Tottenham Hotspur

Lee rejects Roma to stay at Spurs
Tottenham defender Lee Young-Pyo's move to AS Roma is off after he opted to stay with Spurs. Roma have been long-time admirers of the 29-year-old and Lee's agents claimed a deal was near to completion. Any move to Rome for the South Korean international is now unlikely to happen before Thursday's transfer deadline. Lee's agents said:\"We held negotiations with AS Roma and neared the final stages of a deal but the signing was called off for personal reasons.\" Earlier, the Global Sports and Entertainment Network had claimed: \"Tottenham and AS Roma have agreed in principle to the transfer of Lee Young-Pyo. \"The deal as almost sealed, as the only remaining procedure is the player's decision.\" Lee joined from PSV Eindhoven last August for an undisclosed fee and has made 34 appearances for Spurs. He played at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and spent three years at PSV where he followed his former national team manager Guus Hiddink. Roma are looking for a left-back as a replacement for Argentina international Leandro Cufre, who joined Monaco on Tuesday.

Malbranque & Routledge swap clubs
Steed Malbranque has joined Tottenham from Fulham for an undisclosed fee, with Wayne Routledge moving in the opposite direction on a one-year loan. Malbranque, 26, had been linked with a move away from the Cottagers after refusing to sign a new deal. Bolton, West Ham, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Portsmouth were all keen on the Frenchman. Routledge, 21, has made just three appearances for Spurs since joining them in the summer of 2005. He spent over three months at loan with Portsmouth but started just three league games for the club. Malbranque, who turned down a £4m move to Middlesbrough, has been at Fulham since joining them in a £5m move from Lyon in 2001 and made over 200 appearances. Spurs boss Martin Jol said: \"Steed is a skilful, versatile midfielder of real quality. \"He is a player we have always admired and we are delighted he has come to us, there were a number of other clubs interested. \"He is a player who can cover the left, centre and right midfield positions and will work well within our system.\" Malbranque is unlikely to be seen in a Spurs shirt until November as he has a groin injury. He said: ?Tottenham is a big club and it's a fantastic new challenge for me. It's an excellent squad and I'm looking forward to joining. \"I will be working hard on my recovery and rehabilitation in order to be ready to play as soon as possible.\"

Wigan accept Spurs' Chimbonda bid
Tottenham have had a bid for Wigan full-back Pascal Chimbonda accepted. The 27-year-old has been expected to leave the JJB Stadium ever since handing in a transfer request on the final day of the 2005-06 season. On their website, the Latics said that Spurs had offered the \"biggest fee Wigan have ever received\". Chimbonda is valued at £6m by Wigan, who signed the Frenchman in a £500,000 deal in July 2005 - with the player making 44 appearances for the club. Chimbonda is currently in London discussing personal terms with Spurs, who reportedly had a £3m bid rejected in June. West Ham are also thought to have bid £4m for the player. Wigan manager Paul Jewell said he was pleased with the price being offered by Spurs for Chimbonda. \"I had a price in mind all along and was never prepared to accept anything less than that,\" he told Wigan's website. \"I feel we have achieved that goal. \"No one knew the name Pascal Chimbonda in this country 12 months ago, now he is one of the most recognisable faces in the Premiership.\"

Tottenham wait on Berbatov injury
Tottenham boss Martin Jol is hopeful Dimitar Berbatov will recover from his groin injury in time to face Manchester United on Saturday. Berbatov picked up the injury in Bulgaria's game against Romania on Saturday and is out of Wednesday's Euro 2008 qualifier against Slovenia. The striker was originally thought to be out for up to two weeks. But Jol told Tottenham's website: \"He will have treatment here and will hopefully be fit for Saturday's game.\" That would be a huge boost for Spurs, who also have a Uefa Cup tie at Slavia Prague on Thursday, 14 September. And Jol has warned his side they face a stiff test against the Czech outfit in their first-round tie. He said: \"Czech football is at a high level and the national team is probably as good as the England team. It will be tough but I'm positive. \"They play 4-4-2, they have good strikers, one is on the fringe of the national team and the other scored a couple of goals and is a very good header of the ball. \"They have a good left winger, the captain in midfield is experienced and at the back Martin Latka, who was at Birmingham last season, he looked comfortable on the ball. \"In short, they have a decent side who play for each other.\"

