Hotspur HQ

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has not met expectations so far at the helm of the club, though while there have been more disappointing defeats than impressive highs, there have been enough signs for the Spurs upper management to feel that Frank is worth believing in.

Regardless of what happens to Frank, Spurs supporters would like to see a stronger squad for any manager to work with going forward. Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus were very positive long term attacking additions to Tottenham in the summer transfer window, but anyone who thinks they were sufficient upgrades for a team that finished 17th in the Premier League in the 2024/25 campaign was seriously deluded.

Spurs have a talent problem in their squad that has been there for years, but it is not just born out of not signing the right players. It has also been created by not selling the right players at the right time to get underperforming players out of the squad and maximize the revenue coming into sign better footballers.

Thomas Frank knows it's a problem

Thankfully, Thomas Frank seems to understand that this is a major issue facing Tottenham Hotspur, and ahead of both the January transfer window and his second battle against old employers Brentford, Frank called out this issue directly to the press.

Frank said, via The Spurs Express, "I think that’s key. It’s not only doing one thing right, playing a specific way or getting the culture right or whatever, there’s a lot of elements that we need to do well to be able to compete at the highest level. Part of it is being able to sell. You see the other top clubs, they are quite good at selling. That’s something we need to be improving. That’s something I know the guys above me are working very hard on. Everything’s linked."

In Frank's first summer transfer window, Tottenham management already held him back by not making any big sales. While they were somehow able to finally offload Bryan Gil, there were many more footballers who have no future at Spurs whom the club were unable to offload. Manor Solomon, Yves Bissouma, Radu Dragusin, Ben Davies, Brennan Johnson, Richarlison, and Rodrigo Bentancur are among the underperformers who could have been sold but were not.

So Spurs have to take a step in the right direction and let go of Solomon, Bissouma, Dragusin, Davies, and Johnson this winter if at all possible. With all the transfer rumors surrounding Dragusin and Johnson thus far, it looks like Spurs may finally be learning their lesson.

Tottenham Hotspur are going to be one of the most active shoppers in the January transfer window for a star winger, and their need for a high impact player on the wings will only increase once Brennan Johnson makes his way to a lower level Premier League club where he can get more regular minutes.

Spurs are lacking goals on the wings, which Johnson did help with, but they are also lacking in all around quality and dynamism - of which Johnson was part of the problem. Most specifically, Tottenham need help on the left wing, and while they have several potential stars of the future in Mathys Tel, Wilson Odobert, and loanee Mikey Moore, they could use more talent.

Ideally, Spurs would sign a goal scoring left winger who is ready to be a star at the Premier League level, but the only valid option to do that, Antoine Semenyo, already rejected Spurs and is pretty much a lock to join Manchester City.

A better deal than expected

So the next best left wing option when combining quality, skill set, future value, and price is Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig. But on that last point, the price, there have been rumblings that the Ivorian could cost 100 million euros.

However, according to new information from Sky Sports reporter Danyal Khan, Yan Diomande is actually expected to cost a fair bit less than that. Per Sky, Diomande is valued by Leipzig at around 60-70 million euros and not 100 million euros, meaning Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, or any other top club interested in the Ivorian AFCON standout could sign him for 40 million euros cheaper than what was initially quoted.

Now, if Diomande keeps having big performances in widely viewed games like his hat trick for RB Leipzig against Eintracht Frankfurt or any of his displays for the Ivory Coast, then Leipzig can get something closer to the 70 million euro price point than 60.

But the 100 million euro figure looks like the classic tactic of a club floating an inflated figure out there to start the window of transfer dicussions at a higher level as a bargaining tactic. Sometimes, agents even do this to inflate the value of their players.

Diomande is a gem and has all the tools to be a world class winger, and it is better for a club like Tottenham to get in the door early than have it slammed shut entirely. For example, they will not want to make the same mistake they did with Desire Doue.

Tottenham Hotspur supporters are plenty interested in which high impact players could be joining the club for a ragged push into the top four in the second half of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, but many fans are nearly as interested in which players the club will finally offload this winter.

Already, Spurs are closing in on the sale of disappointing right winger Brennan Johnson, while both Radu Dragusin and Yves Bissouma are two more unwanted players whom Tottenham are actively trying to facilitate transfers out.

There is one more player on an expiring contract with nearly zero shot at playing time for Spurs and who was very surprisingly brought back at all in the preceding summer transfer window who could somehow get sold for a little bit of money.

According to a report from L'Equipe's Romain Lafont, Ligue 1 giants Nice "are exploring" a potential transfer for Tottenham Hotspur center back and left back Ben Davies this January transfer window. They could try to sign him this winter even though he could be signed for free in six months, as they could use the veteran depth to close the season in a tight Champions League race.

