Tottenham Hotspur

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Tottenham captain Cristian Romero appeared to take aim at the club's hierarchy after their loss away to Bournemouth on Wednesday night, accusing them of telling "lies" in a since-edited Instagram post.

The 27-year-old stated on the social media platform "other people" should be coming out to speak and adding that they "only show up when things are going well, to tell a few lies".

However, Romero has since deleted that post and uploaded a new - almost identical statement - omitting the part about telling lies but still appearing to criticise senior figures at the club.

After apologising to the fans and taking responsibility as a team, he went on to say: "At times like this, it should be other people coming out to speak, but they don't - as has been happening for several years now. They only show up when things are going well.

"We'll stay here, working, sticking together and giving our all to turn things around. Especially at times like this, keeping quiet, working harder and moving forward all together, is part of football."

Spurs have won just one of their past six Premier League games and sit 14th in the table.

Supporters have expressed their frustrations in recent weeks, and tensions began to spill over at the Vitality Stadium as Micky van de Ven and Joao Palhinha exchanged words with Spurs fans, while Pedro Porro also had to be talked into stopping an argument with supporters by goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

So how do you feel about Romero's comments? Is the captain right to come out and say something publicly, or is it too much distraction?

Get in touch with your views here

Phil Cartwright
BBC Sport journalist

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has been speaking to the media before Saturday's FA Cup third round tie against Aston Villa at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (kick-off 17:45 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Mohammed Kudus will be out until at least the end of March because of a thigh injury sustained against Sunderland. Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur will be assessed further on Thursday after they went off injured in the loss at Bournemouth, while there is a hope that Dejan Kulusevski might return to training in about four weeks' time.

• Asked about confrontations between players and fans after the Bournemouth game and how the relationship between the two can be improved, Frank said: "The away fans were very good throughout the game. They were backing us, singing and supporting exactly as they should do and we hope they would do. Everyone will be happy when we win more games, it's as simple as that."

• On captain Cristian Romero's social media post which appeared to criticise the club's hierarchy, Frank added: "After he became captain, he's done a lot of good things right. I said when I made him captain that even though he's an experienced player, he's still a young leader."

• Frank continued: "A lot of things he's done well, on and off the pitch, I'm happy with and I was happy with his performance last night. He was a true captain in many ways throughout the game. Also when you're a young leader, sometimes you make a mistake and it's good to keep it internally. Johan [Lange] and I had a good conversation with him this morning about everything, which we keep internally."

• Frank believes Spurs deserved more than the five points from their past five Premier League games and added: "It's my job to deal with all of the scrutiny, it's no problem, I can face all of the questions and I will take all of the blame. It's also my job to look through everything."

• He added: "It's almost a perfect storm. In a storm, some people are building fences and hiding behind it, others are building windmills and getting stronger, getting more energy and learning from it."

• Frank reiterated that the club are "working very hard" to try to improve the squad in January, but added that January is a "very difficult window".

• He stressed that "even though there is noise, the club is very aligned".

Watch Spurs v Villa live on BBC One,listen on BBC Radio 5 Live and follow on the BBC Sport website and app

Follow all of Thursday's news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Bardi
Fan writer

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There is a famous Oscar Wilde quote: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness."

On Wednesday, Tottenham could not even manage flattery.

By mirroring the tactics of a Bournemouth side on a horrendous run of form, we did not just look mediocre, we looked like a team that has finally forgotten its identity.

For the second time in a week, we lost the lead in a game that we failed to control from a position of power. There is no control or plan - we swing from chaos to turgid on a weekly basis.

But yet somehow we still manage to score the spectacular. For the fourth time this season, one of our players has flown through the air to score a memorable acrobatic goal.

A moment of inspiration from a loose ball that has bobbled up into an area as one of our players decided to improvise. It was a scintillating and joyous moment, but despite how beautiful the sight was, it summed up our attacking play.

We are a set of individuals playing parallel to each other. Each player is vibing, doing what he thinks is correct or what he feels like.

One full-back is smashing it long, the other carrying it 30 metres. One centre-back is trying risky passes through the lines, the other bulldozes his way through anyone crazy enough to stand in his way. And our wingers are expected to pluck the ball out of the sky and "be Gareth Bale". Sometimes Mathys Tel can do it, but not often enough to save Tottenham.

