football.

"I was very happy for them. They deserve it. Now I'm looking forward and we will see what will happen.

"My ambition is the same as always: to try to be better and better, to try to improve, to try to help the team to finish higher up the league, try to go far in the Champions League. Try to perform."

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AVB: Harry Should Leave White Hart Lane if he Needs Trophies

Former Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas admitted that although the club provides Harry Kane with stability, leaving is his best option if he is hungry for trophies.

The Portuguese coach endured a mixed spell at White Hart Lane during his stint in north London. Having arrived in 2012 off the back of a disastrous spell at Chelsea, he set a points record for Spurs in 2012/13.

However, the 72 points they amassed were not enough to secure Champions League football, as they finished a point behind fourth-placed Arsenal. Halfway through the following season, Villas-Boas was relieved of his managerial duties by mutual consent after a poor start.

He has mixed feelings on whether or not Spurs is the right club for Kane, the Premier League's leading goalscorer so far this term.

"It depends on Harry and his ambitions for the future and how he sees his career going forward," Villas-Boas said at the Laureus World Sports Awards.

"If he has a hunger for trophies and for notoriety, he would have to leave Spurs. If he has no hunger for that, but [wants] recognition and stability, he would stay at Spurs.

"Spurs are in that breakout moment of becoming a great football team - the [new] stadium, infrastructure, training ground is there, the team is building up, very well managed.

"The trophy cabinet is still what is missing for this great club. That is, in the end, what footballers chase - glory, winning.

"I think for Harry, one or two more years at Spurs wouldn't be bad and then see how the club develops. With the new stadium coming through, I also think that Spurs should have that margin from him."

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Gary Lineker Says Tottenham Faces 'Watershed Moment'

Gary Lineker feels Tottenham face a "watershed moment" as they seek to end a 10-year wait for silverware - and keep their star players.

Spurs won the 2008 League Cup but, led by Harry Kane and Dele Alli, finished second in the league last year.

They are fifth this season, but are in the fourth round of the FA Cup and last 16 of the Champions League.

"If they want to keep the likes of Kane and Alli, their star players, they'll have to pay the going rate," he said.

England forward Kane has scored 128 goals in 194 appearances for Spurs since making his debut in 2011, winning the Premier League golden boot in each of the last two seasons.

Both 24-year-old Kane and Alli, 21, are contracted to Spurs until 2022, having signed new deals at the end of 2016.

"I think Tottenham have to decide what they are. They'll also have to bring players in and challenge for titles because the great players want to win things, they want to be at places where they can do that," added former Tottenham and England striker Lineker.

"I suspect Harry Kane, he'd love that to happen, I think that would be his preference [to win things with Spurs]."

Tottenham face Newport County in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday and Italian champions Juventus in the last 16 of the Champions League next month.

"If Tottenham don't show the same ambition perhaps as one or two of the players, then they'll get a little bit disgruntled and they might seek different areas and different places to play, so it's a bit of a watershed moment for Tottenham," said Lineker.

Kane surpassed Alan Shearer's record for Premier League goals in a calendar year in 2017, prompting the former England captain to say it is "inevitable" Real Madrid and Barcelona will eventually come calling for Kane.

Unlike Shearer, Lineker did play overseas, having joined Spurs after a three-year stay at Barcelona.

"When those big boys come calling, it's quite difficult," added Lineker.

"It depends on your personality and what you want out of life and where you want to go, so we've all got different circumstances, so we'll have to wait and see."

Lineker also remains the only Englishman to have finished top scorer at a World Cup, with Kane set to lead the line for England in Russia later this year.

Kane has scored 12 goals in 23 appearances for England, including five goals in the successful qualifying campaign for Russia.

"Harry Kane is more capable of scoring different kinds of goals than I was but you still need a team behind you to support you to get yourself in that position," said Lineker.

"If he wins the Golden Boot, it means England will be doing pretty well, which will be a great thing."

SOURCE: ALL FOOTBALL

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Spurs Need Motivations for February - Kane

Spurs have lost only once in their last 11 games in all competitions, a 4-1 defeat at Manchester City, and Kane believes it's important to keep going strong against Southampton on Sunday.

The north London outfit's difficult run starts on January 31 when they host Manchester United, before playing Liverpool away, Arsenal at home, and finally Juventus away in the UEFA Champions League.

“It is important we keep this momentum going,” said Kane, according to the Daily Echo.

“February is a really tough month for us. We play Manchester United then we have Liverpool, Arsenal and the Champions League as well.

“So it is important we keep winning and take this form into February and see what happens.”

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Harry Kane Trebble Destroy Saints

Harry Kane scored a second consecutive hat-trick to leap-frog a long-standing Premier League record set by Alan Shearer as Tottenham show no mercy by destroying Southampton 5-2 at Wembley on Boxing Day.

Kane bagged another hat-trick, Alli and Son also on target for Spurs while Boufal and Tadic reduce deficit as a consolation. Kane breaks Shearer record

Match Summary

Kane scored twice in the first half to put Mauricio Pochettino's side in command at the break and striker completed his three-goal haul in the second half, with Dele Alli and Son Heung-min also getting on target against the Saints, who replied through Sofiane Boufal and Dusan Tadic.