Nice, though, are currently nowhere near the top 3 and are merely treading water in 13th. Currently competing in the Europa League, Nice are on a streak of losing five straight games and have been even bigger disappointments than Tottenham over in the French top flight.

So they could actually use Davies, who, while being nowhere near starting quality for Spurs, could actually be a quite useful player for Nice. Six months of a decent versatile defending might actually be worth a few million euros to the French side, while selling Davies for any sort of a fee is basically free money for Tottenham.

Plus, if Tottenham are able to sell Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies this winter transfer window, they clear the path to playing time for Kota Takai and potentially have the ammunition to sign another central defender with more long term value to Spurs than either Davies or Dragusin. Luka Vuskovic isn't going to come back to the Spurs first team for at least a year - and possibly more.

The fact that a notable club like Nice is even being credibly linked to Davies is pretty wild, and Tottenham getting any sort of a fee for him would be a deal they have to take.

Tottenham Hotspur have been actively shopping young right winger Brennan Johnson on the January transfer market, as the Welsh international has fallen down the depth chart and is barely utilized by new manager Thomas Frank, who was initially tabbed as a potential positive for the former Nottingham Forest man.

Johnson can barely get a game for Spurs, though he is not lacking for suitors on the transfer market. A handful of clubs are going after Johnson, and it appears Crystal Palace and Bournemouth are the two favorites to sign him. In fact, David Ornstein of The Athletic recently reported that Tottenham and Crystal Palace have actually reached an agreement on a transfer, pending Johnson's approval and weighing of the other suitors, including Everton and Aston Villa.

It is basically a formality that Tottenham will sell Johnson at this stage, and fans will want to see Spurs use the money generating from the approximately 35 million pound sale on a better and higher upside winger prospect.

Tottenham's top target is coming into view

According to reporting from Sami Mokbel of BBC Sport, Tottenham Hotspur are understood to have an interest in both RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande and Savinho of Manchester City. Both players are familiar transfer targets for Spurs fans to read about, and they are two players the majority of supporters would love to see at the club.

It is questionable, however, if Savinho will even be available. Spurs will likely push hard for the Brazilian again this winter just as they did last summer when Manchester City rebuffed them, and they will hope that the acquisition of Antoine Semenyo will finally open up the move.

While Diomande is not as proven as Savinho, the Ivorian winger with six Bundesliga goals is a 19 year old talent worth dreaming about signing. Diomande is a unique, explosive, and versatile winger who can start on either flank and add goal scoring ability with progression and one on one dynamism.

He is ideally a right footed left winger, and while he can not immediately add the goals Spurs are looking for and will likely cost a fortune, if he is even available at all, Diomande is one of the few wingers on the market with the true potential to be special. Tottenham have to go with a player like Diomande who has that sort of upside to replace Johnson and invest that money in a younger prospect with higher upside. Diomande would be perfect for that sort of investment.

As Tottenham Hotspur fans consider all the possible attacking options to upgrade their squad in the January transfer window, the club must also reckon with a problem that has plagued the club arguably just as badly as their lack of goals over the past couple of years.

Spurs have a problem with selling players at the right time and generating the kinds of funds from sales that, you know, could help them sign top forwards, in addition to clearing out squad space for better players of the future.

Tottenham have been actively shopping Brennan Johnson, who is a perfectly decent Premier League forward but clearly does not have the all around skill set or consistency to suit Spurs. Ever since the signing of Mohammed Kudus, Johnson has pretty much become obsolete, and though many thought Thomas Frank could coax the best out of him, the Welsh international has simply faded into obscurity with Frank unable to get more out of the poaching winger.

Tottenham have a few suitors, too

Crystal Palace and other Premier League clubs have already shown significant interest in Johnson before the January transfer window has even started, and, now, it looks like Spurs have struck a deal to sell off the backup right winger.

According to noted transfer insider David Ornstein of The Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace "reach agreement" to send Brennan Johnson to the local London rivals. The agreement is between the clubs on the long rumored 35 million pound transfer fee, though the transfer is far from officially done since Johnson still has to accept Palace personally.

Fabrizio Romano has added more reporting via his YouTube channel that Bournemouth, who are seen as the main contenders to signing Johnson from Spurs, are ready to match that offer. So Johnson has time before the January transfer window opens up - and presumably during it - to weigh his options. Everton, Sunderland, and Aston Villa are three more Premier League clubs with interest.

It appears, though, that Tottenham are fully expected to sell Johnson without any issues, and given Johnson would get a ton more playing time at Palace or Bournemouth and these two clubs are prepared to give Spurs exactly what they are looking for in terms of a transfer fee, it would be a bit of an upset if Johnson did not join either of these two organizations. But the transfer window is young, so anything can happen in the next week.

Tottenham Hotspur have been hit harder than any other Premier League club on the injury front this season. They already came into the season with key absences, and Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison both remain out for the foreseeable future with their ailments. Plus, Dominic Solanke is yet to recover from his foot surgery with no time table for a return.