Malbranque faces two months out
New Tottenham signing Steed Malbranque has undergone a hernia operation which will sideline him for two months. Spurs coach Martin Jol confirmed the 26-year-old midfielder opted to have surgery following his £2m move from Fulham last week. Jol said: \"It was his decision and he will be out for seven or eight weeks.\" Meanwhile, striker Dimitar Berbatov will miss Saturday's trip to Manchester United with a groin injury he picked up playing for Bulgaria last week.

Man Utd 1-0 Tottenham
Ryan Giggs' eighth-minute header proved enough for Manchester United as the hosts extended their 100% start to four games against a profligate Spurs side. The Welshman swooped to head in off the bar after Paul Robinson tamely parried Cristiano Ronaldo's swerving free-kick. Ronaldo was at his magical best at times and was twice denied by Robinson. Michael Dawson, Ledley King, Jermain Defoe and Mido all wasted superb chances to seal what would have been a deserved draw. United had Edwin van der Sar to thank for preventing Dawson and King scoring, tipping the former's attempted lob away in the second half before blocking King's follow-up on the floor. But Defoe had no-one to blame but himself for missing a golden opportunity 20 minutes from time when he contrived to head over the bar from six yards with the goal gaping from Benoit Assou-Ekotto's cross. And Egyptian Mido, on his return for Tottenham after securing a permanent move from Roma, was equally wasteful when he failed to connect with Reto Ziegler's swirling cross. A leveller would have been just rewards for the visitors, who reacted well to going behind early. With Aaron Lennon absent with a knee injury, Spurs' narrow midfield - which included a deep-lying Mido - coped well despite United's abundance of attacking flair and confidence. Michael Carrick in particular was in impressive form against his former club, dominating the midfield in the early stages and spraying cross-field passes around much as he did for the Londoners last season. And it was one such Carrick pass that led to United's first chance when Ronaldo drifted in from the right and tested Robinson with a curling left-footed effort. United always looked dangerous, with Ronaldo at the heart of all their good attacks, tormenting the visiting defence throughout the afternoon, not least when he forced a superb reaction save from Robinson from an angle on the hour mark. And he set Louis Saha free to almost have the final say of the afternoon when he raced clear of the Spurs defence, held off Assou-Ekotto and blazed at goal only for Robinson to palm away well. It was representative of an open contest, played out in front of a record Premiership crowd of 75,434. However, Spurs manager Martin Jol will find it hard to reason how Spurs did not find a goal, with Jermaine Jenas also blazing wide when well-set in the first half. The Dutchman will have been encouraged, though, by his side's resilience and the performance of new boy Pascal Chimbonda, who hardly put a foot wrong at right back. But Spurs' missed chances meant United were able to hold on for the win - the first time they have won their first four games of the season in the Premiership - and return to the top of the table. Tottenham, meanwhile, have now stumbled to their worst start to a season since 1995 with work to be done ahead of their Uefa Cup clash against Slavia Prague on Thursday. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson: \"We beat a good side who will make an impact in this league. \"I think Ryan has shown his experience and maturity. His ability's always been there. He's been a fantastic player for this club. \"He'll go down as one of the greatest. But he's using his experience. I'm pleased as we need players to do that.\" Tottenham boss Martin Jol: \"I think in the first half we probably lacked a bit of confidence. \"It was a new team again, we had Hossam Ghaly making his debut and Pascal Chimbonda was new. But I think he did terrifically well. \"First half they didn't cause us a lot of problems. But at Old Trafford you get two or three chances at the most. And we had probably five today.\" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Brown, Evra, Ronaldo (Silvestre 90), Carrick (Fletcher 79), O'Shea, Richardson (Park 70), Giggs, Saha. Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Solskjaer. Booked: Richardson, Evra. Goals: Giggs 9. Tottenham: Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, King (Murphy 81), Assou-Ekotto, Jenas, Zokora, Davids (Ziegler 57), Ghaly, Keane (Defoe 57), Mido. Subs Not Used: Cerny, Huddlestone. Booked: Ghaly, Mido. Att: 75,453. Ref: M Riley (W Yorkshire).