Thomas Frank has failed to imprint on this team an identity or a way of playing that we can get behind. There is a carelessness to our play and this is echoed by the fact that our manager does not even realise he is drinking from an Arsenal cup.

We were never asking for much from this season, just something to believe in. The occasional glimpse of progress, a battling victory or a bullish fightback. But we have seen nothing. Supporting Tottenham has become a test of faith. We are asked for blind faith, as what we are served up is football that is hard to get behind, even for our away fans who are the real litmus test of faith.

If you lose the away fans - a group of hardcore set of believers in Tottenham that travel hundreds of miles, midweek, on a freezing night in early January - then you are on an icy stretch of road.

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We asked for your thoughts after Wednesday's Premier League game between Bournemouth and Tottenham.

Here are some of your comments:

Bournemouth fans

Simon: Now that's a 'drop the mic' moment. Thank you, Antoine Semenyo for all the great memories. The Cherries proving too much against a valiant Spurs comeback.

Stephen: What a way to say goodbye to our star man. It couldn't have been better scripted. Cherries have gone through a rough patch, but the class has always been there. Time to start climbing up the table without our talisman. We have the players to do it and there will be new recruits joining this window.

James: I love Semenyo. He will be remembered. Hopefully, Bournemouth fans will remember him as a faithful legend rather than a traitor.

Patrick: All I want to say to Semenyo is thank you. We so needed that and your legacy over the past three years will not be forgotten.

Spurs fans

John: Another disappointing night for us all. The result proved, if it was further needed, that we are just not good enough at the minute. No lack of effort for the most part. Two fabulous goals but a dreadful lack of awareness, especially when Djed Spence came away with the ball on the counter, and just, without looking to see who was available, passed inside to a grateful Cherry. After a few passes, Antoine Semenyo showed his class.

Terry: Tottenham seem to have forgotten how to win games. I think Frank is getting what he deserves from his players, absolutely nothing. He makes the team selections and it just isn't working. Or should I say, his appointment as manager just isn't working. Things need to change, I wonder what will. Best of luck Spurs, you are going to need it.

Kevin: Absolutely awful game management again by Thomas Frank. Get back to 2-2 and throw away the game. Randal Kolo Muani should not be playing - he showed no interest or effort. The squad isn't good enough, however I'm not sure the manager is up to the task.

Tristen: Us fans need to understand how average this squad is. Thomas Frank has a tough job polishing this bunch as most of the squad are Championship players. Well done to Bournemouth and a great sign-off for Semenyo. Good luck to him!

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Former Scotland captain Rachel Corsie told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast that Tottenham are not fulfilling their potential under boss Thomas Frank after late defeat at Bournemouth:

"I don't think, at either end, they're showing the levels that we know some of those players are capable of.

"Someone like Cristian Romero - we've seen many times the passion he shows, he's a charismatic character but [Antoine] Semenyo gets the ball on the edge of the box and what's he likely to do? He's going to shoot because he's a forward and he's very much on form. There's not enough intensity to identify the danger.

"Those are simple things that, when you've seen Thomas Frank's teams play elsewhere, you know he demands a certain standard of how they press the ball. You see little things like that and it's hard to understand where those little habits come from.

"It's not singling Romero out, it's just an individual example of what I saw [in the Bournemouth game]. But all these little habits, for some reason, seem to be consistent things that linger around Spurs."

Former Premier League goalkeeper Shay Given agreed, recognising the pressure Frank will be experiencing:

"I think he's a really good manager and coach. I said last season that when the big jobs came up, he was never linked with them. Now he's in that position, he's in a big job and at a big club.

"He can't go home, put his head on the pillow and have a good eight hours' sleep. He'll be tossing and turning all night for the next training session and the next game."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Tottenham are in talks to sign Brazil left-back Souza from Santos after an initial £8m bid for the 19-year-old was rejected. (Standard), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Pundits Danny Murphy and Stephen Warnock are on hand to bring you the action and talking points from the nine Premier League fixtures so far this week.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport journalist

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Tottenham supporters chanted "boring, boring Tottenham" during their side's goalless draw against Brentford last week.

At the weekend, they applauded the Spurs players at half-time against Sunderland before booing them off after dropping more points.

It perfectly summed up Thomas Frank's tenure at Spurs, that has been characterised by a lack of consistency, with Spurs showing flashes of brilliance but only to be overshadowed by their overall struggles - particularly in the final third.