Full Report

The breakthrough arrived in the 22nd minute when Christian Eriksen whipped in a free-kick from the edge of the box to pick out an unmarked Kane two yards out to head home with ease and reach 37 Premier League goals in 2017, breaking Alan Shearer's 22-year-old record for goals in a calendar year.

A few minutes later, the hosts almost gifted the Saints an equaliser. An initial shot from Boufal was parried by Hugo Lloris and Danny Rose attempted to play it back to the keeper, but the header was too high for the Frenchman to comfortably collect and he had to scramble to keep it from crossing the goalline.

Spurs were clearly in the ascendancy throughout the first half and doubled their lead in the 39th minute with some attractive passing and movement that cut the visitors open. Alli and Son combined brilliantly before the South Korean set up Kane for a tap in from four yards out. The finish saw the England striker surpass Lionel Messi for most goals in 2017 for club and country with 55.

Mauricio Pellegrino's men were rather fortunate not to give away a penalty just before the break. Son went down in the box after what appeared to be a push in the back from Jack Stephens, but the referee waved away appeals.

Shortly after the break Mario Lemina went agonisingly close to pulling one back, but his powerful shot from the edge of the area hit the bar.

It was only a brief respite for the Saints as Spurs went three goals clear in the 49th minute. Alli curled a precise low shot past Fraser Forster to find the far-bottom corner of the goal after sharp interplay with Son.

Only two minutes later it was Son who found the back of the net as the north Londoners stormed to a 4-0 lead. A mistake by the Southampton defence gifted Alli with the ball and he fed Son, who produced a confident finish.

The south-coast club were given the faintest of glimmers in the 64th minute as Boufal reduced the deficit to three with a strong shot beating Lloris at his near post.

However, their celebrations were short-lived. In the 67th minute, Kane was put through on goal and showed a great touch to clip the ball over Forster to complete his hat-trick.

The Saints netted in the last few minutes as the goal-fest continued. Substitute Tadic chipped a shot from a corner and managed to get the better of Lloris, who got a hand to it but couldn't keep it out.

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Harry Kane On Verge To Break Shearer's Record

Tottenham striker Harry Kane can beat Alan Shearer’s record for most Premier League goals in a calendar year in their Boxing Day clash against Southampton.

Kane’s hat trick against Burnley last weekend took him level with Shearer on 36 goals for 2017, which can be broken against the Saints at Wembley.

"I'm the striker, so a lot of the time I get the praise and get spoken about, but it's so important that the team does well," Kane said.

"But now, obviously equal, yeah I'm full of confidence going into Tuesday. But most importantly for me it's the wins that matter and Southampton's going to be another tough game."

Meanwhile, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino believes Kane still has room to improve as he chases the club’s all-time leading scorer: Teddy Sheringham.

"Of course the record of Alan is fantastic," Pochettino said. "He was a fantastic player, but Harry is doing so well.

"I think Alan was consistently scoring for 10 years. You need to show massive respect, it was amazing what he did.

"Harry is doing well - to have a player like Harry Kane is fantastic, I hope and I wish that every season he scores 50 or more than 50 [goals]."

"I think he still can improve. At 24 I think the player arrives at their best at 27, 28 or 29 depending on how professional you are.

"But with Harry Kane, if he keeps that mentality and keeps working hard every day in training sessions and never change that mentality, then he can play until he wants to play."

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Spurs Can't Fight On Two Fronts

Spurs beat Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund to top spot in their group, but are fifth in the league standings ahead of their Boxing Day clash with the Saints at Wembley.

"The main problem is that they are competing in the Champions League," said Pellegrino. "You have to spend a lot of energy, a lot of strength in this competition.

"When you are playing in European competition, it is a big change. You have to live this over a lot of years to keep the level, especially mentally. It is not easy for the players to play not just one competition, but two, or three or four."

Pellegrino also blamed heightened expectations, pointing to attacking midfielder Dele Alli as an example of a player unable to consistently overperform.

"When the expectation is really high, people can be disappointed," Pellegrino added. "Before nobody expected too much from Dele Alli and everybody talked about what a spectacular player he is.

"Now the expectations are high, people are disappointed. Always, it is like this. It is proportional.

"He is an amazing player and obviously still very young. Nobody is consistent 365 days of the year. Human beings play football, not machines. Everyone has the same trouble."

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Spurs Can't Fight On Two Fronts

Spurs beat Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund to top spot in their group, but are fifth in the league standings ahead of their Boxing Day clash with the Saints at Wembley.

"The main problem is that they are competing in the Champions League," said Pellegrino. "You have to spend a lot of energy, a lot of strength in this competition.

"When you are playing in European competition, it is a big change. You have to live this over a lot of years to keep the level, especially mentally. It is not easy for the players to play not just one competition, but two, or three or four."

Pellegrino also blamed heightened expectations, pointing to attacking midfielder Dele Alli as an example of a player unable to consistently overperform.

"When the expectation is really high, people can be disappointed," Pellegrino added. "Before nobody expected too much from Dele Alli and everybody talked about what a spectacular player he is.