Tottenham rocked by Lennon injury
Tottenham and England winger Aaron Lennon faces several weeks out after suffering a knee injury in training. The 19-year-old missed Saturday's 1-0 loss at Manchester United having broken down on Friday and will have a scan on Sunday to determine the problem. \"You never know with the knee. It could be his cartilage and he might need an operation,\" said manager Martin Jol. If it is ligament damage, he could miss England's forthcoming games against Macedonia and Croatia in early October. And he will certainly be out of Spurs' key Uefa Cup first-round opener against Slavia Prague on Thursday. Jol added: \"Maybe he needs surgery but maybe we'll give him another week's rest because it's only a small tear so hopefully it will be okay. We'll make an assessment so we know for sure. \"It's a disappointment but we played without him in pre-season and others did well so I'm confident we can play with the other players and get the results as well.\" Despite Jol's optimism, the news could represent a major blow for the Londoners, who are desperate to get their season back on track after three defeats in their opening four Premiership games. Lennon has fast become a key figure in Jol's first team at White Hart Lane after shooting to prominence last season, culminating in his selection for England's World Cup campaign. His absence will be felt even more keenly by Spurs with Lennon's obvious understudy, Wayne Routledge, having been sent on loan to Fulham for the season as part of the deal that took Steed Malbranque to White Hart Lane. Malbranque, who can also play on the right, is out of action for up to 10 weeks after undergoing surgery on a hernia problem.

Lennon to undergo knee operation
Tottenham and England winger Aaron Lennon will undergo a knee operation on Saturday that will keep him on the sidelines for up to six weeks. Spurs coach Martin Jol was optimistic Lennon had recovered sufficiently to play in Thursday's Uefa Cup first-round tie against Slavia Prague. But he failed a late fitness test and Jol confirmed the player will now undergo surgery to cure the problem. Lennon will miss England's next two games against Macedonia and Croatia. \"Aaron will have the operation on Saturday,\" Jol said after the 1-0 victory in Prague. \"He has a minor tear in the cartilage and we had hoped for the best. \"But after training yesterday he said he couldn't do everything he wanted to so we thought it best that he had the operation. He will be out for five or six weeks.\"

Tottenham v Fulham
Tottenham will be missing Aaron Lennon and striker Dimitar Berbatov is struggling with a groin problem. But midfield duo Danny Murphy and Hossam Ghaly return from injury. Fulham have a number of absences in midfield to contend with, but Claus Jensen should be fit to bolster the ranks after shaking off a calf strain. Jimmy Bullard, Simon Elliott and Ahmad Elrich are injured and Wayne Routledge cannot play under the terms of his one-year loan deal from Tottenham. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tottenham (from): Robinson, Cerny, Stalteri, Chimbonda, Dawson, King, Assou-Ekotto, Huddlestone, Jenas, Davids, Tainio, Berbatov, Keane, Defoe, Zokora, Davenport, Lee, Mido, Murphy, Ghaly. Fulham (from): Niemi, Lastuvka, Rosenior, Christanval, Pearce, Queudrue, Brown, Radzinski, Diop, Timlin, Boa Morte, John, Helguson, McBride, Volz, Bocanegra, N Jensen, C Jensen. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tottenham boss Martin Jol: \"The boys are back on Friday (after the Uefa Cup win against Slavia Prague), we must train and, hopefully, with a bit of luck, we can do better in the league. \"The result helps, because it's an away win and an away win in the Czech Republic is always good.\"

