Conor Gallagher finally picked up his first Premier League win in a Tottenham shirt last weekend, but Fabrizio Romano has revealed there is a rival English midfielder who could take his place.
Tottenham's win over Wolves comes at a cost
Tottenham’s survival hopes have been dealt an enormous blow after Xavi Simons suffered a serious knee injury, but it will open the door for other players to step up.
Inded, there are several options in the 18th-placed Spurs squad that Roberto De Zerbi could turn to during the club’s final four games of the Premier League season.
Mathys Tel
The most likely candidate to benefit is Mathys Tel, who has been a rare shining light for Tottenham during a disastrous second half of the campaign, with his fearless mentality and non-stop desire to run at defenders earning him plaudits.
Tel went 11 weeks without a start under Thomas Frank before the 21-year-old forced his way into contention at the start of 2026 and a string of consistent displays under Igor Tudor followed.
Tel flourished under Tudor and replaced Simons at Wolves, where he forced the corner which produced Joao Palhinha’s winner. Spurs desperately need creativity and a goal threat - could Tel provide that?
Lucas Bergvall
One alternative for De Zerbi would be to bring the highly rated Lucas Bergvall into the team and potentially deploy him on the left or in fact on the right, which would mean Randal Kolo Muani would switch to the opposite flank.
Kolo Muani was hooked after 45 minutes at Wolves following a largely anonymous display and De Zerbi joked he must take the France international out every day in order to boost his confidence in a cryptic way which suggested he was in the last-chance saloon.
James Maddison
The most obvious replacement for Simons in an ideal world would be James Maddison, but the playmaker has not played since his own anterior cruciate ligament injury in August.
Sunday’s trip to Aston Villa will fall on the nine-month anniversary of Maddison’s ACL injury and given he has been back with the first-team group for many weeks, he could be ready to make an eagerly awaited return - but can he start after such a lengthy lay-off?
Conor Gallagher
Another option is to deploy Gallagher further forward - a position where he thrived during his loan spell from Chelsea at Crystal Palace, scoring eight times during his season at Selhurst Park.
The England international has been the subject of much criticism for his performances in a Spurs shirt however, and Romano's latest update suggests he could soon be replaced - if they remain in the Premier League.
Indeed, the reporter has revealed that Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones was the man Spurs wanted before they opted for Gallagher in January.
He states in his latest YouTube video that the future of the Premier League winner will now be 'interesting' given he has not featured in his favourite position under Arne Slot, and Tottenham could revive their interest but only if they retain their top flight status.
Jones, despite being shoved into full-back roles and used largely off the bench this season, has drawn praise from Liverpool legend Phil Thompson, who said the Scouser was "fantastic" and their "best player" during a Champions League defeat to Galatasaray.
If Spurs make another move for the 25 year-old, it would signal a quick end to Gallagher's time in North London.