It was more of the same from Tottenham at Bournemouth on Wednesday as they fell to a 3-2 defeat - despite taking the lead through Mathys Tel early and levelling the score at 2-2 through Joao Palhinha with only 12 minutes left.

After the final whistle, Palhinha and defender Micky van de Ven were seen talking to the frustrated travelling fans while Pedro Porro was guided away by goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario after having an argument with a section of the crowd.

Frank would have hoped to escape the south coast with a point when Palhinha scored, having also seen Richarlison hit the woodwork and Van de Ven have a header saved by Djordje Petrovic.

But in the end, they were once again made to pay for their lack of cutting edge - registering just four shots on target in 16 attempts.

Spurs look like a squad in desperate need of investment but with the manager usually the first to be sacrificed, Frank will surely feel the heat.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank, speaking to BBC MOTD: "That's football unfortunately. It's extremely painful to be on the Tottenham side after the game. We put everything into the game, the boys worked really hard, the staff worked hard to come down here and try to get a result.

"We went 1-0 up, conceded two second-phase goals - especially the second one, we have to do much better. Then in the second half, the character and mentality, the focus to stay in the game and keep going against a difficult counter-attacking team, was very pleasing to see.

"I thought we were closer to winning than Bournemouth were."

On the penalty that was awarded to Tottenham and then overturned: "I think it was a 50-50 situation."

On the January transfer window: "We are very much in the market and working very hard to do what we can to improve the squad. January is a tough window and we only want to get players in if they improve the team."

Tottenham's Joao Palhinha, speaking to Sky Sports: "The fans are showing their frustration. We understand that. We are trying to get victories we deserve, in my opinion. It's tough to speak a lot about momentum because when you lose it just sounds like words.

"I just want to say keep supporting because the victories will come. It's frustration, as I said. I felt we were the best team on the pitch. We were the only team on the pitch that wanted to win the game. Football is like that. Tomorrow is another day. We need to keep pushing. We have been working hard to get wins.

"We came here to win. Today and tomorrow, probably the hangover is going to be really tough, but in football we cannot think too much about what happened."

Did you know?

• For the fourth time since the start of 2025, Tottenham scored first in a Premier League game but still trailed at half-time - that is as often as it happened to Spurs between 2010 and 2024.

• Since the start of last season, only Wolves (36) have suffered more Premier League defeats than Tottenham (30 - level with West Ham and Southampton).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Bournemouth's performance

What did you make of Tottenham's display?

Come back on Thursday for a selection of your replies

Antoine Semenyo starts for Bournemouth in what could be his final game for the Cherries, with the winger expected to complete his Manchester City transfer this week.

Andoni Iraola makes two changes to the side that were beaten 3-2 by Arsenal with Eli Junior Kroupi and Lewis Cook coming in as injured Justin Kluivert and David Brooks drop out.

Bournemouth XI: Petrovic, Truffert, Cook, Senesi, Scott, Evanilson, Tavernier, Jimenez, Kroupi, Hill, Semenyo.

Subs: Forster, Soler, Brooks, Smith, Diakite, Adli, Unal, Milosavljevic, Rees-Dottin.

Mohammed Kudus is out injured for Tottenham but Xavi Simons returns to the starting line-up after a three-match suspension.

It's one of the five changes that Spurs boss Thomas Frank makes as Randal Kolo Muani, Djed Spence, Lucas Bergvall and Joao Palhinha are also back in the starting 11.

Tottenham XI: Vicario, Palhinha, Simons, Tel, Bergvall, Romero, Porro, Spence, Bentancur, Van de Ven, Kolo Muani.

Subs: Kinsky, Dragusin, Danso, Richarlison, Gray, Odobert, Davies, Scarlett, Williams-Barnett.

There are eight games in the Premier League on Wednesday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Bournemouth v Tottenham

• Brentford v Sunderland

• Crystal Palace v Aston Villa

• Everton v Wolves

• Fulham v Chelsea

• Manchester City v Brighton

• Burnley v Manchester United (20:15)

• Newcastle v Leeds (20:15)

Kick-off times 19:30 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

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Martin Chivers was a potent combination of power, skill and marksmanship, possessing such quality that Tottenham Hotspur manager Nicholson paid a then British record £125,000 to sign him from Southampton in January 1968.

