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Dominic Solanke has not started a single game for Tottenham Hotspur in the 2025/26 Premier League season, and you'd be forgiven for forgetting that he's even appeared in three games this season across league play and the UEFA Super Cup, given he was a substitute in all of them.

A pesky ankle injury that has been slow to heal has held Solanke out of more than 10 games now, and it's the latest ailment the Spurs striker has suffered since joining the club for more than 60 million pounds in the summer 2024 transfer window.

The first truth Tottenham fans must acknowledge is that Solanke hasn't been worth the money to this point. Even his most pious of followers must admit that Solanke has not offered a return on that whopping investment, though his status as a transfer bust is perhaps mitigated by the fact that Richarlison has been worse for about the same amount of money and, more importantly, that Spurs probably would not have won the Europa League without Big Dom up top.

There is a second, more convenient truth, for Tottenham to walk away from the first one. Because even if we acknowledge that Solanke has not been a 65 million pound striker for Spurs and probably will never be that caliber of player, he is still very much one of the two best options that Tottenham have.

Dominic Solanke is better than Richarlison

Tottenham fans have been so eagerly anticipating Solanke's return to health, because Richarlison has been so woeful over the past several weeks. That's put a lot of pressure on Randal Kolo Muani, who is still adjusting from his own physical ailment and making an adjustment in a more general sense to the Premier League.

Spurs aren't sold on anyone at the striker position, and the harsh reality is that even as Solanke has not looked like a world-class striker, Tottenham 100 percent need him. Even if Solanke ends up merely being an average striker, which is the worst realistic case when you consider the theoretical talent that made Spurs spend so much to sign him from Bournemouth in 2024, that would still be a massive upgrade on whatever Richarlison has been doing.

Tottenham don't quite know when Big Dom will be back from this ankle injury, but it should be soon enough. Solanke isn't the end all be all and isn't an elite Premier League striker. But he's what Tottenham need. Those are two truths to live by.

Tottenham Hotspur supporters aren't exactly thrilled with Xavi Simons's output at the club since joining as one of the Premier League's most hyped transfers of the summer window, but even the most cynical of Spurs fans has to admit that Simons has been able to show glimpses of quality that give hope that he will come good for them.

Simons was a Bundesliga Player of the Year candidate type of player for RB Leipzig, and though he was overshadowed time after time, including as a transfer, by Florian Wirtz, Simons was an all-around maestro in midfield for sure.

Although Simons is showing the fight and the quality of touches, Tottenham fans have noticed that his threat has been curtailed, even in the No. 10 position. It's apparent that Simons isn't getting the ball enough near the goal and in those dangerous pockets that a 10 usually occupies, as the service from the more defensive Joao Palhinha and the highly underwhelming Rodrigo Bentancur just hasn't been adequate.

The key, then, is Thomas Frank getting it together and making the bold move he should have made weeks ago that Spurs fans have been practically begging for. Give Bentancur the axe and play Archie Gray more. No, no, not as a left back or a defender like Ange Postecoglou was doing but as a midfielder.

Tottenham need progression behind Xavi Simons

See, if Tottenham are going to make Simons their 10, then they need midfielders who can serve him up the ball. Palhinha is never going to be that guy, but his defending makes up for his lack of progressive passing. Bentancur, however, was supposed to be the deep-lying playmaker, but just as he did at Juventus, he is failing to meet the standards of play there at the highest level.

Gray, however, looks like a real gem, and every single time Frank has turned to him in midfield this season, he has looked like, by far, Tottenham's best progressive passer, and if you line up Simons's best games as a creator, they have come with Gray serving him woven and brave passes right behind him in the lineup.

Therefore, a sole individual, Gray, may be the key to helping unlock Simons, because he has a synergistic and compatible playing style with the Dutch international. Gray can be the one to break the lines with his dribbling and passing, enabling Simons to receive more passes in positions where he can actually affect the game for Spurs.

There's not much time left to commiserate over Tottenham Hotspur's shutout loss to Newcastle United, marking their elimination from the League Cup, on Wednesday night, but there is still plenty of time to chastise a starting player who should have already played himself out of the starting lineup weeks ago.

Perhaps with an eye to the London derby this weekend against fellow Champions League side Chelsea, Tottenham manager Thomas Frank elected to punt Randal Kolo Muani to the bench, instead gifting the start to Richarlison, who actually began the 2025/26 season under Frank as the starting striker.

