Hotspur HQ

This might just be the biggest fixture the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has ever hosted, but not for the reasons any Spurs fans would've hoped for. The Lilywhites are now without a win in ten Premier League matches, thereby firmly entrenched in the relegation battle, just four points clear of the drop zone. Forget a bounce, Igor Tudor has overseen more of a new manager splat, losing both games to date. So, ahead of Thursday's huge clash with Crystal Palace, he must make a change at left-back, dropping Archie Gray and bringing in Souza.

A major reason behind Tottenham's alarming form is their enormous list of absentees. Richarlison returned during the North London derby, before scoring at the weekend, while Pedro Porro and Kevin Danso were both back in at Craven Cottage, but Spurs could remain without ten first-team players.

Tottenham's current injured and suspended players

This week's clash will be the fourth and final match of Cristian Romero's four-game suspension, meaning he will make his long-awaited return at the Metropolitano against Atlético Madrid next Tuesday. The Argentine aside, of the injured players, only Djed Spence is remotely close to a return, meaning Tudor has to work with what he has got.

In the absence of Udogie, Davies and Spence, Archie Gray filled in at left-back during Sunday's defeat to Fulham. That was his 33rd Premier League start for the club, the second-most of any teenager, behind only Aaron Lennon (39), a record he won't break as his 20th birthday is next Thursday. Well, these appearances have come in a wide variety of roles, spending an elongated period of last season at centre-back as Ange Postecoglou endured a similar injury crisis.

However, while there is no doubting Gray's potential and talent, when he is at left-back, this team lacks balance. This is especially the case given who is playing ahead of him. None of Xavi Simons, Mathys Tel or Randal Kolo Muani are a width-providing left-winger. Wilson Odobert, the only player really capable of offering this is sidelined long-term during a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, which means everything comes inside and frankly goes nowhere.

Thus, Tudor should turn to Tottenham's forgotten man at left-back. During the January transfer window, Spurs signed Souza from Brasileirão side Santos for a reported fee of £13 million. The 19 year old made 38 appearances for the Alvinegro, a regular starter in Brazil's top-flight in 2025.

Since arriving in North London, he's made just two appearances, coming off the bench at Old Trafford and Craven Cottage, an unused substitute on three occasions. Upon his arrival, then manager Thomas Frank described him as a "talented, promising young full-back, who is forward-thinking and technically very good". If true, this is exactly what this Spurs side are crying out for right now.

Of course, the jump up from the Brasileirão to the Premier League is a big one, but perhaps not as gigantic as you might think. According to Global Football Rankings, Brazil's first division is the ninth strongest in the world, just below the Primeira Liga and two places above the Eredivisie.

So, while Souza is far from an ideal solution, one would not wish to throw a teenager with little expirence into this mess, he is the best they have. Rather than putting square pegs into round holes, Tudor should give this kid a chance, otherwise why did Spurs spend £13 million to sign him?

Tottenham Hotspur and Son Heung-min decided to part ways amicably this past summer transfer window after the South Korean superstar sealed his legacy with a Europa League title, but Spurs now miss him more than ever.

Yes, Son was very visibly on the decline and saddled by injuries in the 2024/25 season, but he was also great before the injuries really took hold in the middle of the season under the full weight of Ange Postecoglou's non stop system. And even then, the former Bundesliga star still ended the 2024/25 campaign as Spurs leading goal contributor.

Tottenham made the even more foolish mistake of letting Son leave for MLS without signing an experienced left winger - and they aren't even starting the actual left winger they signed permanently, Mathys Tel, even though he is their best option.

Son Heung-min waltzes into this Tottenham team

The result is that Tottenham are haunted by the ghost of Son, and the uncomfortable truth Spurs have to reckon with is Son, healthy and enjoying his football, probably waltzes into this team as their best attacking player right now, especially with right winger Mohammed Kudus currently injured.

And worse than that, it's even harder to argue against the assertion that Son, Spurs former captain, is more trustworthy with the literal season on the line than any other Tottenham player. Richarlison may have led Everton to safety a few years ago, but Son was the only proven superstar in the big moments - and there is something a lot more remarkable about carrying a team to a Champions League Final than even what Richy did for the Toffees.

