Hotspur HQ

On Friday, it was widely-reported that Igor Tudor will take charge for the rest of the season on an interim basis. Well, we hope that the former Olympique de Marseille, Lazio and Juventus boss realises he is inheriting a team in a relegation battle. The Lilywhites are currently 16th, just five points above the drop zone, with the small matter of a North London derby against the leaders up next.

When Tudor's tenure ends in the summer, most Spurs supporters are dreaming that Mauricio Pochettino will return to North London. Currently in charge of the United States, so, depending on how far the World Cup co-hosts go, he may have a very tight turnaround between the end of that tournament and next season commencing in mid-August. Whoever is in charge long-term will want to reshape this squad, but is one key player, above all other, currently tanking their market value.

The Spurs star who may prove untradeable

Few Tottenham players in modern times have proved to be as divisive as Cristian Romero. On his day, the World Cup winner is one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League, but times and time and time again he proves to be a liability. Following the recent unexpected 2-2 draw with Manchester City, Romero criticised the club's hierarchy for leaving them with only 11 available player.

Well, less than a week later, around half an hour in Spurs' trip to Old Trafford, the Argentine was sent off for a completely unnecessary, overly aggressive tackle on Casemiro. Man United went on to make their man advantage count, prevailing 2-0, with Romero serving a four-match suspension, thereby unable to return until 15 March at Anfield.

List of Cristian Romero's red cards for Tottenham

November 2021. Tottenham 3-2 Vitesse Arnhem. 59th minute. Second yellow card.

February 2023. Tottenham 1-0 Manchester City. 87th minute. Second yellow card.

March 2023. Tottenham 0-0 AC Milan. 77th minute. Second yellow card.

November 2023. Tottenham 1-4 Chelsea. 33rd minute. Straight red card.

December 2025. Tottenham 1-2 Liverpool. 93rd minute. Second yellow card.

February 2026. Manchester United 2-0 Tottenham. 29th minute. Straight red card.

Each of Romero's last three red cards have come in high-profile Premier League defeats, while the one before saw them crash out of the Champions League, failing to beat AC Milan at home following a first leg defeat at San Siro.

Then-manager Frank was surprised to learn that Romero has collected the most red cards of any player in the Premier League since he joined Spurs from Atalanta in the summer of 2021.

Players with 3+ Premier League red cards (2021/22-present)

So, what now for Romero? Well, he is always under extra intense scrutiny as club captain, but this epitomises the lack of leadership at the club, following the departures of Harry Kane, Hugo Lloris, Son Heung-min, Eric Dier and other high-profile players in recent times.

Also, as soon as Romero is available again, he will be straight back into the team, as there is simply not enough accountability for his actions. Thus, sacrificing him would surely be an easy early statement for any new manager to make. Well, this won't be easy. He cost £42.5 million to recruit and is under contract until 2029, having signed an extension as recently as August, thereby making him the club's highest earner, according to Capology.

Atlético Madrid have been perennially purportedly interested in the defender, that feels like a match made in heaven, but another red card could put off any potential suitors.

Thomas Frank's job was finally deemed untenable after yet another miserable home defeat to Newcastle United on Tuesday night, but that decision was only delayed because the folks running the show had no idea regarding a succession plan.

Nobody knew what direction they'd turn. Some advocated for Harry Redknapp's return (lol), Tim Sherwood threw himself in the hat (LOL), while others regarded Robbie Keane as ready after his stellar work with *checks notes* Ferencváros.

In truth, there was no obvious candidate, but very, very few expected them to go down the route they have done. I could've sworn Fabio Paratici was no longer employed by this football club?

Anyway, they've gone for his guy. Paratici wanted Thomas Frank gone months ago and Igor Tudor to come in as his replacement. Well, Fiorentina's new director has finally gotten his wish. Tudor has been selected as the man to fight fires in north London and steer the Lilywhites well clear of the relegation zone.

