Tottenham player ratings vs Newcastle: Kevin Danso stands out as Brennan Johnson sends reminder
On what will be Heung-min Son's final Tottenham appearance, his farewell dominated proceedings in what was a fairly uneventful game until James Maddison's injury.
Tottenham started brightly and took an early lead through Brennan Johnson's deflected effort from outside the area.
Despite their early energy, Tottenham were unable to capitalise and were pegged back when Harvey Barnes rifled a shot in off the post to bring Newcastle level.
The second half saw a flurry of changes for both sides, with neither team able to find a winner, with Maddison being taken off on a stretcher overshadowing the final minutes.
Tottenham remain unbeaten under Thomas Frank and end their pre-season preparations with a trip to Germany to face Bayern Munich.
Antonin Kinsky 6
Even though Barnes' equaliser beat Kinsky at his near post, there was nothing he could do about the goal. Otherwise rarely called into action.
Pedro Porro 6
Allowed Barnes to cut inside him far too easily for Newcastle's equaliser. Defensively, Porro is still vulnerable, but Frank will really appreciate his attacking qualities. The Spaniard is the perfect fit for his system.
Kevin Danso 7
Thomas Frank loves his defenders to be aggressive and proactive. He'll have thoroughly enjoyed the way Danso won possession to turn the ball over for Tottenham's opening goal.
He's by no means the finished article, but Danso will provide valuable cover for Romero and Van de Ven.
Cristian Romero 6
A solid performance from Romero, who dealt well with Newcastle's physicality. Similarly to Danso, Frank will like how aggressive Romero is when attacking balls into the box and winning back possession high up the pitch.
Ben Davies 6
Newcastle caused Davies problems down the left hand side but the Welshman recovered well and restricted the lively Anthony Gordon. Given Destiny Udogie's injury, Frank will be glad to be able to call upon Davies.
Rodrigo Bentancur 5
Wasn't one of his best performances as Newcastle were able to cut through Tottenham's midfield fairly easily in the first-half.
Archie Gray 6
Newcastle dominated the midfield battle after a bright start from Tottenham. Still, some more valuable minutes for Gray in his favoured position.
Pape Matar Sarr 6
He wasn't quite able to emulate his goalscoring heroics from Thursday's 1-0 win over Arsenal as Newcastle got control of the midfield.
Brennan Johnson 7
The Welshman opened the scoring with a deflected effort from outside the box but faded as the game wore on. Mobbed by Son following his goal, he will be expected to step up in the South Korean's absence.
Mathys Tel 5
Tel is 20 years old, and it shows - all the confidence without the conviction. Plenty of energy and potential, but Frank needs to channel it into something more productive.
Heung-Min Son 6
This afternoon was hardly ever going to be about Son's performance, and luckily so, as it was a pretty anonymous showing from the 33-year-old, who was routinely caught offside.
Micky Van de Ven 6
The Dutchman looked assured as Newcastle struggled to create any meaningful chances. Wasn't tasked with too much, but when called upon he stood up to examination.
Lucas Bergvall 6
There are a lot of questions to be answered in the middle of the park for Tottenham, but Bergvall can certainly be part of the solution. The young Swede tried to wrestle back control of the midfield, but struggled as the game hit a lull in the second-half.
Richarlison 5
Tottenham lacked an out-and-out forward in the absence of Dominic Solanke and Richarlison did little to suggest he is the answer. The Brazilian struggled to lead the line, but he wasn't helped by a lack of service.
Djed Spence 6
Newcastle had looked lively on both flanks early on but Spence got to grips with his position well and ensured Tottenham stayed resolute.
Yves Bissouma 5
Couldn't turn the tide for Tottenham in the midfield despite an energetic performance. His performance was symptomatic of a lack of quality in the second-half.
James Maddison 5
A really unfortunate way to end his pre-season as he was stretchered off injured in the 85th minute. The Englishman couldn't provide the spark to help Tottenham break out of pressure. A few nice touches, but he went missing in a physical affair.
Mohammed Kudus 5
Struggled to impact the game off the bench. Crowded out in a suffocating midfield battle, there wasn't a lot of space for Kudus to work with.
Wilson Odobert 5
A difficult cameo for the teenager, who like his team-mates couldn't find any rhythm in a stop-start game.
Luka Vuskovic 6
Helped Tottenham see out the result with an industrious display. The young Croatian stood up to task without standing out.