So Son leaves behind two mistakes that are tearing Tottenham to bits right now with relegation staring them smack dab in the face. The first was even letting Son go in the first place, because, looking back on it, he would have helped them an awful lot right about now. Then the second was not signing someone like Ademola Lookman with experience to replace him.

MLS or not, Son is on a tear to start the first two games of the MLS season for LAFC with two assists, six key passes, six dribbles completed, and three fouls drawn. It's not just the goals and experience Tottenham miss. Tottenham miss the way he could create chances, move the ball up the pitch, take people on, and lift the entire team. Spurs don't have that either, and Kudus's absence only compounds what they are missing on the left side.

At this point, there is not a clear front runner for the Tottenham Hotspur manager job, as Igor Tudor will surely be succeeded this summer by an actual permanent appointment, especially since he has looked at least as inept as Thomas Frank in the early running (which should come as no surprise).

The main favorite to replace Tudor is former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino, and as time has gone on, Spurs supporters are increasingly of the belief that Poch should have never been fired in the first place - a sentiment that had already existed at the time of his firing.

Though Pochettino's excellent work in the past at Tottenham has now been tarnished by poor runs with PSG and Chelsea at the top level, those around the club remain fond of him. The current USMNT manager, Pochettino likely would not be available until after this summer's World Cup, but the rumors continue to swirl in his direction.

Mauricio Pochettino still wants the Tottenham challenge

The latest information comes from Give Me Sport journalist Ben Jacobs who delivered some surprising but also positive news on Mauricio Pochettino for Tottenham Hotspur. Per Jacobs, the affinity Poch has for Spurs remains so strong that if Tottenham were to suffer the biggest humiliation and be relegated from the Premier League this season, Pochettino would still be interested in joining them as their manager in the EFL Championship.

Hopefully, it does not come to that for Spurs, but with four points separating them from rivals West Ham United in 17th in the table, Tottenham are the closest they have been to the threat of going down. And after 4-1 and 2-1 losses to rivals Arsenal and Fulham, Spurs truly are treading water at this point.

In that case, Pochettino may be the only regarded manager with an interest in taking on the Tottenham project if they go down. It can't be an attractive job with all the pressure, all the mismanagement, the lack of any viable people in the front office, the fact that Fabio Paratici bolted for another sinking ship in Fiorentina, and the reality that so many great managers have been promptly canned in the recent past.

Tottenham Hotspur have not won a game in the Premier League since stopping the hemorrhaging in their last terrible run of form with a 1-0 squeak of a victory over a Crystal Palace side in turmoil on Dec. 28. This Thursday, Spurs will face that same Eagles side once more in another state of crisis, coming off brutal losses to London rivals Arsenal and Fulham.

As if the moment could not get any bigger or more important for a Spurs side set to face former Europa League Final hero Brennan Johnson for the first time after selling him this winter transfer window, Spurs now have the opportunity to move up in the tense Premier League relegation battle.

Leeds United just lost 1-0 to fellow Premier League returnees Sunderland, once again reenforcing the idea that they have one of the least talented squads in the Premier League. But they are still two points ahead of Spurs despite a significantly worse goal difference at -11.

Tottenham can jump ahead of Leeds

So Tottenham have a can't miss opportunity to at least move into 15th, leapfrog Leeds, and give themselves potentially more breathing room over a West Ham United side that just got shellacked 5-2 by reigning champions Liverpool over the Premier League weekend.

Tottenham have, if anything, looked even worse than West Ham and Leeds in recent weeks, so Igor Tudor has to finally get a win for Spurs as interim manager. Failing to get three points against Crystal Palace this week would be nearly a disaster, and Spurs have to start proving they can take advantage of other teams slipping up.

This is all about survival at this point, and even though Spurs finished 17th last season in the Premier League for their worst ever league finish, a relegation fight is unfamiiliar territory for them. They were never at risk of going down in 2024/25 due to the sheer futility of the Premier League newcomers at the time, but clubs like Sunderland and even Leeds have proven semi competent.

Tottenham vs. Crystal Palace is a rivalry matchup with a lot of stakes. Spurs have only obtained four points in their last 10 Premier League outings. Now, they must survive Oliver Glasner, Johnson, and the Eagles. No, they must do more than survive. They must win, and it is going to take all hands on deck to do so. Spurs supporters will see exactly what Tudor, hired to save them, is made of.

