Bad news if you were hoping to see Tottenham Hotspur’s newest signing Wilson Odobert in action today in Spurs’ Premier League opener at Leicester City. According to Dan Kilpatrick, Odobert will not feature in the match as he has not yet secured a work permit which will allow him to play.
Spurs fans will also not need to worry that Oliver Skipp will line up in the other team’s colors today — although he’s expected to complete his move to Leicester, he will not play for the Foxes against Tottenham.
Skipp to complete Leicester move today but won’t feature tonight. Odobert also not available as he waits for a work permit. Story: https://t.co/vvAAzidPAV
— Dan Kilpatrick (@Dan_KP) August 19, 2024
That’s a bit of a bummer — I was looking forward to seeing what Odobert could do against a newly promoted side, and the nature of his transfer means he’s still a big box with a “?” on the side of it to me. I guess I will need to be content with (maybe) watching his debut home to Everton next Saturday. Spurs will also be without Yves Bissouma, who is suspended by the club after posting a video of himself inhaling nitrous oxide at a club on his social media feeds.
Elsewhere, Kilpatrick dropped a small, but rather consequential nugget of information, suggesting Spurs will NOT be focused on bringing in a new No. 6, instead trusting that they have what they need in the performances of Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray this summer. That seems a bit weird to me — both are 18, and only Gray is really a 6 and even he is basically an intern on that role at this level — but I guess we should trust Ange that he knows what he’s doing.
Spurs will likely utilize Rodrigo Bentancur in Bissouma’s spot, alongside James Maddison and either Pape Sarr or Bergvall today. We’ll find out in a few hours.