While many have lamented the decision, Tudor does have an excellent track record of overseeing quick turnarounds. He's been a great manager in the short-term in a variety of environments, and his big club experience should bode well when he rocks up in north London. Truthfully, though, I have absolutely no idea how this is going to pan out, and you shouldn't either.

Anyway, we can speculate what Tudor's Tottenham could look like. I've given it a crack, taking into account the current absentees.

Tottenham's predicted lineup under interim manager Igor Tudor (3-4-1-2)

Goalkeeper & Defenders

Guglielmo Vicario (GK)—I'd love to see Antonín Kinsky given a go under the new manager, but I don't think Tudor will opt for a change between the sticks. His build-up isn't sophisticated enough to facilitate Vicario's removal.

Archie Gray (CB)—There has to be a role for Gray in the team. The teenager performs well beyond his years, and Tudor will undoubtedly appreciate the Englishman's versatility.

João Palhinha (CB)—The Juventus connection means it's easy to project Tudor taking to Radu Drăgușin, but I'd personally rather see Palhinha at the heart of his defence than the Romanian while Cristian Romero serves his suspension. Palhinha may not boast the athleticism to successfully contribute to Tudor's man-to-man marking in midfield.

Micky van de Ven (CB)—No dramas here. Van de Ven is an excellent fit for outside centre-back role in a back three.

Wing-Backs & Midfielders

Djed Spence (RWB)—Don't expect too many wing-back-to-wing-back connections under the Croatian. There have been comparisons to Antonio Conte, but Tudor doesn't demand anywhere near as much from his wide players in the final third. Spence, a defensive phenom and great athlete, fits the bill for a Tudor wing-back.

Conor Gallagher (CM)—It's got to be runners in the middle of the park. If Spurs are going to disrupt, harry and potentially thrive in transition, Tudor's got to have his best athletes in his pivot. Palhinha's a destroyer who could play here, but I think the new boss trusts the most energetic midfielders at his disposal.

Pape Matar Sarr (CM)—Sarr's pretty similar to Gallagher, and this is a pivot that's unlikely to set the world alight in the build-up phase. However, as I've alluded to already, Tudor is set to prioritise an improvement without the ball to ignite a resurgence in N17.

Xavi Simons (AM)—The big-name summer signing should appreciate the change of face in the dugout, even if Xavi isn't exactly the sort of player Tudor has gotten the best out of in the past. Nevertheless, he should appreciate the Dutchman's dogged effort without the ball. Xavi is capable of inspiring an upsurge, but it's a huge responsibility.

João Souza (LWB)—Destiny Udogie's injury setback really does hurt, but at least he'll be back relatively soon. In the meantime, January arrival Souza will likely get the chance to get his feet wet in the Premier League.

Forwards

Randal Kolo Muani (ST)—Kolo Muani knows all about Tudor, who was in the Juventus dugout for the Frenchman's successful loan spell in Turin. The versatile centre-forward is yet to kick into gear in north London, but the arrival of a familiar face should help. Kolo Muani scored ten goals in 20 games for Juve last season.

Since the Premier League's inception in 1992, Tottenham Hotspur have churned through 24 different managers, including a couple of very brief caretaker spells. In the century before that, only 17 strutted around the home dugout at White Hart Lane.

Spurs' 20th century was defined by revolutionaries critical to the sport's tactical advancement, like Peter McWilliam and Arthur Rowe, and the mightily successful, like Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw. Before '92, there were six managerial stints that spanned at least four years, but only one, Mauricio Pochettino, has celebrated their four-year anniversary in modern times.

There's no overlooking the direct correlation between the dwindling lifespans of managers and football's increased monetisation. With the financial stakes so significant, and our society breeding impatience, the idealists and pragmatists on the touchline have little time to make an impression.

Sometimes clubs are undoubtedly too hasty to give up on a man they've undoubtedly committed plenty of resources to. However, in Tottenham's case, they just have a knack for getting it wrong, including Daniel Levy's 13th permanent appointment.

Here are the club's five shortest managerial reigns of the Premier League era.