That purple patch in the first few games of the campaign was very, very brief indeed, and Richarlison was predictably terrible against Newcastle. Well, to be quite blunt, he was even worse than expected, as he squandered several chances and genuinely didn't look like a striker. Though that last fact is about par for the course for Richy, since he's not really a natural 9, that fact became so apparent to Spurs supporters after this game that Richarlison's struggles have become the main talking point.

Richarlison at the striker position is a liability. In general, the striker position is a liability for Tottenham, because Kolo Muani and Dominic Solanke - the only two valid options up top - haven't been healthy enough to get a significant run of games. Solanke, in fact, is still injured.

Newcastle taught Tottenham a lesson

Tottenham have to see that Richarlison cannot start up top any more. That Newcastle debacle has to be the last time, unless if literally everyone including Mathys Tel is injured all at the same time (apologies in advance for this potential jinx). Otherwise, Frank needs to bar Richarlison from his mind as even a semblance of an option at the striker position.

Spurs are straight up disjointed, lacking in threat, and totally destructured as an attack with him up top. It's just not working, and if anyone could sit there, including Frank, and pretend otherwise, then that sort of fallacious thinking was completely destroyed by Fabian Schar and Malick Thiaw, who showed the Brazilian international absolute levels in this League Cup encounter.

As Frank and the team regroup from this humbling against one Champions League side in the English top flight, they must take that as a serious learning point heading into an even tougher opponent against Chelsea. Richarlison cannot start. Period. The choice is now a battle between RKM and Big Dom.

It's easy to forget, but Thomas Frank has been playing this entire 2025/26 season shorthanded as he begins his journey with Tottenham Hotspur. James Maddison, Dominic Solanke, and Dejan Kulusevski are three key players from last season's Europa League winning team, yet none of them have been healthy enough to play this campaign due to lingering injuries from last season.

Maddison's importance to the team is blatantly obvious as one of the best playmakers in English football over the last decade, while Solanke is the most discussed of the three because of Spurs lingering problem at striker, which was further highlighted in the recent 2-0 loss to Newcastle by Richarlison's incompetence on the night.

But Kulusevski cannot be forgotten as a key player for Tottenham, and when he finally arrives from a tricky knee injury, which could be as soon as a month, Spurs are going to be much, much better off for it.

Kulu is now an experienced veteran attacking player, and, last season under Ange Postecoglou, he showed off some serious versatility. One of the best right wingers in Serie A from a young age at Parma, the Swedish international moved to Juventus and then played even better at Tottenham. Then last season, he moved to midfield and was quite good as a 10 and respectable as an 8.

Dejan Kulusevski is an asset

With his progression, creativity, and work rate, Kulusevski can be a real asset to Spurs and what they are missing. Tottenham signed two potentially transformative young players this summer in right winger Mohammed Kudus and No. 10 Xavi Simons, but they have no help at those positions behind them.

If Kudus needs rest, they have to go with Brennan Johnson, who cannot create, defend, take players on, or progress the ball like a winger should. Kulusevski, of course, very much can do those things, and he can do them at a high level.

Meanwhile, Simons isn't hitting it off yet, and Kulusevski can bring a different element or even light a fire under the Dutchman. When he returns, he can give Tottenham more flexibility and consistency in the attacking midfield until Simons fully integrates into English football, which appears to be an issue for him.

Kulusevski may be a forgotten man because of how long he has been on the shelf and how many new faces there are at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but when he gets back from that knee injury, there are two key roles for him to knock out.

Tottenham Hotspur were completely shut out again, falling 2-0 in the League Cup, as Nick Woltemade and Newcastle eliminated Thomas Frank's men early from the competition, taking one trophy off the table for Spurs already.

Following a 3-0 win over Everton, Totenham were hoping to have a strong showing against the Magpies on Wednesday night, but, instead, Spurs supporters watched as the same issues plagued the Champions League side.

Telling were the absences of superstar center backs Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero. The latter has been out for a few games with an injury since being pulled at the last second from the previous weekend's Premier League fixture against Aston Villa, which ended up being a 2-1 loss for Spurs.

Romero isn't ready yet, and with Chelsea looming on the horizon this coming Premier League weekend, the Argentinian international was held out of the XI again. Meanwhile, Spurs also decided to give Micky van de Ven some rest for the League Cup encounter, even though he was vital to the last victory over Everton with a brace from the center back position.

