Hotspur HQ

There are very, very few players at Tottenham Hotspur right now who are at a level where they can be considered untouchable in the locker room, in terms of status with the fans, or on the transfer market. Most players on Spurs are entirely unimpressive and replaceable, but there is a core nucleus of stars who are young and too important to the team to lose; these are the true building blocks.

That exclusive list includes players like Lucas Bergvall and Mohammed Kudus without a whole lot of Spurs beyond them, and one player who was seen as an entrenched untoucuhable to the defense, Micky van de Ven, may be slowly eroding himself out of that grouping.

Van de Ven's snub of manager Thomas Frank was quickly forgiven by fans and even celebrated by a few, as Frank is persona non grata to many in the Lilywhites community, with Van de Ven's frustrations with the embattled manager largely being seen as correct an understandable, given how low the standards have slipped this season.

Tottenham fans cannot forgive that easily

But what fans cannot forgive and forget so easily is that same Van de Ven then tacitly upholding the fallen standards at Tottenham by spatting with the fans visibly after a horrid performance in the Premier League.

The away fans rightfully booed Tottenham's manager and players after a 3-2 loss to Bournemouth, which would have been a 3-0 blowout if it were not for moments of individual quality from former Bayern Munich men Mathys Tel and Joao Palhinha.

Tottenham were horrid and played off the pitch, yet once again, the players decided to have a go at the fans for being well within their rights to vocally voice their displeasure with what they watched unfold before them.

Micky van de Ven was not the only player who was seen tearing into the fans, but he was among them, joining the likes of Joao Palhinha. For the most part, Tottenham fans respect Van de Ven highly, and it is usually poor leaders or struggling players like Rodrigo Bentancur, Guglielmo Vicario, and Pedro Porro who draw the negative attention from the fans.

With Van de Ven being mired in quiet transfer rumors and viewed as one of the top, top young defenders in European football and probably the most valuable Tottenham Hotspur player on the free market, this scene of him arguing visibly with fans does not sit well.

It makes it feel more likely that Van de Ven will try to leave Tottenham at some point in the near future, and there are going to be many dehard, old school Tottenham fans who will say "good riddance" to a player whose motivations and leadership have to now be called into question for pulling stunts like this. There are going to be some fans who take his side because he is so good, but the average fan who has bled Lilywhite for years is going to look at this as a slap in the face.

It feels like every single week, somehow things get worse for Tottenham Hotspur. After beating Crystal Palace 1-0 and finally feeling good about themselves, Spurs delivered a truly despicable performance against manager Thomas Frank's former employers, drawing 0-0 with Brentford before another lackluster 1-1 draw with Sunderland.

And then on Wednesday night, not even wonderful goals from Mathys Tel and Joao Palhinha could save them from a 3-2 defeat to a Bournemouth side that had not won in their previous 11 games - worse yet, they were sunk in the dying minutes by Antoine Semenyo, who had politely rejected Spurs transfer advances just weeks before.

Spurs have become a haven for dropping points and transfer rejections. After Semenyo, who was by far Spurs No. 1 transfer target to solve their attacking woes, declined them for Manchester City, Tottenham supporters then immediately turned their focus to a pair of standout wingers at the Etihad Stadium.

Tottenham are about to miss out again

Savinho and Omar Marmoush have been seen as the new dream options to join the wings at Tottenham, with the Brazilian favored more as Spurs top winger transfer target in the final weeks of the summer 2025 market. He never moved, though, as Man City were not interested in selling, Spurs never came close to meeting the price, and Rodrygo Goes would not be able to come in from Real Madrid to replace his countryman.

The early indications on a winter transfer for Savinho were honestly never good, but, now, Tottenham Hotspur can pretty much officially kiss goodbye any chance they have of bagging the U23 standout this winter - not even for more than the 70 million euros expected to sign him.

According to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola at a recent press conference, via Jack Gaughan of the Daily Mail, Savinho is expected to miss "maybe two months' with an injury he picked up in a tough Premier League matchup on Jan. 2 against Sunderland.

Savinho being significantly injured means that Man City are almost certainly not going to sell him, and while Savinho is a more long term addition, it is rarely ever a good idea to transfer for an injured player.