For those born this century, Christian Gross was/is no more than a punchline in a chant celebrating a manager who's remembered more fondly in N17. However, there are plenty who are well aware of Gross, the Tottenham manager, and had to suffer through his 290 days in charge.

Sir Alan Sugar does try to exude a sense of omniscience, yet it was he who brought the relatively unknown Swiss coach to the club in late 1997. Many clubs were out to get their answer to Arsène Wenger during this period, particularly Sugar, and he jumped on Jürgen Klinsmann's reported recommendation to hire Gross.

The Swiss merely had Wil and Grasshopper on his CV by the time he rocked up on English shores with a limited grasp of the language. For many, it came as no surprise that Gross failed miserably, as he oversaw just nine Premier League wins in 27 games and failed to see out a year in charge.

The 1997/98 campaign was Spurs' poorest Premier League performance in terms of points attained until 2024/25.

Thomas Frank was only at the club for eight months, yet it felt like we endured his presence for years, given the monotony and dreariness of the football he oversaw.

Frank arrived in the aftermath of our Europa League success in Bilbao, and was regarded by plenty as a shrewd appointment who'd at least raise the floor and supply a semblance of stability after a chaotic but ultimately glorious campaign.

And while there was very early promise, it didn't take long for the job to overwhelm him. Supporters quickly grew tired of a rather primitive tactical approach that failed to maximise the squad at his disposal, which, don't get me wrong, needs plenty of work, but was severely underperforming.

He just offered nothing to believe in. We suffered through nadir after nadir under the Dane's tutelage, and he should've gone far sooner than he actually did. Frank's 26.9% Premier League win rate is the worst among all Tottenham managers, excluding Cristian Stellini.

In need of a long-term successor after the populist-appeasing appointment of Glenn Hoddle failed to pay dividends, Levy went continental.

Again, not much was known about Jacques Santini, but he was in charge of the French national team and had earned that job after winning a league title with Lyon. Santini joined Tottenham after Euro 2004, during which France were stunned by eventual champions Greece in the quarter-finals.

He wouldn't last long in north London, with his resignation due to "personal reasons" arriving after 155 days and 13 Premier League games in charge. It was later reported that friction over transfer policy led to Santini's swift exit, and his assistant, Martin Jol, took charge, which turned out okay.

One man pleased to see the back of the Frenchman would've been José Mourinho, who was particularly scathing of Santini's approach in a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge just a few weeks into the 2004/05 campaign. "Parking the bus," Mourinho mentioned mid-rant, not knowing how ironic that would later become.

It wasn't even 150 days, but it was quite the ride. Tim Sherwood's return to White Hart Lane will be remembered for salutes, a few heavy defeats and the emergence of Harry Kane.

The departure of Gareth Bale the previous summer compromised André Villas-Boas' "give the ball to Gareth Bale as much as possible" ploy, with the not-so-magnificent seven that arrived as mitigation unsurprisingly failing to fill the void.

Well, I suppose Christian Eriksen was pretty special, we all grew to cherish Erik Lamela's oddities, and Nacer Chadli was handy for a while. Nevertheless, it was Emmanuel Adebayor who re-emerged as Spurs' protagonist during the second half of 2013/14, ending the Premier League campaign with 11 goals. Sherwood got a tune out of the veteran striker, that's for sure.

The former title-winning midfielder may have thought he'd done enough to see out the entirety of his 18-month contract, but Spurs had a succession plan in mind.

There's not a chance Nuno Espírito Santo believed a single word exiting his mouth when he promised supporters that his team were going to make them "proud" after a choatic managerial search was finally brought to a close.

Nuno had done an excellent job at Wolves, and, like Frank, was regarded as a floor-raiser capable of supplying stability. The parallels to the Dane don't end there; as he also oversaw a victory over Man City very early on in his reign and inspired an utterly insipid display at the Emirates.

That 3-1 defeat to an Arsenal team that hadn't yet emerged under Mikel Arteta proved to be the beginning of the end for Nuno. Antonio Conte was ready to take over, and after another convincing defeat, this time to Manchester United on home soil, Levy pulled the plug in record time.