Tottenham were worse than expected

Without one of the best center back partnerships in world football available, Spurs predictably struggled, but the extent to which they struggled without Romero and Van de Ven may have surprised even their biggest supporters.

Though the scoreline didn't fully reflect how the game went, Tottenham did visibly suffer without the central defenders in the lineup. They were noticeably worse defensively without the same quality, organization, and athleticism to make up for mistakes. And on the ball, they just didn't have that oomph, and it's obvious that even though Romero and Van de Ven are center backs, Spurs are miles better offensively and carry more of a goal threat with them.

Tottenham are essentially a lock to lose if Romero and Van de Ven are both out. That's not anything Kevin Danso can be blamed for, because he's a fabulous third center back, and both he and Van de Ven delivered weekend monsterclasses in that 3-0 win over Everton.

The thing is, if both Romero and Van de Ven are out of the lineup, Tottenham just don't have the stability and star power. They can't miss these two guys who control the game, paper over mistakes, and carry the ball wonderfully. Spurs were beaten from the moment they stepped onto the pitch without VDV and Romero.

Tottenham Hotspur did not survive their first real League Cup test on Wednesday night, as they were soundly knocked out of the competition by another Champions League side, Newcastle United, falling 2-0 to the Magpies in another offensive drought.

It was a disappointing performance for Spurs after a 3-0 win against Everton over the weekend that was seemingly a bounce back result, but anyone raising panic alarms must realize that the actual performance on the pitch was better than the scoreline suggests.

Compounding that, Spurs were without a few key players in this game. They rested superstar center back Micky van de Ven, while Cristian Romero was wisely held out with an injury ahead of an even bigger fixture this coming weekend against rivals and Premier League title challengers Chelsea.

Speaking of that game, Spurs fans were concerned that star goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario could be out for the club against the Blues. Vicario had just proved to the world that he is a top keeper with an insane Champions League night against Monaco to gift Spurs a point when they should have lost at least 3-0.

Tottenham won't miss their star vs. Chelsea

Vicario, however, didn't play against Newcastle, and for as many Spurs fans wanted young Antonin Kinsky to start over him, the Italian international was sorely missed. Thankfully, Frank told fans after the game, via The Spurs Express, that there is nothing to worry about on the Vicario front. The veteran shot-stopper will be back in time to face Chelsea over the weekend.

The Vicario injury news is a huge relief for Tottenham, who are already hurting with injuries to must-starts on the back line in Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero. Those guys were missed again by Spurs on Wednesday in the shutout loss to Newcastle, but, of course, Vicario was the biggest talking point after watching how uncomfortable Kinsky looked as a shot-stopper, notably on the two goals allowed.

Of course, Vicario has mistakes in him, too, which is why that whole conversation even started in the first place, but he makes saves that few goalkeepers on this planet have any business making. After this performance from Kinsky and Vicario's own against Monaco, it will indeed be a huge relief to have him back against Chelsea, with the Blues coming off an offenisve romping in their own League cup fixture at mid-week, which ended up being a thriller of a 4-3 victory over Wolves.

Once again, after seemingly taking a step forward, Tottenham Hotspur took two giants leap backwards, falling 2-0 to Newcastle United in the League Cup, punching their ticket out of the competition early.

It was another poor, lethargic performance from an attack that has yet to truly get ticking under Thomas Frank. Recall that even over the weekend when Tottenham seemingly bounced back with three goals on the Everton defense, two of those goals were scored by superstar center back Micky van de Ven.

Without either VDV or Cristian Romero out there, Spurs struggled on both ends of the pitch, but it's the alarming nature of their consistent attacking struggles that has Tottenham supporters most concerned going forward.

Richarlison drew the start at striker again, and he was, once again, horrendous. In fact, he was so bad that in the press conference after the game, via The Spurs Express, the diplomatic Frank didn't hesitate to call Richy out directly, “We created some big chances. Sometimes Richarlison arrived too late.”

A horrible individual performance

Now, that's not exactly biting criticism or an earth-shattering callout, but for a manager who is rarely critical, these little drops in the press conference are basically akin to Antonio Conte or Jose Mourinho shouting someone down.