So many others have been in and out of the lineup for Tottenham this season with various injuries, and the latest star player to go down was center midfielder Lucas Bergvall in Spurs hard fought 1-0 win over Crystal Palace this past Sunday.

Bergvall seemed to suffer a groin injury while turning, and while the injury was not discussed much by the mainstream media, it was definitely a worry for Tottenham fans, especially in light of the team's main No. 10, Xavi Simons, out with a suspension.

A big battle is coming up for Thomas Frank

Tottenham face local rivals Brentford again in the Premier League this coming Thursday, and so many Spurs fans were worried that Bergvall could be out for the second battle between Thomas Frank and his ex employers.

But according to Frank himself, via Lilywhite Rose, Bergvall is "OK" and has not suffered a serious injury against Crystal Palace. He did not mention a specific time table for a return or the nature of the injury, but he did say that despite there being a "small doubt", the Tottenham Hotspur manager is "quite positive" that Lucas Bergvall will be available.

Frank said, "Lucas is OK. I am quite positive he'll be available, there is a small doubt but I'm pretty sure he'll be ok."

Tottenham do have other talented midfielders in Pape Matar Sarr and Archie Gray, and you would also think that veterans Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur should be more than good enough to handle a challenge against Brentford. But at the 10, not having Bergvall or Simons available would be a tough blow.

If Bergvall can not go, then the hero off the bench in the win over Palace, Wilson Odobert, would be an interesting name to consider at the No. 10, given his dribbling prowess in short areas and his underrated playmaking ability.

Bergvall, though, is more of an 8 than a 10, which is a fact that Spurs fans are hoping Frank has already realized. The biggest thing from this Frank injury news update on Bergvall is that the Swedish international has avoided any serious ailment, and that is awesome news indeed.

Although Tottenham Hotspur remain buried in the bottom half of the Premier League table and look no closer to competing for the league title than the grandiose claims that the have made to their fans. But while the present has been far from anything to write home about, the future is indeed bright for Tottenham when looking at the young stars they have on their books.

New signings Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons have all the tools to be superstars in the Premier League. Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie are already top players in their respective defensive positions, while midfielders Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, and Pape Matar Sarr will be at that level soon. And then in the attack, young left wingers Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel should not be slept on either.

What really sets Tottenham apart, though, is the gems out on loan. Luka Vuskovic has been, from out of nowhere, one of the most impressive defenders in all of European football this season for Hamburg. Young winger Mikey Moore is building on his successful cameos for the Tottenham first team last season with more star making performance for Rangers now that he is spreading his wings on loan.

Another high potential Tottenham player

But one player who is flying under the radar is another young winger in Yang Min-Hyeok. The Portsmouth standout is not starting every game for a highly defensive team in the Championship, but when he does play, he makes noise. Min-Hyeok has been a real positive as a creator or a progressor and has the versatility to play on either wing.

Well, on Monday night, the Portsmouth man skyrocketed his transfer value by showing a clutch goal scoring touch, bagging a brilliant winner with an instinctual finish into the bottom corner to ice the game for his team 2-1 in the 98th minute over Charlton Athletic.

It was a brilliant, brilliant goal that encapsulates the potential game changing ability that Yang Min-Hyeok has been quietly flashing. This goal and win was massive for Portsmouth, too, as they are in a relegation fight, so these three points go a long way.

That status as being in a relegation fight has led to rumblings that Tottenham Hotspur could try to facilitate a better loan deal for the highly promising Min-Hyeok, but given how important he is to Portsmouth even if he does not always start - which should be changing very soon - you can see why they would be reclutant to lose his quality.

Destiny Udogie is a quality left-back for Tottenham Hotspur who can also operate on the left side of midfield. Unfortunately, he has been troubled with a knee problem this season and is currently out with a hamstring issue.

Udogie has made just 10 Premier League appearances so far this season and has provided one assist. In his absence, Djed Spence, who is a right-footed full back, has operated on the left side of defense.

The left-back position is of concern for Tottenham. football.london has reported that "Either now or in the summer, a natural left-back will be sought to balance the squad and provide competition for the injury-prone Destiny Udogie."

Spence has performed well this season and is now an established England international. His versatility in being able to operate on either flank makes him a huge asset for club and country. However, having him at left-back thins out Spurs' options on the right, where the attack-minded Pedro Porro operates.

Ben Davies is still an option for Spurs at left-back. However, he is now more of a center-back as he is 32 years old.

Who could Tottenham Hotspur sign to compete with Destiny Udogie?

The dream signing for Tottenham Hotspur at left-back is Nathaniel Brown of Eintracht Frankfurt. However, he has been linked with other top clubs, including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Arsenal.