He lasted just 124 days and ten Premier League games, winning five and losing the rest. Still, I've seen worse brief reigns.

On Wednesday morning, the news many Tottenham Hotspur supporters had been waiting for finally arrived. It was confirmed at around 10am that manager Thomas Frank had been sacked after only 38 matches in charge, having won only 13.

Frank's final game in the job was Tuesday's comprehensive 2-1 defeat at the hands of Newcastle, in which the Magpies dominated throughout, mustering 21 shots and accumulating an xG of 2.48. This means Spurs have still failed to win any of their eight Premier League matches in 2026, claiming victory from just two of their last 17 outings. The Lilywhites are thereby only five points above the relegation zone, leading to genuine fears that their 48-year stay in the top division could come to a end.

With a week and a half until Tottenham's next fixture, the small matter of a North London derby against league-leaders Arsenal, full focus will be on who the hierarchy appoint as Frank's successor. Former bosses Tim Sherwood and Harry Redknapp have thrown their hat into the ring to takeover on an interim basis, so could a short-term solution be required?

Many Spurs supporters dream of seeing Mauricio Pochettino return to the club. Between 2014 and 2019, the Argentine oversaw the club's most successful period of modern times. Tottenham enjoyed four straight top four finishes in the Premier League, as well as reaching an EFL Cup Final and the Champions League Final in 2019.

Speaking in a recent interview alongside long-time assistant Jesús Pérez, Pochettino stated that his dream is to win both the Premier League and Champions League as a coach, and has intimated many times previously that he would relish a return to N17. However, as United States head coach, he will not be available until after the World Cup in July. Well, Spurs possibly cannot afford to wait, given their current perilous predicament, so should they target a new permanent manager now?

Who Tottenham should target instead of waiting for Pochettino

On Wednesday morning, Tottenham were not the only European heavyweights changing management. Over in France, Olympique de Marseille confirmed that they had parted company with their head coach Roberto De Zerbi by mutual consent. The Italian leaves the French Riviera after Sunday's humiliating 5-0 demolition in Le Classique against PSG, after OM also failed to reach the Champions League knockout phase. So, why would he be a good fit for Tottenham?

Roberto De Zerbi's managerial career statistics

As De Zerbi's career statistic underline, he rarely lasts a long time at a club, but often has a big impact. In the Premier League, he led Brighton to an FA Cup semi-final and their highest-ever top-flight finish of sixth, thereby guiding the Seagulls into Europe for the very first time.

Also, the Italian is known for his attacking, high-intensity, all or nothing style of play. Well, after years of drab football under José Mourinho, Antonio Conte and now Frank, this is surely something Spurs supporters would relish, transporting back to the early days of Ange Postecoglou's tenure.

While the Pochettino dream remains what most supporters desire, Tottenham simply need to appoint someone right now. They cannot afford to drift. Thus, given the fact that De Zerbi has become available just as Spurs search for a new head coach, it would be frankly neglectful if CEO Vinai Venkatesham didn't at least have a conversation with the out of work Italian.

Thomas Frank's Tottenham tenure is now over. Tuesday night's 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Newcastle United proved to be the final straw for the Spurs hierarchy and with good reason.

The Lilywhites are still yet to win any of their eight Premier League matches in 2026, claiming only two victories from 17 outings since the end of October, beating Brentford and Crystal Palace during this period. Thus, Tottenham sit 16th, a mere five points clear of the bottom three, raising bona fide concerns that they could be relegated for the first time since 1977.

A new manager will be in charge of Spurs' next fixture, a North London derby against Arsenal on 22 February, who will that be remains to be seen. It will not be Frank, with some alarming statistics having come to light following his dismissal.

Thomas Frank's dismall Spurs tenure in statistics

Had it not been for their Champions League exploits, finishing fourth in the gigantic league table, Dane would surely have been dismissed by Spurs a lot sooner. That's because, in the Premier League, Frank's record was historically abysmal.

