Luka Vuskovic’s clever move, Kota Takai debut with Mikey Moore’s future statement and injury update

It’s time to check in on the club’s large group of players out on loan across the UK, Europe and South America after another busy week

Tottenham’s group of loan players continues to change as the club sends first team and U21 starlets out across the leagues or recalls them from various clubs.

Before the transfer window, the club had 14 players out on loan at clubs at different levels across the English game as well as in Scotland, Germany, Spain and South America. Now various players have been recalled in order to be sent out again, with some awaiting their next move such as Alfie Dorrington after his spell at Aberdeen, George Abbott back from Wycombe Wanderers and Damola Ajayi from Doncaster Rovers.

Oliver Irow was sent out on Thursday to League One side Mansfield Town for the remainder of the campaign and will be looking to make his mark.

Alejo Veliz is between seasons right now with Rosario Central in Argentina with the new campaign beginning later this month.

Spurs’ Head of Loans and Pathways Andy Scoulding will be keeping a close eye on all them as well as the new loans agreed in the past week.

Here’s how every single one of Tottenham’s large group of loan players got on across the world this week.

Kota Takai (Borussia Monchengladbach)

The 21-year-old Japan international is hoping to finally get his football back up and running after his move to the Bundesliga and Borussia Monchengladbach.

Takai was on the bench for Spurs for the first time in the win at Crystal Palace in December after returning from a couple of injury issues that dogged him after arriving in the summer.

The centre-back will be hoping to be involved this weekend as the Bundesliga returns from its winter break as his new side host Augsburg on Sunday.

Takai has already stepped out in Monchengladbach colours though during a training camp in Turkey which included him playing for the first half in a back three in a friendly against Hannover. Two different line-ups were used in either half with Hannover winning 3-0 but only one of those goals came in the final moments of the opening 45 minutes with Takai not at fault.

“I’m happy to be here, and I feel good and fit,” said Takai during the four-day training camp.

“Our goal is to integrate Kota into the team as quickly as possible and get him up to speed with our tactics,” explained head coach Eugen Polanski.

Luka Vuskovic (Hamburg)

Luka Vuskovic has been working hard both before and during the Bundesliga’s winter break.

The 18-year-old revealed in an interview with Croatian newspaper 24sata that he has been working with athletic coach Josko Vlasic for some time to improve his athletic abilities and explosiveness.

Vlasic, who is a former Croatian decathlete, is the father of Torino midfielder Nikola Vlasic and high jump legend and former Olympic silver medallist Blanka Vlasic.

One of the few weaknesses spotted in Vuskovic’s game in Germany has been his speed and acceleration and the teenager appears to have made a clever move in taking steps to remedy that.

Hamburg return to action with a game at Freiburg tomorrow afternoon and Vuskovic will be looking to build on his 15 appearances and 1,380 minutes so far for the Bundesliga outfit.

Mikey Moore (Rangers)

Mikey Moore had a weekend to remember with his first Old Firm Derby goal before coming off at half-time in the midweek win against Aberdeen with Rangers 2-0 up. The teenager had picked up a knock against Celtic and was struggling with his running at Aberdeen, but the good news is that problem is believed to only be bruising.

The 18-year-old had netted with a fine finish away at Celtic Park on Saturday to spark wild scenes among the away fans who had travelled the short distance across the city.

“That was the best feeling I’ve had in football,” Moore told Sky Sports. “I think you can see from the celebration and the celebrations of the team after the game. It was a bit of a head-loss moment for me personally, but it was a great feeling.

“As soon as the ball hit the back of their net, I was just off. I was running straight. I just wanted to celebrate with the fans because it means so much to them. I was just straight off to them, gave a few people a big cuddle and got back to the halfway line.”

He added: “When you come up here, scoring in that game is what people say to you straight away. Imagine scoring against Celtic away at their ground. I’m happy to be able to score in a game like that. It’s one that will stay with me for the rest of my career.”

Moore is loving life at Rangers both on and off the pitch and when it comes to his immediate future, the teenager appears to have no interest in cutting short his loan in Scotland.

“I’m loving it. It’s been unbelievable,” he said. “I couldn’t speak highly enough of the club itself, of the city, of the people. I’ve settled in nicely. It’s going better than what I thought it would at this point, and I think there’s more to come.

“It’s hard not to fall in love with a place like this. Some of the experiences on the weekend, they don’t come around very often. My whole family have built a bit of a connection just because I’m playing here and they support me.

“My mum, my best mate’s girlfriend and my girlfriend were all back home sending me videos after the game. They were buzzing. I saw a few videos of them dancing around the living room.”

Moore is loving the pressure of playing for the Glasgow giants, with 25 appearances under his belt so far: “That’s what you want. You don’t want it to be like, we lose and it’s like, who cares? You need to care. You need to go back and think, what could I have done better today? What could the team have done better today?”

Manor Solomon (Fiorentina)

Manor Solomon has made two substitute appearances so far for Fiorentina after returning from his loan at Villarreal.

The 26-year-old Israel international came back from the ill-fitting loan to Spain and was immediately sent off to Italy to the Serie A side looking to bring Spurs’ sporting director Fabio Paratici as well.