Tottenham 0-0 Fulham
Fulham claimed a deserved point at Tottenham as both sides wasted chances in an open game at White Hart Lane. Benoit Assou-Ekotto had the best chance of the first half when he forced Fulham keeper Antti Niemi into a solid save. Spurs turned up the heat after the break with Pascal Chimbonda and substitute Jermain Defoe going close but a lack of finishing quality showed. The excellent Moritz Volz nearly nicked it for Fulham but Paul Robinson saved his shot - and a share of the points. With Tottenham missing England winger Aaron Lennon and Fulham without playmaker Jimmy Bullard (both knee injuries), both sides were a little off kilter - and it showed. Surprisingly, it was the visitors who seized the initiative, capitalising on some sloppy play amongst the Spurs midfield. Cottagers' midfielder Michael Brown gave his former club a scare when he teed-up a shot from the edge of the box, only to see his effort smothered by Michael Dawson. Robinson also comfortably dealt with a long-range piledriver from Collins John before Bocanegra sent his rising header wide, under pressure from a looming Ledley King. It was a good 15 minutes before Spurs regained their shape, and finally Chimbonda and Jermaine Jenas, taking Lennon's role on the wing, began feeding some useful wide balls through to Robbie Keane and Mido. Keane, preferred to Defoe, looked lively but his best efforts were thwarted by a mix-and-match Fulham defence. As the half wore on, the home side's confidence grew and Teemu Tainio went close when he picked up Mido's pass in the box only to wastefully drag his left-footed strike inches wide. Niemi was also tested by Assou-Ekotto in the 40th minute but the Finn was alert enough to push the ball out of danger. Keane thought he might have ended Spurs' frustration when he was shoved over in the box by Franck Queudrue but his penalty appeals were waved away and the teams trudged off for the break in stalemate. Fulham boss Chris Coleman must have had the better of the team talks as the visitors again quickly set the tempo. Volz, who had a decent game playing in central midfield, won a free-kick and then attempted a rather speculative punt, which sailed wide. But the match soon descended into pretty harum-scarum stuff with both sides struggling for quality with their final ball. Spurs winger Lennon watches from the stands after surgery Keane looped a decent ball into the box but neither Mido or Jenas could get on the end of it. Minutes later, Mido missed out again when he thumped the ball into the post from a tight angle. Didier Zokora won a dubious free-kick outside the area - there appeared to be no contact from Queudrue - but Assou-Ekotto again failed to convert a good chance, sending the ball rising over the bar. With 20 minutes on the clock, Tottenham boss Martin Jol hauled off Tainio and brought on Defoe, to grateful cheers from the home crowd. Defoe tried to make an instant impact and won a free-kick outside the box but he lashed his strike wide. Tottenham, urged on by an anxious crowd, threw everything forward in the final 15 minutes but Fulham's defence was impenetrable. Luis Boa Morte damaged his cheekbone as he cleared Chimbonda's header off the line, Niemi turned Defoe's snap-shot round the post and then substitute Edgar Davids' powerful effort was blocked. Fulham almost stole maximum points when Volz raced down the other end, only to see Robinson save his long-range strike with his shins. Despite earning a slim Uefa Cup victory on Thursday, Tottenham remain scoreless in their last three Premiership matches while Fulham stretched their unbeaten run to four games. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tottenham manager Martin Jol: \"A draw is always frustrating at home because we need a win. It is a concern. \"We have strikers who can score goals and we have quality midfield players but we need them to gel together as soon as possible. The strikers need better service. \"I still think we worked hard and defended well and we could easily have lost the game. Credit to Fulham - we couldn't break them down.\" Fulham manager Chris Coleman: \"It's not just the point that I'm so pleased about, it's the fashion and the way in which we got it. \"We took the game to Tottenham, soaked up the pressure, hit them on the break and caused problems. \"Really, we had half a team out there on the pitch but we have a good work ethic, physically we are very strong and it is all credit to the players.\" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tottenham: Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, King, Assou-Ekotto, Jenas, Zokora, Murphy (Davids 80), Tainio (Defoe 70), Keane, Mido. Subs Not Used: Cerny, Lee, Huddlestone. Booked: Chimbonda, Mido. Fulham: Niemi, Rosenior, Pearce, Knight, Queudrue, Volz, Brown, Bocanegra, Boa Morte (Radzinski 77), McBride (Helguson 66), John (Runstrom 82). Subs Not Used: Lastuvka, Claus Jensen. Booked: Boa Morte, Bocanegra. Att: 36,131 Ref: M Clattenburg (Co Durham).