Tottenham actually have more of a need for a left footed right winger with Dejan Kulusevski still out and now Mohammed Kudus joining him after his own tough injury against Sunderland, but since both left footed right wingers are injured and Brennan Johnson was already sold to Crystal Palace, it would not make sense for Spurs to spend a ton of money on a winger who cannot immediately fill the shoes of Kudus and Kulu.

The No. 1 priority for Tottenham Hotspur this January transfer window is to add attacking talent to a squad that appears to be doomed to a finish in the bottom half of the Premier League table. Spurs do not have an established goal scoring option, and now with Mohammed Kudus injured, they arguably have desperate needs on both wings - not just the left hand side.

Spurs also have needs in midfield and at left back, and if you ask many of the Tottenham faithful, they will also convincingly argue that a more stable goalkeeper to replace Guglielmo Vicario would also be ideal in 2026.

Vicario is a perfectly fine shot stopper, but his lack of leadership skills and horrible handling and on the ball ability have made him an enemy to many Spurs supporters. He is not someone the club feel safe with in goal, and if a better target were to emerge, perhaps Spurs would consider making a move.

Tottenham might not get the best GK target around

The problem is that there are not a whole lot of strong targets readily available. And the most well placed and easieset to sign may soon be coming off the board as a possible transfer target in the 2026 windows.

AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan has been pursued hard by clubs as prestigious as Chelsea, and many Tottenham fans are dreaming of him as an option. The French goalkeeper is on an expiring contract and could technically leave for free now on a pre arranged transfer for the summer 2026 window.

However, Fabrizio Romano is now reporting that Milan are "optimistic to keep" the veteran goalkeeper and are still "pushing" to re-sign him to a new contract ahead of the summer 2026 transfer market. Milan have reportedly submitted Maignan a new contract proposal, and while they are still waiting for official word from the former Serie A and Ligue 1 winning goalkeeper, it looks like they tentatively think he will stay.

All the indications from Max Allegri and AC Milan have been positive that they will get to keep Mike Maignan, and while nothing is set in stone, there are more credible links to Maignan staying in Milano than there are of him heading over to North London to replace Vicario, who has really only been even loosely linked to Italian giants Inter Milan.

Maignan over Vicario is an upgrade in every sense of the word, but, as of right now, there are too many hoops to jump through before Spurs fans can credibly think that this "swap" would happen.

Tottenham Hotspur are not winning on the pitch, and their latest loss, a 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth, was only made respectable by a couple of moments of sheer individual quality. Under Thomas Frank, Spurs are a sinking ship, and it is going to take a long time for this club to rebuild itself back to being a true top four team in the Premier League.

Their first order of business is to have a productive January transfer window. So far, the early returns are not exactly promising. Tottenham have a few important needs to address this winter, none more important than the left wing position. But they were rejected for top target Antoine Semenyo before the window even began, and all of their alternatives appear to be off the table.

There is good news for Tottenham on the transfer market, but it has more to do with smaller moves for the future rather than anything that is going to help the Lilywhites compete in the here and now in the 2025/26 season.

Tottenham are active on the loan market

After securing a better loan for young winger Yang Min-Hyeok from one of the worst teams in the EFL Championship, Portsmouth, to one of the best teams in Coventry, Spurs are about to swing an even bigger loan for another prospect.

According to a report from Italian transfer journalist Alfredo Pedulla, Serie A club Torino are interested in acquiring 18 year old Tottenham Hotspur center midfield talent Callum Olusesi on loan, and talks between the clubs have already taken place.

Tottenham have only one young gem out on loan to a top five European league in Luka Vuskovic over at Hamburg in the Bundesliga. Winger Manor Solomon is also out on loan to a top five league after joining Serie A's Fiorentina following an unsuccessful six months at Villarreal in La Liga, but he has no real future value to Tottenham.

Olusesi, meanwhile, is a player worth watching in the future, just like Vuskovic, Min-Hyeok, and the other high profile Tottenham loanee in young winger talent Mikey Moore over at Scottish powerhouse club Rangers.