Tottenham manager's Premier League points-per-game

Of all 26 Tottenham managers to oversee ten league matches or more since WWII, Frank departs with the lowest points-per-game ratio at 1.12. Juande Ramos, Ossie Ardiles and Jacques Santini are the only other men to collect fewer than 1.2 points-per-game while, at the other end of the list, Tim Sherwood's tally of 1.91 remains the highest, just above Antonio Conte and Mauricio Pochettino.

This though is not all Thomas Frank's fault. Under Ange Postecoglou last season, yes Spurs won the Europa League, but they finished 17th in the Premier League, beaten 22 times, a club-record for a single season. This losing culture appears to have continued throughout this campaign.

Clubs with most Premier League defeats since the start of 2024/25

Amazingly, since the start of last season, only Wolverhampton Wanderers have suffered more Premier League defeats than Spurs' 33. That is the same Wolves who are destined for relegation, currently rock-bottom of the table with only eight points to their name, which is fewer than that Derby team had at this stage of 2007/08.

So, could Tottenham be traveling to Molineux next season in the EFL Championship? Well, this genuinely is not out of the question. When a team is underperforming as Spurs are, usually a new manager comes in, lifts the mood and results improve.

In this case however, with Cristian Romero, Kevin Danso, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie, Pedro Porro, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall, James Maddison, Dejan Kuluševski, Mohammed Kudus, Richarlison and now Wilson Odobert all sidelined, it won't be so straight forward of guaranteed.

Whoever is in charge a week on Sunday will be thrown into the deep end with a North London derby. The last Spurs manager to take charge for the first time in a game against Arsenal was Glenn Hoddle in April 2001, overseeing an FA Cup semi-final defeat at Old Trafford in, what proved to be, Sol Campbell's final appearance for the club. Whoever takes over surely cannot do worse than Frank, so at least there is that.

Throughout the 2025/26 Premier League season, Mathys Tel has impressed Tottenham Hotspur supporters with explosive dribbling, a goal scorer's mentality, the desire to be incisive from the left flank, ball striking, work rate, and even chance creation. He has scored timely goals to take home points against Manchester United and Leeds United, and in many games this season, he has genuinely been Spurs biggest threat.

That is why it was so disheartening to see Tel yanked back and forth between the Champions League squad or constantly snubbed in Premier League matches, never rewarded by the pedantic Thomas Frank even when he shined as a substitute to change the game.

It seemed almost as if Frank was punishing Tel for not succumbing to his outlandishly cowardly brand of defensive football, rather than rewarding Tel for shining in spite of it. Tel's plight became so desperate that he was pushing for a loan move away from Tottenham for the final six months of the season, though at least the Spurs board was not as foolhardy as Frank and managed to resist losing him.

Mathys Tel is the main man now

Frank's promises to play Mathys Tel more were probably going to go unfulfilled - just ask Cristian Romero how promises work at Spurs - but it is all a moot point now. Mercifully, Tottenham have fired Frank, and now Tel has a huge lifeline and one less barrier to being handed the keys to the kingdom on the left flank.

Unfortunately, Tel has a less positive second reason for Tottenham to drive towards making him their new superstar, goal scoring winger. According to a report from French paper Le Parisien, it looks like the 2025/26 Premier League season is over for standout winger Wilson Odobert, who was recently breaking out at a level even higher than Tel with match winning displays on the right in relief of an injured Mohammed Kudus.

Earlier in the season when Kudus was healthy, Tel and Odobert were trading starts on the left, so even when Kudus comes back, Tel is THE option on the left wing, bar none. He will be sad to see his countryman go down, but most Tottenham fans have also privately felt that Tel has the more upside of the two, especially on the left wing cutting inside to score goals.

With Frank done and no longer holding him back and now even less depth on the wings, there is no excuse for Tottenham not to start Tel. He is ready for his brush with superstardom, and now it is time for him to deliver on the opportunities that will inevitably be coming his way.

There may not be a more inept manager in the Premier League right now than Thomas Frank, and just when it seems like he cannot sink any lower as the on the pitch leader of Tottenham Hotspur, he somehow manages to fall below those low expectations.

