A look at Spurs’ possible starting line-up for the 2025/26 season - featuring several new signings.
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A summer of change awaits Tottenham Hotspur fans – a new manager will be sat in the dugout and, judging by the gossip columns, a host of new faces will line up on the pitch as well. But what will Spurs’ starting eleven look like come August?
The club have been unusually busy in the early stages of the summer transfer window. They’ve spent £55m on Mohammed Kudus and are likely to spend more again on Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, who was undergoing a medical before the weekend. Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso have signed permanently and a couple of exciting youngsters have been added to the squad - but there’s yet more work to be done.
To help to piece together what Thomas Frank’s starting line-up might look like when they kick the 2025/26 Premier League season off against Burnley, we’ve combed through the latest rumours and assessed which are likely to prove true and which moves will fall through to piece together a plausible eleven for a little over a month’s time.
Tottenham’s potential goalkeeper and defence for 2025/26
GK: Guglielmo Vicario (£17m); LB: Destiny Udogie (£20m), CB: Micky van de Ven (£43m), CB: Koni de Winter (£25m), RB: Pedro Porro (£39m)
While there have been mutterings about the futures of Guglielmo Vicario and Pedro Porro, it seems overwhelmingly likely that the only regular starter who might leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer is Cristian Romero, who is the subject of interest from Atlético Madrid.
Romero’s future remains up in the air, with conflicting reports surrounding discussions. Spurs won’t sell on the cheap and the Argentine seems unlikely to force the issue, but it remains eminently possible that the experienced centre-half leaves and requires replacement.
Numerous sources claim that Spurs are in for Burnley’s Maxime Estève, who could cost up to £30m, but negotiations are not as advanced as some outlets suggest and he is merely one of several options. Genoa’s Koni de Winter, who would cost a little less, is another, and may be easier to sign in spite of interest from other teams. Tall, powerful and confident with the ball at his feet, he’s a fine all-round defender who should complement Micky van de Ven nicely. The Belgian could easily be above Estève on the shopping list. A full-back is also likely to be on the way, with a free transfer for Kyle Walker-Peters looking likely. Rumours connecting Spurs with a bid for Antonee Robinson appear to be well wide of the mark.
Could Douglas Luiz add grit to Tottenham’s midfield?
DM: Pape Matar Sarr (£15m), Douglas Luiz (£27m); AM: James Maddison (£40m)
One move that we will almost certainly see take place is the arrival of a new central midfielder. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg is gone, Yves Bissouma will likely follow, and a fresh pair of legs is a necessity – unfortunately, Spurs don’t seem to be finding it all that easy to pick out a transfer target, as Ange Postecoglou found out when Spurs failed to sign a new player for the centre of midfield last summer.
We’re putting Douglas Luiz, who has been linked to Spurs as Juventus attempt to move him on after a bad debut season in Serie A, in as a placeholder more than anything. Spurs had seemingly wanted Christian Nørgaard but were beaten to the punch by Arsenal, while another rumoured target, Benfica’s Orkun Kökçü, seems more likely to move to Besiktas as it stands. Spurs have also been linked with Palmeiras’ Richard Ríos, but it’s almost easier to find a team that haven’t been.
Luiz, in short, is as likely as anyone, but don’t be surprised if Spurs head in a different direction entirely - it’s just that Luiz could well return to the Premier League and Spurs are as plausible a destination as any. Spurs also seem interested in adding teenage AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit to their ranks, and while he could well end up being instantly impactful in the manner of Lucas Bergvall last season, it’s more likely that Smit is seen as a back-up to start with.
Spurs want one more new forward for the front line
LW: Mohammed Kudus (£55m); RW: Morgan Gibbs-White (£60m); CF: Yoane Wissa (£40m)
Spurs have already splashed the cash on left winger Kudus and versatile attacker Gibbs-White, who could just as easily take James Maddison’s more central role as Dejan Kulusevski’s job on the right - but while Spurs now look extremely well-stocked across the front three even if Son Heung-Min bids a tearful farewell, they may not be finished just yet.
Injuries meant that Dominic Solanke wasn’t able to play as full a role in his debut season as he might have liked and it’s possible that a new striker will be brought in to provide competition - and BBC Sport reporter Sami Mokbel’s story which suggests that Thomas Frank is seeking a reunion with former forward Yoane Wissa makes a lot of sense. Not only is he a fine finisher, but his versatility means that he can provide cover out wide as well.
It isn’t quite clear how much Wissa might cost but with one year left on his current contract, it’s unlikely that he would set Spurs back any more than £40m, which seems like a very fair price for a player who has proven that he can hit double figures in the Premier League. All in all, our admittedly speculative Spurs starting XI weighs in at £380m of talent before we even get to the bench – enough, perhaps, to challenge for the top four once more after a dreadful league campaign in 2024/25. it’s clear, however, that Spurs are taking their transfer business slowly and it may be some time before we have a clearer picture of precisely which players they might sign this summer.