Tottenham Hotspur have to sign a new winger in the January transfer window. That was already non negotiable for Spurs coming into the new year, but after losing superstar right winger Mohammed Kudus to a multi week injury last weekend against Sunderland, the club is now in a state of crisis at the position.

The only legitimate option on the left hand side are young duo Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert, and we have seen that they are not ready yet to carry the mantle. Tel could actually be, but we will never truly know since Thomas Frank unwisely will not unleash him.

But now that Kudus is injured on the right hand side, there is nobody on that flank, as Dejan Kulusevski still appears to be at least a month away from returning from the lingering knee injury he suffered in the 2024/25 season - and that is as much time as Kudus could miss from this latest injury after scans revealed more damage than expected.

Tottenham are taking a step back

Instead of going after an elite option after Antoine Semenyo soundly rejected them for Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur are going the route of targeting unproven kids who are even less talented and less ready to contribute than either Wilson Odobert or Mathys Tel.

According to a fresh report from Give Me Sport transfer insider Ben Jacobs, Tottenham are among the clubs interested in Slovakian side AS Trencin winger Sani Suleiman, who is a 19 year old coming on the transfer radar of clubs. But even though Suleiman is a Nigerian footballer, he is not getting boosted by the AFCON Tournament since he does not play for the national team; he is a breakout transfer star on the merit of a strong season outside the top leagues, with Jacobs noting he leads all teenage players outside of Europe's top five in progressive carries.

Suleiman is a talented prospect, but look at the other clubs Jacobs says are interested in him. Anderlecht, Sevilla, and Eintracht Frankfurt are linked alongside Tottenham. With all due respect to them, especially a former Champions League side in Frankfurt, these are hardly the sort of clubs Tottenham should be competing with for transfer targets, especially at a massive position of need.

It is wild to think that Tottenham got rejected by Semenyo when competing with the rest of the Big Six, and now their response is to battle with one of the most disappointing teams in Spain and Anderlecht, a club that is not even in a top five league. These are all clubs Tottenham should be recruiting from, not competing with for a six million euro rated transfer.

Tottenham need help here and now, and this is who they are after? This transfer target has Johan Lange written all over it, and while Thomas Frank is the main person Tottenham fans want out, it's decisions like this that make Spurs fans want Lange out just as much.

For many Tottenham Hotspur fans, there is no forging ahead with Thomas Frank, and there is no turning back from their opinion that the new manager is simply not up to the task of leading a Premier League Big Six side to victory.

Because so few times this season have Spurs emerged victorious, even from games against struggling opponents with a fraction of the payroll of their club. Following anemic draws with Brentford and Sunderland, Spurs were outgunned 3-2 in Antoine Semenyo's farewell game with Bournemouth, and after failing to win in 11 games, Semenyo pretty much sealed why he rejected Spurs in the first place to join Manchester City.

Tottenham can not compete with the likes of Arsenal and Man City in the Premier League, and on this day, they did not look like they could compete with the mid table either. That is how low Spurs have fallen in recent seasons, and while that did not start with Frank, it has not gotten better under Frank either. If anything, based on how cowardly and negative the team is playing, it feels like things have only gotten worse under the new coach.

Thomas Frank is full of excuses

Following the defeat to Bournemouth, Thomas Frank uttered more infamous words that not only excused a poor performance and yet another loss to a beatable opponent, but they seemed to almost glorify another subpar display from Spurs.

Frank said, via The Spurs Watch, “I think it's very tough to sit here right now and we haven't got anything out of overall a good performance.”

When the tombstone memorializing Frank's horrid tenure at Tottenham is officially unveiled, the four words "overall a good performance" will be engraved above a big fat "L", because those four words that Frank seems to constantly repeat typify the complacency of his frustrating tenure thus far.

Tottenham Hotspur lose a game they would normally be expected to win, and then Frank comes out and makes a whole bunch of excuses before claiming that his team played well. And almost entitled and emboldened by their manager's depravity, the lethargic and overrated Spurs players then begin to squabble with fans, who are rightfully upset about paying a ton of money to watch their team play like a bunch of pathetic losers.