Star center back Cristian Romero has been openly disgruntled with Spurs over the last several months, but his thoughts only reflect how everyone in the fan base and every player at the club feels about the team's horrendous leadership and lack of standards.

There is no ambition at the club, so players like Romero who are serial winners outside of Tottenham - he literally won the World Cup with Argentina - are naturally going to be upset. And that is especially the case when Romero decided to re-sign with Tottenham and take on the club captaincy after Son Heung-min when he could have easily joined up with, say, Real Madrid this past summer.

The Cristian Romero rumors are troubling

Now, there are very serious transfer rumors circling around about Romero potentially leaving the club again, and Gaston Edul has even reported that Cristian Romero WILL be leaving Tottenham Hotspur this coming summer transfer window after publicly denouncing the club's latest debacle of a winter transfer window.

Instead of dissuading those rumors or assuaging the fan base that Romero will not be going anywhere, Thomas Frank, at a press conference prior to a huge game for Tottenham against Manchester United, literally said out loud that he has "no clue" what will happen to Romero after making cryptic remarks about him being dealt "internal" discipline.

Frank said of Romero when asked if the Argentinian superstar will be back for th 2026/27 season, via The Spurs Express, “That’s a question I have no idea about. Right now he is the captain, he has a long-term contract and we signed a new contract with him.”

What an absurd thing to say and yet another foot in mouth moment from Frank, who is both the worst manager on the pitch and off the pitch in the Premier League right now. He is literally talking about his captain and best player as if he were a one off loanee whom he had no clue what the future would hold for.

This might be an appropriate response if asked about Randal Kolo Muani, and yet he is so flippant about Romero's status. It is understandable to play coy or be vague about a hot button issue, but instead of saying "no clue", Frank could have easily said, "I know I want him back" or "He is very important to us and we need to keep him". Instead, he just said, "I have no idea," and, in other words, "I don't care, moving on". Hopefully, instead of Romero, Frank will be the one moving on.

The vast majority of Tottenham Hotspur supporters are simply sitting idly by and waiting with general disinterest at the club's happenings until they finally hear the words that Thomas Frank has been officially deposed as manager of the club.

Not that Frank being fired would magically solve all of Spurs problems, because the rot at the club obviously permeates deep from within. So deep, in fact, that any optimism of a turn around at Tottenham after the summer firing of Daniel Levy has been immediately erased with the knowledge that everyone above at ENIC is responsible for Spurs being nothing more than a farm for commercial financial interests rather than anything resembling a sporting project.

Nothing could be clearer after how poor of a winter transfer window Tottenham had this year. They had so many needs across their roster, specifically in the attack, and yet they addressed none of them. Conor Gallagher was the only established signing Spurs made, and yet they are still thin at center midfield and failed to sign the actual profile they needed at the position.

Thomas Frank is obviously part of the problem

Far from being a blameless scapegoat or the victim himself, Thomas Frank is an active participant in the attempted brainwashing by the club of its fans. In the aftermath of the miserably failed January transfer window, the Tottenham Hotspur manager went out of his way to defend Spurs transfer window at the press conference prior to the clash against Manchester United in the Premier League.

Frank said, via The Spurs Express, when asked if the window was a sign of Tottenham simply doubling down on mediocrity, “That's your opinion. This club is very ambitious. I think if it was this easy to get another player in, then I'd play Football Manager.”

Now that is the exact response Tottenham fans feared was coming, but it is nonetheless thoroughly unsurprising. All season long after every loss, Frank has tried to basically lie bald faced to the fan base that his team has been playing well, so it then makes sense that this same character would try to explain away the awful January transfer window as a positive.

"Very ambitious"? Fabio Paratici, who just left Tottenham for Fiorentina, said his primary motivation for doing so was because the Viola are a serious club, thus implying that Tottenham are not. And so many great managers - far greater than Frank - have said the same thing, such as Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho. None of them have any love lost for this club's horrendous leadership, and yet here is Frank openly kissing their behinds.