Brown is only 22, but has been a key player for Frankfurt since joining them permanently from FC Nürnberg. This season, Brown has scored once and made three assists in 15 Bundesliga games. He has also set up two goals in six Champions League games.

It is no mean feat to play for Germany, and Brown already has two caps for his country. He is a very attacking left-back who can also play left-midfielder and as a left-winger.

Another defender Spurs have been linked with is Konstantinos Koulierakis. However, he is a center-back. He has been a key part of Wolfsburg's defence this season, where he has missed just one Bundesliga game. Interestingly, the Bundesliga appears to be where Tottenham is looking right now for recruits.

Brown would not come cheaply, as he is contracted to Frankfurt until 2030. However, in a post-Daniel Levy era at Spurs, Tottenham are expected to loosen the purse strings. They won the Europa League last season, which ended a 17-year trophy drought. Spurs need to build on this success.

As the 2026 January transfer window begins to draw nearer, Tottenham Hotspur are juggling both potential incomings to vastly upgrade an anemic attack in the 2025/26 season while balancing out outgoings to earn revenue and clear out the squad of young players who are talented but no longer have a role to play.

One of the most discussed names right now is right winger Brennan Johnson, who went from the hero of the Europa League Final with the winning goal over Manchester United back to what he was for the majority of the 2024/25 season - a total non factor.

Coming into the 2025/26 campaign, there was hope that new Spurs manager Thomas Frank could get more out of Johnson, but, if anything, Frank has gotten even less out of him. That is largely because Mohammed Kudus has been everything Johnson was not as an all around winger on the right side, and with his failure to slot in on the left, his fate as a Tottenham transfer in January has likely been sealed.

Two big clubs are after Brennan Johnson now

There are notable clubs around the Premier League lining up to take a gamble on one of the best pure scoring wingers and poachers in the United Kingdom. Crystal Palace have been the most mentioned, and Bournemouth have recently joined the fray, too.

But now, according to a report from Simon Jones of the Daily Mail, two even more historic Premier League clubs are now interested in acquiring Brennan Johnson, Everton and Aston Villa. Perhaps selling Johnson to either of these clubs could open up a dream Morgan Rogers swoop for Spurs or even a Tottenham Hotspur transfer for explosive dribbler Iliman Ndiaye.

But given Rogers is close to untouchable for Villa and he and Johnson do not play anywhere near the same position or role on the pitch, selling Johnson to Villa, in particular, would be a very questionable move for Spurs.

Over the last few years, Villa and Spurs have been frequently fighting for European places together, and, right now, Villa are quietly one of the sleeper teams in the Premier League title race after favorites Arsenal.

Johnson joining them could add a different dimension and a goal scoring touch off the right side of the formation that could spell doom for Tottenham, particularly in the future when Spurs aim to truly be competing for top four places again. It is flattering for clubs that are doing better to want Johnson, but Spurs really do have to be careful who they sell to, even if Johnson has not been particularly useful to them recently.

Tottenham Hotspur have one of the most talented defensive groups on paper in the Premier League, and while opponents like Arsenal and even Nottingham Forest have shown to Spurs and Thomas Frank that what is on paper is not always what is reflected in real life, by and large, the Spurs defense has been an asset to the club this season.

Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro are an above average fullback pair, Guglielmo Vicario is a great pure shot stopper, and the center back triumvirate of Kevin Danso, Micky van de Ven, and Cristian Romero is definitely one of the best on this planet.

Even with Radu Dragusin likely to leave this coming winter transfer window, Spurs are still going to be beyond loaded at the center back position, especially when you account for Luka Vuskovic shining on loan at Hamburg.

The better option for Tottenham?

Vuskovic has legitimately been one of the best defenders in European football this season for the returning Bundesliga underdogs, and his aerial prowess and even goal scoring touch have already become the stuff of legend, earning him the moniker "Air Vuskovic" from the Hamburg faithful.

But to those Tottenham fans who see it as a foregone conclusion that Vuskovic will be a first team player in 2026/27, the answer to that may not be so cut and dry, based on some rather perceptive comments made by Vuskovic's father, Daniel.

In an interview with Sportske Novosti, via The Athletic's Seb Stafford-Bloor, Daniel Vuskovic stated that his son would benefit from developing more in the Bundesliga before he is ready to take that next big step in the competition of the Premier League for the Tottenham Hotspur senior side.

He said, "I don't want him to skip the developmental stages and go straight to the English Premier League, which I believe is the strongest league in the world. Luka still has a lot of potential for development. In my opinion, it wouldn't be bad if he stayed in Germany. For Luka, the most important thing in 2026 is that he continues to train and work as he has been. Then everything else will fall into place."

That is a more than respectable bit of analysis from Luka's father, and, if anything, it is very refreshing to hear a father speak in humble and plain terms about his son in an era of glorified family agents and massive egos infiltrating sport, especially football.