The king of the losers is Frank. He has a losing mentality, his results reflect that, and Tottenham are simply not getting any better week to week with this manager lacking all accountability running the clown show.

For the most part, the start of the 2026 January transfer window has been one of losses for Tottenham Hotspur. Fabio Paratici is headed for Fiorentina, and Brennan Johnson has made his way to local rivals Crystal Palace. Although sometimes a departure can be a net positive for the team, as in the case of the Johnson sale, it is impossible to call a sale a positive move for the squad, especially one like Spurs toiling in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

Although Tottenham still have yet to make a winter transfer official and have been rejected by the likes of Antoine Semenyo so far with Savinho, Omar Marmoush, and even young left back Souza all uncertainties, they did make a transfer maneuver that can be seen as a positive step for the future.

According to Fabrizio Romano and since confirmed by the clubs themselves, Tottenham Hotspur have indeed, as was rumored for weeks, switched the loan deal of young left wing prospect Yang Min-Hyeok from Portsmouth to Coventry.

Tottenham have another breakout winger in the waiting

Tottenham were trying to change Min-Hyeok's loan because Portsmouth are one of the worst teams in the EFL Championship - the second division of English football - and play very negative football. They also have not been starting Min-Hyeok in every game, even though he has been one of their best and most important attacking players whenever on the pitch, including scoring a recent late winner in the 98th minute against Charlton Athletic.

Meanwhile, Coventry have been the best team in the Championship. They play much more exciting, expansive football, and you have to think that Tottenham spoke with their club and manager and were given assurances that Min-Hyeok will get more playing time and more chances to score goals and assists on Coventry than he would have otherwise in the final six months of the 2025/26 Championship season at Portsmouth.

Coventry have Ephron Mason-Clark on the left wing, but Min-Hyeok has more attacking juice and future upside and should be able to win starts over the 26 year old, even if not immediately. The right wing position at Coventry, meanwhile, is completely up for grabs, and by potentially playing on both sides, Min-Hyeok can further aid his development and versatility as he continues to build his future transfer value.

Min-Hyeok is not as hyped up as Rangers star Mikey Moore, also loaned by Tottenham, but he, too, could figure into Spurs future plans as a part of the winger rotation in the 2026/27 season, especially if he blossoms at Coventry.

Tottenham Hotspur fans are becoming increasingly frustrated with manager Thomas Frank's treatment of Mathys Tel this season. Now, Tel is far from the only young standout at the N17 who has been neglected by the underperforming manager, as gem center midfielder Lucas Bergvall and fellow French forward Wilson Odobert have also been oft overlooked by the Danish coach.

But Tel's case is particularly befuddling. Every time he plays, including a recent start against Sunderland, Tel is the main goal scoring attacking threat from the perspective of his mentality to shoot and create chances from nothing. Tel has the athletic and even technical traits Spurs are looking for in a young forward and is by far their best current left wing option.

And yet, the former Bayern Munich man rarely starts for Tottenham. Even at striker, he has scored game changing goals against Manchester United and Leeds United, but the highly inefficient and one dimensional Richarlison continues to hoard starts over him.

Tottenham could still lose Mathys Tel, though

Clubs around Europe have taken notice of Tel's plight, and the young French forward is now being linked with a potential loan move away from Tottenham this winter. Roma in Serie A have been linked, as have Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Lig, which was a transfer rumor that took many by surprise.

Could you imagine Mathys Tel joining Galatasaray on loan? What sort of prospect ends up at a Turkish giant meant more as a retirement home for players like, say, wantaway Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma?

Well, according to a report from Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports Germany, the transfer rumors linking Tel to Galatasaray are "wide of the mark". So Tottenham fans worried about potentially losing Tel to Galatasaray or even watching him spend six months on loan in the Turkish top flight won't have to be worried about that.

But while that is one bullet dodged for Tottenham in terms of losing Tel to an unideal location, Plettenberg and other transfer reporters have not fully denied the notion that Tel is disgruntled or could try to leave on loan to another club for more immediate playing time than what Thomas Frank can give him.