Richarlison has been awful since the first few weeks of the 2025/26 campaign, and he hit a new low on Wednesday night with a truly abysmal performance. Honestly, Spurs didn't play all that badly as a team, so had they received competent play from their striker, maybe they would have gotten the win.

The funniest part about Frank's criticism of Richarlison is that a lot of Spurs fans would argue that the Brazilian international simply didn't even arrive at all. Far from being on the same wavelength as his teammates, Richy often appears to be playing in his own game with no regard for what is happening around him.

Though nobody could ever criticize Richarilson for not working hard, a lot of that work simply isn't effective and takes him out of the equation from actually scoring goals. And even then, Spurs were able to create a handful of good chances for the striker on Wednesday, and yet he still flubbed them all with poor finishing. At this point, even Frank may be regretting his decision to keep Richarlison over the summer transfer window when Spurs probably could have sold him, even if it were for a modest fee.

Tottenham's woes at St. James' Park continued on Wednesday night, as they exited the Carabao Cup by a 2-0 scoreline.

Thomas Frank unsurprisingly tinkered with his starting XI as we made the long trip north, with the Dane making five changes from the team that downed Everton 3-0 at the weekend. Among those to drop to the bench was Micky van de Ven, so Pedro Porro donned the armband on Tyneside.

Newcastle will inevitably enjoy periods of strong momentum under the lights on home soil, and they were the better side in the opening exchanges. In truth, Spurs had struggled to gain a foothold before Fabian Schär headed home from an avoidable corner, but Frank's men burst into life in the aftermath.

There were some lovely build-up sequences, with Frank's deployment of a 3-2-4-1 structure in settled possession supplying our attack with balance. There was central progression and some sumptuous one-touch play. On another day, Richarlison could've had three, and Xavi Simons' growth into the first half was encouraging.

Hopes of a second-half revival were dented by an Antonín Kinsky misjudgement, which allowed Nick Woltemade to head into an empty net. A killer blow.

Aaron Ramsdale was at least to a pair of fine stops from Pape Matar Sarr and Richarlison in the aftermath, but that was as good as it got for Spurs in the second half. Newcastle were able to see out their victory with relative ease, reducing our chances of a Wembley day out in 2026.

Here are the Spurs player ratings.

Newcastle 2-0 Tottenham Carabao Cup player ratings

Goalkeeper & Defenders

Antonín Kinsky (GK): 4/10 – Boy, does he look good with the ball at his feet. Shame about his hands tonight, though. Big error of judgment for Newcastle's second.

Pedro Porro (RB): 6/10 – The skipper produced some lovely nods back to Kinsky, which relieved pressure, and was a useful playmaker from deep. Good battle with Harvey Barnes.

João Palhinha (CB): 7/10 – Did as well as he could in defence, and has looked more dynamic in possession from this role in his two games there compared to when he's stationed in midfield.

Kevin Danso (CB): 6/10 – Not great for both goals, although he would've expected Kinsky to punch away before Woltemade added a second. Had issues dealing with balls in from the left for much of the night.

Djed Spence (LB): 7.5/10 – It's a tough role for Spence, but he escaped pressure brilliantly with some neat touches and lively surges from his position. Lost a bit of aura with the boot mishap before Schär headed in Newcastle's opener.

Continued on the next slide...

I thought the injuries were supposed to fade after getting rid of Ange Postecoglou?

The Australian's two years in charge were marred by multiple availability crises, although some suggested that Spurs' litany of fitness setbacks came as a by-product of the demanding framework Ange installed in north London.

The arrival of the more pragmatic and less idealistic Thomas Frank was projected to ease the physical burden upon the squad the Dane inherited, but that hasn't proven true so far.

Spurs' current list of injury absentees has crept into double digits after news surfaced on social media leading into the Newcastle game on Wednesday night that a potential breakout star had picked up a knock in training that will keep them out of action for a month.

Archie Gray set for two months out with muscle injury

The stricken starlet is Archie Gray, who, according to The Sun's Jake Sanders, has picked up a calf injury.

Sanders initially reported that the versatile teenager was poised to be sidelined for two months, but his most recent update offered a more positive outlook. Spurs are supposedly hopeful that Gray will miss just four weeks, meaning he could return soon after the November international break.

However, he's certain to miss Wednesday's Carabao Cup fourth-round tie at St. James' Park, as well as upcoming fixtures against Chelsea, Copenhagen and Manchester United. The North London Derby is pencilled in for 23 November.