"Now the expectations are high, people are disappointed. Always, it is like this. It is proportional.

"He is an amazing player and obviously still very young. Nobody is consistent 365 days of the year. Human beings play football, not machines. Everyone has the same trouble."

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Am Not Surprised Of Our Performance

Two-goal hero Dele Alli said he is not surprised by the quality of Tottenham's performance in their upset win against Champions League holders Real Madrid.

Tottenham were a class above Spanish giants Madrid as they ran out comfortable 3-1 victors at Wembley in Group H action on Wednesday.

Spurs star Alli scored in either half, while Christian Eriksen was also on target to seal Tottenham's passage through to the last 16.

"To be honest, no," Alli told  BT Sport  when asked if he was surprised by Tottenham's performance following their 1-1 draw in last month's reverse fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu.

"We spoke after the game at their place and said we couldn't believe how much space we had at times and that the easy pass looked too obvious at times and we were too sloppy.

"I think we knew that if we were solid at the back we'd get the chances and with the team we've got here we don't just want to be competing with these teams, we want to be winning.

"It was a fantastic performance from us. We stuck to the game plan and made a lot of chances - it could have been more but we're very happy with the result."

After Alli doubled Tottenham's lead approaching the hour-mark, having opened the scoring in the 27th minute, Spurs team-mate Eriksen settled the contest with 25 minutes remaining in London.

Four-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo reduced the deficit 10 minutes from the end but it was merely a consolation.

"We played a very professional game. We could have had more if we'd had a bit more composure in the final third," Eriksen said.

"This will take us on to the next stage. We need to keep it going. We're just happy to be through and we can focus on the league now."

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Martial Late Winner Secures a Crucial Victory for Manchester United

As it went down:

Man Utd 1-0 Tottenham:

Martial late winner secures a vital home win against rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

10: CHANCE!! Dier slips and Lukaku threads a ball through to Rashford on the edge. He can't get his shot away but the ball deflects back to Luaku inside the area down the right. He smacks one with his right boot...SHANK! The ball flies across goal. Spurs survive. 

12: FREE-KICK! Sissoko fouls Mkhitaryan in midfield. It's a good 35 yards out, but Rashford lines it up...

SAVE! Powerful strike. It zips off the surface and forces Lloris into a diving save which he turns around the post. From the corner, Lloris palms it clear.

28: CHANCE!! De Gea comes to claim a routine cross but runs into Jones and the ball spins out to Alli. He sets up Sissoko from 18 yards. He's under no pressure...but skies an effort into the stand.

30: TEMPER, TEMPER! Young wants a foul for a flinging arm from Aurier, but nothing given. After a mildly heated discussion, Alli gets involved and Young gets very chirpy with the Spurs man. They go head-to-head but Alli doesn't take the bait.

42: SAVE!! United don't deal with Eriksen's fine ball. It drops toVertonghen at an awkward angle from 12 yards. He reveres a looped effort towards the top corner, but De Gea gets across to make an easy take.

55: CHANCE!! Mkhitaryan drifts into space and it all opens up. He hits a tame effort straight at Lloris......who lets the ball slip out of his grasp. In flies Rashford from close range..what a tackle by Davies, who forces the ball clear from two yards out. 

56: SAVE! Mkhitaryan comes again as United up the tempo. He dances down the left and flashes a cross-shot that Lloris has to block away. The rebound drops to Valencia about 15 yards out....his effort is brilliantly blocked away by Dier. 

74: SAVE!! Lukaku gets one-on-one withAlderweireld and takes him down the outside. He gets half a yard and flashes a shot across goal which Lloirs gets a hand to. It looked to be going wide, anyway. 

United keep the pressure on and Valencia flies into the box. He goes down as Davies leaves a leg out. He tumbles. The referee books him for diving. 

77: CHANCE! Oh wow. Big chance. Eriksen finds space again. He curls a majestic ball into the six yard box where Alli gets the run on Smalling. He beats De Gea to the ball but flicks the ball wide from close range. 

79: POST!! Lingard gets away down the right and a hangs a ball up for Lukaku to attack. He does brilliantly to win the header and plant one towards the bottom corner. Lloris can only watch as the ball bounces back off the upright! 

81' GOAL!! MAN UTD 1-0 SPURS (Martial, 81)

De Gea pings a free-kick long which is won by Lukaku under no pressure. Dier allows Martial to nip in behind him and he's through on goal.

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Dele Alli And Harry Kane Worth More Than Lionel Messi And Cristiano Ronaldo - study

Tottenham's Harry Kane and Dele Alli are worth more than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to a new study by CIES Football Observatory.

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Manchester United produce finest performance of the Van Gaal era

After a week in which many had questioned Louis van Gaal's ability to get to grips with the Premier League, the club produced arguably their finest performance in the division since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson.

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Arsenal Face Tough Task For Midfield Target From Rivals

The future of Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin remains uncertain as Spurs prepare a third bid for the Frenchman also being targeted by Arsenal, according to the Mirror.

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Dier Through Spurs Maximum Points

It was far from the perfect performance from Tottenham Hotspur, but it was a fine finish, and the perfect start to the new season and Mauricio Pochettino's regime.

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