Berbatov suffers injury setback
Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov is set to be out until early October after suffering an injury blow in training. Berbatov, 25, was expected to return this weekend but aggravated a groin injury which may need surgery to fix. The Bulgarian has only played three matches for his new club since joining in a £10.9m deal during the summer. \"He is going to take some time to recover,\" said Spurs boss Martin Jol. \"It could take another couple of weeks for him to come back.\" Jol had hoped Berbatov would be back in time for Tottenham's trip to Liverpool on Saturday but will have to wait longer for his new signing's return. \"We pushed him to come back because we needed him and he was pushing himself,\" the Spurs boss added. \"But he could not come back against Fulham last week and it has proved the case again this week. \"He is still feeling pain and we will have to wait for him to come back. \"We are having problems scoring goals at the moment and we are looking for the attacking players to be more productive for us.\" After finishing fifth last season, Spurs have made a poor start to the new campaign and are 16th in the Premiership. They have won just one of their opening five matches and have failed to score in their last three league games.

Liverpool 3-0 Tottenham
Liverpool struck three times after the break to seal an impressive victory. But Spurs were left to regret an astonishing miss from Jermaine Jenas seconds before Mark Gonzalez gave Liverpool a 63rd-minute lead. Jenas somehow missed from a matter of inches from Edgar Davids' cross, and Spurs were punished when Gonzalez scored after Craig Bellamy hit a post. Dirk Kuyt slammed home the second after 73 minutes and John Arne Riise hit a spectacular third in the dying seconds. Liverpool chose to rest Jamie Carragher and recall Sami Hyypia, while Spurs boss Martin Jol gave a rare outing to the strike partnership of Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe, with Dimitar Berbatov out injured. Xabi Alonso, whose 60-yard strike stunned Newcastle in midweek, tried his luck from closer range after 12 minutes, firing a low shot just wide through a packed penalty area. But it was Spurs who should have gone ahead 13 minutes later when Ledley King somehow failed to get a touch to Danny Murphy's free-kick only six yards out with the goal at his mercy. Liverpool came even closer when Gonzalez's corner deflected off Pascal Chimbonda onto an upright with Paul Robinson beaten. The home side had penalty appeals turned down on the stroke of half-time when King appeared to handle and then haul down Bellamy as he raced into the area. But referee Howard Webb got the decision correct as King had timed his tackle to perfection. Liverpool carried all the momentum after the break, forcing Jol into a change after 61 minutes, sending on Davids for Teemu Tainio. And the move should have paid swift dividends as the Dutch veteran raced down the left flank and set up Jenas inside the six-yard box, but he somehow slid the ball wide when it was easier to score. Liverpool made Spurs pay heavily for Jenas' shocking miss, taking the lead within seconds. Steven Gerrard's cross found Bellamy right in front of goal, and even though he managed to conjure up a miss every bit as bad as Jenas by hitting a post, the rebound fell kindly for Gonzalez to beat Robinson from an angle. And Spurs' afternoon got even worse as Liverpool doubled their advantage with 17 minutes left. Substitute Luis Garcia, on for Bellamy, threaded a pass through to Kuyt who provided a powerful finish as Spurs waited for an offside flag that was never going to come thanks to dreadful positioning by Benoit Assou-Ekotto. Liverpool were in the ascendancy, and just to confirm this was not going to be Spurs' afternoon, Riise fired a trademark thunderbolt past Robinson in the dying seconds. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez: \"After they made that mistake with the missed chance we hit them on the counter attack. \"After the first goal we got better and took control and that was the key.\" \"In the first half we were looking for the right pass, but after the break we started with a higher tempo.\" Tottenham boss Martin Jol: \"We had two or three opportunities before Jermaine Jenas missed a good chance. \"We deserved something from the game but it is about putting our chances away and we failed to do that. \"Overall we did a good job because our midfield especially played well but we have to keep our spirit high and we must make it happen.\" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Liverpool: Reina, Finnan, Hyypia, Agger, Riise, Gerrard, Alonso (Carragher 84), Sissoko, Gonzalez (Aurelio 77), Bellamy (Luis Garcia 68), Kuyt. Subs Not Used: Dudek, Crouch. Booked: Hyypia. Goals: Gonzalez 63, Kuyt 73, Riise 89. Tottenham: Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, King, Assou-Ekotto, Jenas, Murphy (Mido 79), Zokora, Tainio (Davids 61), Keane, Defoe. Subs Not Used: Cerny, Lee, Huddlestone. Att: 44,330 Ref: H Webb (S Yorkshire).