Gray hasn't played a major role for Frank this season, notching just three starts in all competitions, but many have cried out for the manager to place a little more faith in the young Englishman. Gray has often impressed when he's taken to the field, showing immense promise as a dynamic midfield operator in games against Doncaster Rovers and Bodø/Glimt. He also performed well from left-back during the recent stalemate with Monaco.

Thus, his setback comes at a time when he was poised to enjoy an uptick in minutes. Gray was a shoo-in to start on Wednesday night, and there could've been an opportunity to for him to impress in the Champions League next week.

The teenager's absence means Spurs are now down to 15 fit outfielders for what's arguably their most daunting period of the season. James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Kota Takai and Radu Drăgușin have been out since the summer, while Dominic Solanke, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie and Yves Bissouma have all picked up their injuries since our 2025/26 campaing got underway.

With multiple competitions to juggle and fewer bodies available for action, Frank's squad management will decide the extent of Spurs' success this season.

A tough midweek test is on the horizon for Thomas Frank's Tottenham, as they travel to St. James' Park and face holders Newcastle in the Carabao Cup fourth round.

A 3-0 victory over League One Doncaster Rovers last month saw us advance, but there's no denying that we were handed one of the shorter straws in the subsequent draw. Nuno Espírito Santo was the last Tottenham manager to win on Tyneside back in 2021, with Tanguy Ndombélé starring in a 3-2 victory.

Those were the days.

Spurs have since succumbed to 4-0 and 6-1 batterings at Newcastle's fortress, and the Magpies completed the double over Ange Postecoglou's Europa League winners last season.

Both teams enter this fixture off the back of Premier League victories at the weekend, with Frank's Lilywhites set-piecing their way to a 3-0 win at Everton, while Newcastle edged past Fulham thanks to a late Bruno Guimarães winner. They beat Bradford City in the previous round.

Here's our preview of Wednesday's Carabao Cup fourth-round tie.

Newcastle vs Tottenham: Preview, Prediction & Lineups

What time does Newcastle vs Tottenham kick off?

Newcastle vs Tottenham kicks off on Wednesday 29 October at 20:00 BST.

When is kick off? Wednesday 29 October 2025

What time is kick off? 20:00 BST

Where is it played? St. James' Park, Newcastle

Referee:Â Chris Kavanagh

Newcastle vs Tottenham head-to-head record (last five games)

How to watch Newcastle vs Tottenham on TV & live stream

Newcastle team news

Yoane Wissa has been sidelined with a knee injury since joining Newcastle towards the end of the summer transfer window, and Frank's former striker is expected to make his comeback next month.

Full-backs Valentino Livramento and Lewis Hall are also out for the hosts, while Sven Botman is a doubt due to the knock he took to the head against Fulham.

Fabian Schär is poised to replace Botman if he isn't deemed fit, and there could be recalls for the likes of Anthony Elanga, William Osula, Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes.

Newcastle predicted lineup vs Tottenham: Ramsdale; Krafth, Thiaw, Schär, Burn; Guimarães, Tonali, Ramsey; Elanga, Osula, Barnes.

Tottenham team news

There's not much change on the injury front for Spurs since Sunday's win on Merseyside. Frank has provided positive updates on the recoveries of Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie and Dominic Solanke, but none will return to action in midweek.

There's hope that Romero and Udogie will be back for Saturday's London derby with Chelsea, but Kevin Danso performed superbly in the former's absence at the weekend.

I suspect the boss will make a few changes from Sunday's team, with the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven earning rests. João Palhinha may start alongside Danso at centre-back, while Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert could earn recalls.

Ben Davies, Kota Takai, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Drăgușin all remain sidelined.

Tottenham predicted lineup vs Newcastle: Kinsky; Spence, Danso, Palhinha, Gray; Bentancur, Bergvall; Johnson, Sarr, Odobert; Tel.

Newcastle vs Tottenham score prediction

I'd be lying if I said I was looking forward to this one.

While our newfound resilience means Newcastle are unlikely to run away with the cup tie, I can only enivsage misery on Tyneside. Perhaps I'm blinded by those recent drubbings, but it's going to be a big ask for Frank's boys to go up there and get a result on Wednesday night.

Win, and well, we can start planning another parade.