Although Tottenham Hotspur were able to nick a point off Manchester City with a 2-2 draw last Premier League weekend fueled by a brace by striker Dominic Solanke, it has still been more than a month since Spurs last beat an English side. They have not won a Premier League matchup since Dec. 28 against Crystal Palace, a narrow 1-0 victory.

Spurs have been an embarrassment this season and are staring down relegation. Meanwhile, their opponents on Saturday, Manchester United, have been resurgent after finally giving up on their vastly underperforming manager Ruben Amorim, replacing him with former star center midfielder Michael Carrick.

Manchester United's success under Carrick has given Spurs fans more fuel to want Frank out, as he has been treading water with wins over Bundesliga clubs in the Champions League and put his own safety in better standing with a draw against a Premier League title contender in Man City.

Thomas Frank is on the hot seat

But he will be back under the kibosh again if Tottenham Hotspur cannot get a result against Man United. The good news for Frank is that he will have two of his most important players available on Saturday afternoon at Old Trafford.

The Danish manager confirmed at the press conference in the build up to Tottenham vs. Manchester United that both superstar center backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven will be back and available this weekend after injury scares. However, versatile wide man Djed Spence is merely "touch and go" again and could miss the game.

He said, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, "Micky trained today and is available for selection for Saturday. Djed is getting closer and is touch and go, there is a chance he could be available. Romero is available."

Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are obviously Tottenham's two most important players right now, especially with right winger Mohammed Kudus still out injured. While star striker Dominic Solanke may soon challenge that, Romero and Van de Ven have been the team's top goal scorers and defensive threats while also carrying the ball and passing at a higher level than, honestly, most of the midfielders.

So the fact that Tottenham will have both Romero and Van de Ven out there against Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes, and the resurgent Man United attack will at least give Spurs a chance on the road against arguably the Premier League's hottest team under Michael Carrick's management.

Spence's absence could be felt, though. He is not a starter, but his ability to carry the ball in more attacking positions or even spell Pedro Porro at right back could be missed depending on the game flow this Saturday.

Former Tottenham Hotspur director of football Fabio Paratici may have had some bizarre ideas on the way out, such as trying to work with Ivan Juric as the next Spurs manager, but he also nearly saved the club from the disastrous Thomas Frank hire.

Paratici was an asset to Tottenham, bringing in credible starters to a team that has been treading water these last few seasons. After just returning to the club in an official capacity this past summer transfer window, he just as soon left them in the dust this winter transfer window with a surprising move back to Italy to be Fiorentina's director of football.

Fiorentina are perhaps the only big club in European football who have been even more disappointing than Tottenham, because at the time Paratici announced his signing with the Viola, the Florence based side were dead last in Serie A despite being resurgent in the 2024/25 season.

Why did Fabio Paratici leave?

There have been a number of reasons speculated by Tottenham Hotspur fans as to why Fabio Paratici suddenly left the club, with most of them having to do with not wanting to work with an inept ownership, as well as two incompetent partners in sporting director Johan Lange and manager Thomas Frank.

Well, Paratici all but confirmed those rumors in his first public remarks since taking the Fiorentina job, taking a shot at the Tottenham ownership that fans will roundly appreciate.

Paratici said, via The Athletic's top Serie A reporter James Horncastle, "To do this job with a club like Fiorentina was a source of real motivation. To do it with these owners, who are very serious, and infrastructure that's super international, a brand known all over the world and people who share my ideas on the game was more than enough for me to come back and work here."

It is a biting shot at Tottenham, with the barb "very serious" both in praise of Fiorentina and a not so subtle jab at Spurs for not being serious. As much as Tottenham are a global brand and have a bigger footprint than the Viola since they are in London in the Premier League, they did not share Paratici's vision or ambition in the same way.

The fact that Paratici bolted in the winter for Fiorentina and thinks Fiorentina are more serious than a supposed Premier League Big Six club is a truly troubling statement of both intention from Paratici and of disgrace for what Spurs are slowly becoming.