Honestly, Frank needs to shape up and get his act together. Tottenham do need a new left winger this January who can play right away and bring a veteran presence, but they also need Tel at striker and left winger in the here and now, too. Tel has so much future upside and can be a superstar, and if Frank is not willing to give him those minutes, maybe he really would push for a loan move.

Tottenham Hotspur supporters are mostly watching attacking options for their beloved club this January transfer window, as the Premier League strugglers desperately need an injection of goals to help them. The left wing position, in particular, has been a dire need for Tottenham, especially since they still have not replaced departed legend Son Heung-min.

But Spurs do have other needs littered across their squad, including a playmaking midfielder in the deeper part of the pitch to support new attacking midfield signing Xavi Simons, who has largely struggled without bed rock support behind him.

Tottenham fans are now clamoring for one more major need to be addressed in 2026, and that is a new left back. Destiny Udogie is currently out injured and has been injured pretty frequently since joining from Udine. When he does play, Udogie is legitimately one of the better left backs in the Premier League. But when he does not, Spurs best option might be the finished Ben Davies, as Djed Spence is really not a fit at left back at all.

Tottenham will increase their bid

Spurs have to land a left back, and their attention is beginning to focus increasingly on a top prospect from Brazil in Santos star Souza. Neymar's teammate, Souza is reportedly very interested in joining Tottenham, according to report from Give Me Sport's Ben Jacobs and Diario AS reporter Edu Burgos, who is VERY plugged in to Brazilian football.

Tottenham had recently offered Santos about 10 million euros to sign Souza, who is becoming in demand around Europe as the best defensive prospect in the Brazilian Serie A. But Santos understandably rejected, knowing they could get potentially double for their latest teenage sensation.

Jacobs is now reporting that Tottenham are prepared to offer Santos more money for Souza this winter. Souza, for his part, is pushing for a move to European football, though Tottenham are not the only club eyeing him. He seems to prefer Tottenham, but AC Milan and Newcastle United are two other prestigious clubs after him.

Even though Tottenham have Udogie, Souza would have a pretty appealing path to immediate playing time at the N17 if signed, and that is perhaps the most attractive big club destination for the 19 year old Brazilian star. Tottenham are a big club with a big need at left back despite having a young star already, and Souza could even be real competitio for Udogie within a couple of years.

Tottenham Hotspur have not won a game convincingly in quite some time. When they do win, it is by the slimmest of margins, but, more often than not, they either lose or draw. Spurs were far from impressive in 0-0 and 1-1 draws with Brentford and Sunderland, respectively, and to make matters worse, they lost star right winger Mohammed Kudus to injury early in the tie to the Black Cats.

Kudus has been just about the only thing to go right for the Tottenham attack, and Thomas Frank has pretty much ran him into the ground. His entire tactical plan in the attack revolves around Kudus taking players on and crossing, and it was only a matter of time before he got injured again.

Well, it looks like this injury is the worst one yet for Spurs, because the Daily Telegraph reporter Mike McGrath reveals that the scans after the Tottenham Hotspur game against Sunderland have shown what Spurs supporters were worried about all along. Kudus is injured worse than what was initially feared.

Tottenham need to make a move

There is no time table released for when Kudus will be back, but it is entirely plausible he could miss several games and up to a month with this latest injury. Kudus was already unlikely to play against Bournemouth even before the scans were done, so this is now a week to week injury rather than a day to day one if the scans are worse than expected.

McGrath reports that Tottenham are now stepping up their interest in a winger transfer target after seeing Kudus's scans, and at this point, that course of action should be an obvious one for Tottenham. Even before Kudus got injured, Spurs had to be desperate for a new winger, as the left side of the attack is quite barren.

Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel are two options on the left, but Tottenham need a more established player to come in and help out. But even someone who can play on both sides is now necessary with Kudus out, because if he is out for another month, that means Spurs will not have either Dejan Kulusevski or Kudus - their only right wing options - available since Kulu is still out for another month with an injury. Tottenham had just sold Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace.

The options for Tottenham are slim. Antoine Semenyo has already joined Manchester City. Savinho and Omar Marmoush are difficult to sign from Man City. And the rest of the options are probably not moving in January either, including the young Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig. Spurs have to find somebody - and fast, now that Kudus is out.