Yang min-hyeok n/a
Had a late chance as he jigged his way into the area, but having replaced Maddison with just five minuted left to play, there wasn't enough time for the youngster to find his feet in the game.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Times
10 minutes ago
- New York Times
Callum Wilson to West Ham: Everything you need to know
West Ham United have completed the signing of free agent Callum Wilson following his Newcastle United exit. The 33-year-old has signed a one-year deal at the London Stadium. As part of this summer's transfer coverage on The Athletic, in addition to breaking news, tactical analysis and in-depth reads, our Transfers TLDR series (you can read them all here) will bring you a quick guide to each of the key deals. Wilson's career has never been straightforward. Coming through the academy at Coventry City, he struggled for lifts to training. Out on loan at National League sides, he suffered a foot fracture. After an impressive breakout season at Coventry earned him a move to Bournemouth in 2014, he won promotion and hit five goals in his first seven Premier League games — only to suffer an anterior cruciate ligament tear. Advertisement But he is a powerful goalscorer. Wilson scored 41 goals in 126 Premier League appearances for Bournemouth. On Tyneside, he was plagued by injuries and had to compete with Alexander Isak — but managed 47 goals in 113 Premier League outings. Cerys Jones Having seen little of Wilson in 2024-25, it is difficult to glean much about his form. Of his 18 Premier League appearances, 16 were from the bench and the majority were for less than 20 minutes. His only goal in 22 appearances across all competitions came against Birmingham City in the FA Cup. However, he can be a prolific goalscorer. His best top-flight tally is 18 goals, recorded in 2022-23; the previous campaign is a better example of his efficiency, though, scoring eight times in just 18 league appearances. That is one of three seasons with Newcastle where he averaged a goal just under every two league games. Wilson can be powerful, strong, fast, a nuisance for defenders — but only when he is fit, and history suggests it would be naive to expect him to be constantly available. As detailed below, his injury record is chequered, so expect his minutes to be managed. Cerys Jones Wilson does not have the hold-up play of Niclas Fullkrug nor the creativity of Jarrod Bowen, West Ham's other senior options at centre-forward. But he is an old-fashioned No 9 in the way he attacks the six-yard box for goals. Among centre-forwards to have aggregated 20 or more league goals over the last five Premier League seasons, Wilson ranks first in expected goals per shot at 0.23. He also ranks second in shot-to-goal conversion rate at 24 per cent (behind Isak's 25 per cent) and is capable of finishing with both feet and his head. Age and injuries have slowed him down, but Wilson has rounded out his game, developing an eye for passes into his attacking partners and a knack for winning fouls. If he can stay fit, West Ham have the creative players to help him flourish as an impact substitute. Anantaajith Raghuraman Extensive. Wilson's time at Newcastle was peppered with injury absences, which he admitted last season were 'frustrating' for all involved. His worst injuries came at Bournemouth when he suffered two ACL ruptures in consecutive seasons. Those long-term injuries, fortunately, have not reoccurred. However, there have been others. Among the most notable are hamstring problems in 2020-21 which saw him miss 10 league games for Newcastle (though he was still named player of the year), a four-month calf injury the following campaign, and a back injury that kept him out from July to November last year. Advertisement Injury (alongside competing with Isak) was the main reason Wilson only started 71 Premier League games in his five seasons at Newcastle. Cerys Jones 'Callum was never going to get to the Premier League and stand still,' his former Bournemouth team-mate Marc Pugh told The Athletic when Wilson moved to Newcastle in 2020. 'His work rate is exceptional and he wants to keep developing. 'To bounce back from (successive ACL injuries), it's a true testament to his character. 'It was such a challenging period for him but he was so mentally strong throughout. 'He'd be doing his rehab, staring out the gym window, while we were training. It was tough for him but it just made him more determined.' Cerys Jones Wilson's contract at Newcastle expired on June 30, leaving him free to find a new club after Newcastle opted against activating a one-year extension. Newcastle therefore received no fee, though will benefit from Wilson's wages falling off their books. West Ham haven't paid a transfer fee, and so no transfer levy applies either. The majority of the cost of signing Wilson will come in the form of his wages over his one-year deal, though those are heavily incentive-based. Chris Weatherspoon Newcastle paid £20m to bring Wilson north from Bournemouth five years ago, but weren't able to turn that into future profit, or even a fee at all. That doesn't mean there'll be no positive impact on their finances from the move. Comparative to 2024-25, Newcastle's wage bill will be lowered by Wilson's salary this season. Moreover, his departure reduces their transfer fee amortisation bill relative to last season. Wilson's amortisation cost last year was about £3m, by The Athletic's reckoning. Advertisement West Ham have paid no fee for Wilson, though may have incurred some agent fees on his signing. Those are amortised over contract length, but in Wilson's case he has only signed a one-year deal, so almost all of the costs of signing him will be booked into 2025-26 — unless he extends his contract at the London Stadium this season. The one small caveat is West Ham's accounting date running to May 31. That means one month's worth of wages and any fees related to his signing will fall into 2026-27 for PSR purposes, even if Wilson's stay in east London only lasts a year. Chris Weatherspoon (Top image: Getty Images)


