Presser points | AZ Alkmaar vs Spurs, Europa League Round of 16 | Kevin Danso
Wed 05 March 2025, 17:54|
Tottenham Hotspur
Centre-back Kevin Danso stepped up for media duties at our pre-match press conference in the Netherlands on Wednesday evening as we prepare to face AZ Alkmaar on Thursday in the first leg of our UEFA Europa League last 16 tie (kick-off 5.45pm UK).
Here’s a look at what he had to say...
Kevin on how his recent move to Spurs materialised
“I’m here now and I try not to think too much about what happened in the past. I can’t change that. I can’t do much about that but I think when a club like Spurs comes knocking, it’s something that I don’t think a lot of people would turn down. Certainly not me and that’s why I’m here today.”
Kevin on European football opportunities
“I think Spurs is a big club and we have the chance to play in Europe. That is where Spurs belong and that is what we want to achieve every season, to continue adding to the history, hopefully with some trophies — that is what we are setting out to do. It starts tomorrow by coming out and trying to win the game.”
Kevin on the returns of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero
“We all know what they have achieved at Tottenham so far – the two of them – and how good they are. I’m looking forward to that challenge. I'm going to push them, they're going to push me and I think the season is very long, there are many competitions, there are a lot of games, so it's about keeping each other on the highest level possible to compete in every competition we're in, and just try to win every game, take it game by game, just make sure that we’re on top and just always on form.”
Kevin on whether that competition for places appealed to him when he joined
“100 per cent. I’ve always had to compete in my life and I thrive off that challenge, playing alongside great players, competing for places with great players and just being at an amazing club whose ambition is to win things and just to be part of the history of a club like Tottenham.”
Kevin on ‘taking whacks’ during games
“I like to think of myself as a warrior. I just try to get my body in front of shots, block shots, just be an aggressive defender who's always trying to get in the way of stuff, stop the opposition from scoring and getting whacks is part and parcel of that, but like you said, I just get up, limp a bit and continue. Growing up with two brothers, always getting whacks from them… like I said, I enjoy it, it's part of football, everybody gets a kick here and there, you just have to get up and keep going.”
Kevin on Archie Gray
“He’s unbelievable, the fact that he's 18, the maturity he plays with, even the maturity with which he carries himself around the dressing room, it's amazing. He's a great lad and his quality has been on show for many weeks now. I think he's just going to keep improving because he's only 18 and to already have that maturity in the way he plays football – and off the pitch – it's something that's going to take him a long way.”
Kevin on what Ange Postecoglou said to him before signing
“It didn’t take much for me to be honest. It was really short and sweet – he just quickly gave me an insight about ideas of how he wants to play. It was just very brief and he just told me the idea of what his team stands for and after that I was 100 per cent sure.”
Kevin on sensing hunger in the squad to finish the season well
“100 per cent and I believe that’s possible. I said before the United game with the week of training that we had before that with some of the injured lads coming back – there was a lot of positive energy around the place and we ended up winning that game and keeping a clean sheet. It’s the same feeling now with Micky and Cuti back in the squad and everybody is wanting to finish the season strong. We know what a great squad we have and it’s just down to us now to prove it every day, in every training session and every game, taking the next few games on with broad shoulders, going in to try and really win the games and try to make an impact.”
Kevin on whether the Europa League is crucial to our season
“We take every game as an important one and go out to try and win every game. We’re in the Europa League now, we’re playing tomorrow and we’re going to go out and try and win. We’re going to try and win the competition of course because a club like Spurs, that’s where we want to be. We want to be part of a Spurs team that is winning things. The pressure is normal, and l think all top clubs deal with that pressure and it’s down to us to bring a good performance tomorrow night and win the game.”