Tottenham v Portsmouth
Ledley King and Jermain Defoe could return for Tottenham but Aaron Lennon, Anthony Gardner and Steed Malbranque will all miss out with injury. Paul Stalteri (hamstring), Dimitar Berbatov (groin) and Edgar Davids (ankle) are all doubtful. Andrew Cole could play his first Premiership game for Portsmouth - but Lomana LuaLua is more likely to be handed his first start of the season. Pompey are without new on-loan winger Roudolphe Douala (hamstring). Tottenham (from): Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, Davenport, Young-Pyo Lee, Jenas, Murphy, Ghaly, Zokora, Ziegler, Tainio, Keane, Mido, Cerny, Huddlestone, Ifil, Assou-Ekotto, Charlie Lee, King, Defoe, Stalteri, Davids, Berbatov Portsmouth (from): James; Johnson, Primus, Campbell, Stefanovic, O'Neil, Mendes, Davis, Taylor, Benjani, LuaLua, Kanu, Pamarot, Cole, Thompson, Fernandes, Kranjcar, Kiely.

Hernia operation sidelines Tainio
Tottenham midfielder Teemu Tainio faces at least a month on the sidelines after undergoing a hernia operation. The 26-year-old has pulled out of Finland's European Championship qualifiers against Armenia on Saturday and Kazakhstan on Wednesday. And club manager Martin Jol is resigned to losing the player for a long spell. \"It's a blow for Teemu and I would expect him to be out for at least four weeks, probably more,\" Jol told Spurs' official website.

Aston Villa v Tottenham
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill may make several changes, with Milan Baros in line to replace Luke Moore. Keeper Thomas Sorensen, Olof Mellber and Peter Whittingham are doubtful but midfielder Steven Davis should be fit. Tottenham have given England winger Aaron Lennon a shock recall to their squad following his knee operation. Ledley King is confident of playing and Jermain Defoe hopes to recover from a foot injury, but Teemu Tainio is out and Pascal Chimbonda (calf) is a doubt. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aston Villa (from): Sorensen, Taylor, Hughes, Mellberg, Laursen, Ridgewell, Barry, Bouma, Davis, Petrov, McCann, Agbonlahor, Angel, Baros, Whittingham, Berger, Djemba-Djemba. Tottenham (from): Robinson, Cerny, Stalteri, Chimbonda, Lee, Assou-Ekotto, Dawson, Davenport, Huddlestone, Murphy, Jenas, Davids, Ziegler, Zokora, Ghaly, Defoe, Keane, Mido, Berbatov. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill: \"Sometimes players find playing at home a bit of a bind, especially if your confidence isn't fantastically high. \"They are beginning to get a bit more confident about playing at Villa Park' \"Now, I think the players look forward to playing here and I think the crowd are staying with them a bit longer.\" Tottenham defender Ledley King: \"Villa have got off to a great start and Martin O'Neill is clearly doing a good job. \"He has not bought too many new players in so he has obviously worked his magic on the squad. \"They haven't lost yet and got an excellent result at Chelsea and look a hard team to beat, so we'll be in for a tough game.\"

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