Nicholson already had Jimmy Greaves and Alan Gilzean at his disposal, but felt Chivers was the perfect addition and complement to the subtlety the pair provided - and so it proved as he became the Spurs spearhead.

Chivers was occasionally accused of lacking devil in his play, but the statistics and his successes suggest otherwise as he became a striker defenders feared, forming a formidable partnership with Gilzean.

He was a key figure in an era of success for Spurs, the high point coming when he scored a header and a magnificent 25-yard strike in the first leg of the 1972 Uefa Cup final against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux, Nicholson's side eventually winning 3-2 on aggregate over two legs.

He was the player for the big occasion, also scoring twice when Spurs beat Aston Villa 2-0 in the 1971 League Cup final at Wembley. He picked up another winners' medal in the competition two years later.

Chivers was a fixture in Sir Alf Ramsey's England side in the early 70s, winning 24 caps and scoring 13 goals, but his international career was left unfulfilled when they failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup in West Germany, the striker playing in the 1-1 draw with Poland at Wembley in November 1973 that led to their exit.

Read more about Chivers here, who has died at the age of 80

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A Tottenham supporter group says the club "has to be bold" this transfer window as they also ask for more "clarity" on long-term footballing strategy.

Change for Tottenham (CFT), who staged a number of protests last season against then chairman Daniel Levy and the club's board, have issued a statement with January transfer window now open.

Having questioned the club's strategy for buying and selling players previously, the supporters' group called for "proper investment" in strengthening Thomas Frank's squad this month.

"This is a defining window for the club," they said. "After finishing just above the bottom three in the league last year, it was clear that the squad needed serious investment.

"The Lewis Family Trust, Vinai Venkatesham, Johan Lange and Fabio Paratici have told supporters that they were ready to be ambitious and prioritise trophies after Daniel Levy stood down. During the past, we have too often failed to capitalise on the summer or January transfer window, so a change in strategy was welcomed by the fanbase."

In the summer, Spurs brought in eight players for a total spend of more than £170m as well as bringing in new head coach Frank.

However, one of those new signings - Mohammed Kudus - is now injured, while Spurs have been hampered by long-term absences of other key attacking players such as James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke.

"The club has to be bold this window and we are yet to see that," the group added.

"Fans also desperately need to hear more about the long-term footballing strategy.

"We will be planning action if the club fails to deliver again."

Spurs are currently 13th in the Premier League and face Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium on Wednesday night.

Embattled Tottenham boss Thomas Frank takes his side to the south coast with boos from his own supporters still ringing in his ears after the draw with Sunderland.

His side actually started Sunday's game with the kind of attacking verve and endeavour that their fans had been crying out for. But they failed to capitalise on an opening 45 minutes in which they had eight shots, four of which were on target.

Instead, they reverted back to the attack-shy side that has frustrated their fanbase under his management and led to chants of "Boring Boring Tottenham" in their 0-0 draw at Brentford.

Their season's average of just 9.9 shots per league game is the only campaign on record from 1997-98 onwards that they have averaged below 11 per match.

Spurs will again fall back on their strong away form, which can only be surpassed by leaders Arsenal this season. They have kept clean sheets in five of their 10 matches on the road, already exceeding last season's tally of four, and in both of their past two games at Crystal Palace and Brentford.

However, they will try to rectify their terrible record of failing to win any of their past 10 league fixtures played on either a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday (drawn three, lost seven), dating back to January 2024.

One such defeat came at Vitality Stadium last season.

Bournemouth desperate to end their winless run

While not under anything like the same sort of pressure as Frank is, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola will be feeling the heat after their winless run stretched to 11 matches (drawn five, lost six). It is their longest streak without a victory within a single top-flight campaign.

They put in very spirited performances in both the draw with Chelsea and defeat to byArsenal, but were again porous at the back.

They have let in 14 goals in their past five league matches with the form of new recruits, signed after they lost three of their back four and their goalkeeper over the summer, deserting them somewhat.

But anyone watching the Cherries this season cannot claim they are not getting value for money. Their league games have contained a total of 69 goals (31 for and 38 against), which is five more than other top-flight side.

One huge frustration for Iraola is that his side have scored at least twice in eight different league games in which they have failed to go on and win, including each of their past two against Chelsea and Arsenal.

Despite only just passing the halfway point of the season, it is already a new club record and there have only been a total of 11 instances of a team doing so more in Premier League history.