EPL

Ange Postecoglou looking to add Club Brugge forward Antonio Nusa to Spurs squad

By Sports Desk January 19, 2024

Tottenham have opened talks with Club Brugge over the signing of attacker Antonio Nusa, the PA news agency understands.

Spurs have held a long-standing interest in the 18-year-old and have moved to secure the services of the highly-rated Norway international this month.

The potential recruitment of Nusa would be Tottenham’s third addition of the January transfer window, but he would return to Club Brugge on loan for the remainder of the campaign, PA understands.

Nusa has built up a strong reputation since he made his Norwegian top-flight debut at the age of 16 in 2021 while at Stabaek.

He moved to Club Brugge later that year and hit the headlines when he scored on his Champions League debut against Porto.

Tottenham have continued to keep tabs on Nusa, who marked his full Norway debut in September with a goal against Jordan.

Ange Postecoglou has already secured the signings of Radu Dragusin and Timo Werner this month.

Spurs have also been busy with outgoings with Djed Spence, Japhet Tanganga, Ash Phillips, Sergio Reguilon and Alfie Devine all finding new clubs for the second half of the season, while long-serving players Hugo Lloris and Eric Dier have departed.

Tottenham will listen to offers for Ryan Sessegnon, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Bryan Gil and Ivan Perisic, but young duo Alfie Dorrington and Jamie Donley are set to remain part of Postecoglou’s first-team squad despite numerous loan interest.

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    Ange Postecoglou admitted "I don't celebrate goals any more" after VAR denied Tottenham during their north London derby defeat by Arsenal.

    Spurs were beaten 3-2 by their rivals, who kept their Premier League title challenge on track, despite a late rally having trailed 3-0 at half-time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

    Trailing 1-0 to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's own-goal, the hosts thought they had equalised when Micky van de Ven slotted past David Raya, However, the decision to award the goal was overturned following a VAR review with the defender adjudged to be offside.

    Arsenal took advantage of their let-off with Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz increasing their lead, while second-half strikes from Cristiano Romero and Heung-Min Son proved academic for Tottenham.

    "Games aren’t refereed in the stadium any more," Postecoglou told reporters during his post-match press conference. "I don’t celebrate goals any more.

    "You've got to wait for somebody down the road. It’s a shame, I don’t like it, but I’ve got to accept it."

    The Spurs boss was pleased with his side's response after the break, and hopes his players will benefit from the disappointment of losing the derby.

    "It's a big day for our club and our fans, and we didn't get the outcome we wanted, so it's obviously very disappointing," he added on SpursTalk.

    "You can go out in the second half and accept your fate that it's not your day, but we had to show some resilience and fight - just for our supporters more than anything else. To be fair to the lads, they did that.

    "We just lacked some focus today in key moments, particularly in the first half. Sometimes, you've got to feel the pain of it to learn that lesson properly."

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    However, a David Raya mistake allowed Cristian Romero to cut the deficit before a Son Heung-min penalty threw Arsenal's lead into further peril after Declan Rice brought down Ben Davies.

    The Gunners held on, though, despite some late pressure, a period in which Arteta conceded he was fearing the worst.

    "I was praying," Arteta told reporters. "It was a really emotional game.

    "3-0 up you're in control, and then an individual error happens that clicks something. We started to deal with the situation better, but they have the players to put a lot of courage forward."

    Along with the derby day spoils, the win extends Arsenal's lead at the Premier League summit to four points, temporarily at least with closest rivals Manchester City taking on Nottingham Forest later on Sunday in the first of their two games in hand over the Gunners.

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    Mikel Arteta's side prevailed 3-2 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to extend their lead at the Premier League summit to four points over second-place Manchester City with three matches remaining, though the Citizens still have two games in hand.

    The Gunners surged into a 3-0 lead before half-time with Saka and Kai Havertz on target after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's own-goal broke the deadlock.

    The winger's 15th goal of the season - his highest tally during a single term - saw him become the first English player to score home and away for Arsenal against Tottenham in the same Premier League campaign since Ian Wright in 1993-94.

    However, the visitors given a late scare with Cristian Romero pouncing on David Raya's error to pull a goal back, before Heung-Min Son's 87th-minute penalty set up a grandstand finish.

    Nevertheless, they held on for three points and, though the destiny of the title is out of their hands, their challenge remains very much alive.

    "The last 20 minutes weren't nice, but it was worth it," Saka told Sky Sports.

    "We know it's a big derby, and they don't want to lose 3-0 at home. Once they got one goal, the crowd were up and the momentum shifted their way. But I'm proud of the boys. We fought until the end, and got the three points.

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