Solomon has joined the Italian side with an option for them to buy him and he played his part immediately with a role in Fiorentina’s late winner against Cremonese last weekend. The winger’s 91st minute cross caused chaos at the back post before Moise Kean tapped home the loose ball from close range.

Solomon came off the bench for 24 minutes in that match and got another 22 minutes in the 2-2 draw at Lazio as Fiorentina start to climb away from the Serie A basement.

Alfie Devine (Preston North End)

Alfie Devine is going from strength to strength at Preston and scored his fifth goal of the season on Sunday in the 2-0 win at Bristol City.

The 21-year-old has been developing superbly in the Championship this season with 25 league appearances, those five goals and two assists from midfield with another two appearances in the Carabao Cup, plus an assist, making it 1,754 minutes in total so far halfway through the season.

His goal on Sunday came after a good run into the box and he improvised after a challenge knocked the ball out of his path initially to rifle a low right-footed finish into the bottom left corner of the net.

Devine returns to the FA Cup tonight, the competition in which he became Spurs’ youngest ever goalscorer with his strike at Marine as a 16-year-old in 2021. Preston host Wigan in the third round this evening.

Will Lankshear & Jamie Donley (Oxford United)

Will Lankshear was not able to follow up his New Year’s Day goal at Ipswich as Oxford’s match at Sheffield United last week was postponed due to a partially frozen pitch.

That postponement did give Lankshear’s new (and old) team-mate Jamie Donley more time to prepare himself for his Oxford debut which he will be hoping comes in the FA Cup at MK Dons this evening and it also gave more time for the club to find a new manager. Former Wycombe Wanderers and Luton Town boss Matt Bloomfield is in talks about the job.

Donley has his own experience of FA Cup joy with his performance against Manchester City last season for Leyton Orient, complete with a goal from the halfway line that was given as an own goal for City keeper Stefan Ortega.

Speaking after completing the move to Oxford, Donley said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for me and one I’m determined to make the most of. I want to influence games and be decisive in the final third, but that all starts with hard work. I take real pride in working for the team and doing the basics right.

“My loan experiences have taught me a lot. I’ve had big highs and challenging moments but those are what shape you as a player. I feel ready to come here, compete, and show what I can bring. First and foremost, I’m here to fight for the badge. When I get on the ball, I want to be positive, take responsibility and create moments that help the team win.”

Oxford’s Head of Football Operations, Ed Waldron, added: “Jamie is an excellent signing for the club and someone we’ve been tracking for some time. He was one of the standout performers in League One last season, consistently demonstrating his quality as both a scorer and a creator.

“He has the attitude and personality we look for. For his age, he shows real maturity, presence and has an outstanding work ethic. Our aim for this window is to add players who can raise the ceiling of the group, and Jamie fits that profile perfectly. With his quality and experience at both club and international level, we are confident he can make an immediate impact.”

Donley has joined Oxford with an option for the Championship strugglers to make his move permanent although it is believed that the fee, around the £4.5million-£5million mark, would be difficult for United to trigger, particularly if they were to be relegated.

Yang Min-hyeok (Coventry)

Yang Min-hyeok has jumped up the Championship by leaving Portsmouth for table-topping Coventry.

The 19-year-old winger made 16 appearances for Portsmouth, scoring three goals and laying on one assist, and now he will be looking to impress for Frank Lampard’s Premier League-chasing side.

After signing for the Sky Blues, Yang said: “I’m very happy and excited to join a club with such strong traditions and history. When I played against Coventry, I really felt the positive atmosphere within the team, and that made me even more excited about becoming part of this club.

“The head coach explained very clearly how he plans to use me and how I could fit into the team, which gave me a lot of confidence that this is the right place for me. I want to help the team achieve its goal and to do that, I need to adapt as quickly as possible, show my qualities on the pitch, and prove why I am here.”

Yang will get his first experience of FA Cup football on Saturday with a third round trip to Stoke City, where he will come up against a fellow Spurs player.

Ashley Phillips (Stoke City)

Ashley Phillips will have to deal with Yang if both play in the FA Cup tie and the 20-year-old centre-back is a regular fixture nowadays in the Stoke defence.

He made it back-to-back clean sheets with the 2-0 win at Norwich on Sunday and that made it 23 appearances this season for Phillips with 1,814 minutes to his name.

Tyrese Hall (Notts County)

Tyrese Hall has faced a little spell without action after Notts County’s League Two game at Oldham was postponed last weekend and with County out of the FA Cup, they will not play again until January 17 and their trip to Crawley Town.

The 20-year-old midfielder has been in fine form on his first loan with six goals and two assists across 1,306 minutes in 22 appearances since heading out of Tottenham and there have been some suggestions that he might be recalled by the Lilywhites with interest from clubs two levels up in the Championship.

Calum Logan (Braintree Town)

Nineteen-year-old left-back Calum Logan has been enjoying his first spell away from the north London club with a youth loan at National League side Braintree Town.

The defender has played seven times for the Essex side but came off during Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Yeovil Town with an injury.