Timo Werner scored his first goal in a Tottenham shirt.
Enze Postecoglou's Tottenham came from behind to win 3-1 against Crystal Palace in the 27th round of the 2023-2024 English Premier League (EPL) season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, on Wednesday morning (Aug. 3). Tottenham improved to 15 wins, 5 draws and 6 losses (50 points), reducing the gap between them and fourth-place Aston Villa (52 points) to two points.
Spurs took the lead in the 14th minute of the second half. Eberezi Eze broke through and was tripped by Rodrigo Bentancur. Bentancur was cautioned. Eze stepped up and rattled the Tottenham net with a powerful curling kick from the resulting free kick.
Spurs didn't back down. Werner's goal came in the 32nd minute of the second half. Brennan Johnson stole the ball from the opposition and played it to Werner. Werner finished with a right-footed shot. It was his first goal in a Tottenham shirt. Spurs, buoyed by the momentum, added back-to-back goals from Christian Romero and Son Heung-min to seal the win. After the game, the British publication Football Transfer Tavern gave Werner a seven-star rating. They said, "He made up for it by scoring the first goal for Tottenham. Worked hard throughout the game. He deserved his reward.
Werner joined Tottenham in January from Leipzig (Germany). It was a six-month loan move, and he returned to the English Premier League (EPL) with Spurs. Werner joined Chelsea from Leipzig in the summer of 2020. The transfer was worth £47.5 million. However, he was a question mark as he missed a number of crucial chances. Eventually, he returned to Leipzig after two years. He seemed to turn things around last season, scoring nine goals in the German Bundesliga. However, this season, he has been pushed aside as the team's attacking fourth option. He opted for a loan move to Tottenham.
Werner has played five league games since joining Spurs. He told Sky Sports Germany: "It's a lot of fun. I've changed a lot as a person, I'm much happier. The transfer was worth it. But the season is still long," he said. However, things didn't turn out the way he wanted. According to British media outlet TeamTalk, "Tottenham have promised to cover 100% of Werner's salary on loan. A purchase option worth £15.5 million was also discussed. Werner's arrival coincided with Son Heung-min's absence for the Qatar Asian Cup. Werner was playing regularly for Tottenham and was in a very good mood. A new plan was revealed. With Son's return, Werner hasn't been playing as much. Tottenham are unlikely to buy Werner outright, according to the report. Werner"s future is in question.