New York Times
10 minutes ago
- New York Times
Joao Palhinha to Tottenham: Everything you need to know
Tottenham Hotspur have signed Joao Palhinha on loan from Bayern Munich. The deal for the 30-year-old includes an option to make the transfer permanent for €30million (£25.9m, $34.2m). As part of this summer's transfer coverage on The Athletic, in addition to breaking news, tactical analysis and in-depth reads, our Transfers TLDR series (you can read them all here) will bring you a quick guide to each of the key deals. A Portuguese international whose career has taken a wrong turn over the past year. In 2023, Palhinha, then of Fulham, nearly joined Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window, but the move fell apart. He eventually moved to the German side a year later. By the time he arrived, Thomas Tuchel had been replaced by Vincent Kompany, and his role in the side no longer really existed. Palhinha was asked to be a more front-foot player, not the anchorman he was at Fulham, and he never found any rhythm. Advertisement It left him out of favour this summer and available to Spurs. Sebastian Stafford-Bloor He's an old-fashioned No 6 in many ways, in the sense that he's a ball-winner first. Palhinha built his reputation last time he was in the Premier League off the back of his defensive qualities — he's one of the few footballers to have compilations built entirely out of tackles — but he's no deadweight with the ball. True, he's not a penetrative passer, but he's accomplished in possession and capable of showing shades of technique alongside his more rugged qualities, even if that's not what he's known for. But Tottenham are certainly getting a competitor. Sebastian Stafford-Bloor Given the lack of defensively robust midfielders in Tottenham's squad, Palhinha is a smart addition. He has a keen eye for how moves develop and knows when to make a defensive action, even if his hard tackling can occasionally result in fouls and yellow cards. In 68 league games for Fulham between 2022 and 2024, he attempted 300 tackles, the highest across the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga across that timespan, and at least 76 more than any other player. Among central and defensive midfielders, his 92 interceptions ranked fifth. Palhinha is not very comfortable breaking the lines or lifting the tempo of play with carries and risky passes, but if Thomas Frank pairs him with a more progressive option in Lucas Bergvall, Pape Sarr, or Rodrigo Bentancur at the base of midfield, Palhinha can recycle possession and protect the back line. Anantaajith Raghuraman Certainly nothing to worry about, but he suffered a very badly timed abductor tear in November last year, which kept him out for six weeks and forced him to miss part of mid-season training camp during the winter break. Long-term, it was of no consequence, but at the time, with Palhinha trying to build his confidence and others' trust in him at Bayern, it could not have occurred at a worse moment. Advertisement Still, a clean bill of health since then. Sebastian Stafford-Bloor 'Physically, (Palhinha's) a beast,' his former Braga team-mate Rui Fonte told The Athletic last year. 'He added quality of his passing and his vision. Most of the time, he keeps it simple and that helps. He knows where he is strong and where he is not so strong. His range on the pitch was his main characteristic that I saw. He would help us everywhere on the pitch.' Fonte also said Palhinha's hard-tackling style is well-suited to the Premier League. 'In Portugal, he had to learn the hard way. At the beginning, he would get quite a few yellow cards. But he's an intelligent player. He started to time and choose when to tackle. In England, it's a little bit aggressive — in a good way. He was in a league where he's more comfortable, because the referees allow the game to flow.' Cerys Jones Palhinha has joined Spurs on a season-long loan deal, whereafter his new club will have the option to make the move permanent for €30m. Spurs will cover Palhinha's wage in full during his time in north London. Palhinha joined Bayern Munich for €51m a little over a year ago on a four-year deal. Chris Weatherspoon If we take it that Spurs, as has been reported, have paid a €5m (£4.3m) loan fee for Palhinha, all of it will be booked as a cost in their 2025-26 accounts. Likewise, they'll pay 100 per cent of Palhinha's wage for the next year, which won't be an immaterial amount. Palhinha's new side can make his move permanent in a year if they choose to, with the €30m option to buy looking likely to ensure Bayern wouldn't take a loss on him if he were sold then. Based on The Athletic's calculations, his book value in a year should be pretty much in line with that €30m figure. In the meantime, Bayern will book all of any loan fee received into their 2025-26 financials, as well as enjoy the savings on wages. Chris Weatherspoon
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
RB Jonathan Ward to sign with Giants
The Giants are signing veteran running back Jonathan Ward, Jordan Schultz reports. Ward worked out for the team Monday. The Giants need depth at the position with minor injuries to rookie Cam Skattebo (hamstring) and undrafted rookie Rushawn Baker (knee). Ward, 27, spent last season with the Steelers and played 10 offensive snaps and 59 on special teams. He had five carries for 22 yards. He also has played games for the Cardinals and Titans and has totaled 28 touches for 143 yards and a touchdown in his career.