Tottenham Hotspur star center back Micky van de Ven is cutting an increasingly frustrating figure, and you would be forgiven for thinking he has one foot out the door. As Spurs fight to stay alive in the Premier League, the high profile suitors for the Dutch defender are only angling even harder to sign him, including La Liga powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona.

For most players, joining either Real or Barca is the epitome of achievement in world football, and, surely, Van de Ven is not the only Spurs player angling to join these clubs. Thus far, Real Madrid have been linked more closely to the star center back just entering his prime years, but now Barcelona are increasing their interest in the player.

Per a new report from Diario Sport's top journalist L. Miguelsanz, Barcelona are now 'intensifying" their pursuit of Van de Ven, with the outlet also reporting that the 24 year old Bundesliga product is expected to leave Tottenham this summer.

Micky van de Ven is likely to leave Tottenham

So far, there has been no concrete indication that Van de Ven is for sure wanting to leave the N17 this summer, nor is there any indication that Tottenham are open to selling. But the rumor mill is spinning a narrative that neither Van de Ven nor Spurs have gone out of their way to deny, and it does feel like that this is the end for VDV, who, unlike Cristian Romero, isn't the actual captain of the club. And on that subject, his stint as a leader with Romero out has not gone well, including disrespecting the fans again in a loss to Fulham.

Tottenham have Luka Vuskovic shining at Hamburg, Kota Takai impressing at Borussia Monchengladbach, and one of the best third center backs in Europe in Kevin Danso. They might actually feel Van de Ven is more expenadble than his talent level would otherwise indicate, and they may be more willing to lose him than Romero, given the latter is their captain and the former can fetch more on the transfer market.

A bidding war between Real Madrid and Barcelona may be what Spurs front office is secretly hoping for. Whereas the fans would want to keep Van de Ven and any other top talent, Spurs have traditionally been more open to selling, and if they can get something approaching nine figures for the center back with the world's two biggest clubs bidding each other, then so be it.

On the one hand, you can look at Tottenham Hotspur striker Richarlison as a monumental transfer bust. He came to the N17 with a lot of hype as a top Premier League player for another historic club in Everton and joined for 60 million pounds, scoring fewer than 30 goals (so far) in four seasons.

But on the other hand, if Richy is able to save Tottenham from relegation just as he did for Everton in an achievement that was key to bringing him to Spurs in the first place, then you can consider his legacy rewritten as a hero and savior.

There are a lot of things you can say about Richarlison that are negatives. He is rarely healthy, he is frustratingly inconsistent, he cost Spurs way too much money, and he is not a well rounded striker at all who does not score nearly enough goals to make up for the fact that he struggles to create or win enough dribbles.

Richarlison has been a Tottenham transfer bust

However, there is one thing you always have to say about Richy, even when he is playing at his worst. He will always work hard for your team. Richarlison will work especially hard whenever he senses the team is in trouble or in a dark moment, and just like at Everton, Richy is clearly picking up on Tottenham being in a moment of crisis.

Though it was not enough to turn the tide, Richarlison came into the game on Sunday against Fulham and scored a late goal to salvage something for Tottenham. Again, it ultimately did not mean anything where it truly counts in the table, but Richarlison scoring that goal is a sign that not only does he care about this team, but he is also capable of making a difference right now.

Richy will never be able to fully justify his price tag in an objective, full context view of his transfer deal and tenure at Tottenham, which should come to an end in the summer 2026 transfer window. But the send off and sentimental look back on his transfer could end up being overwhelmingly positive and even the transfer fee repaid if Richy can play a crucial role in helping Spurs avoid the humilitation and financial blow of relegation.

These next months are crucial for both Tottenham and the legacies of the players who are staring down the barrel of a tense relegation fight with the likes of rivals West Ham United. Tottenham need Richy, and Richy needs to remind the world who he is.

Even though Brennan Johnson scored the decisive goal to gift Tottenham Hotspur the Europa League title over Manchester United last season, Spurs supporters were largely glad to see the back of Johnson this winter transfer window and even happier to see Crystal Palace spend a record fee to sign him. But now, they are afraid to face him on Thursday night when these two London rivals go to battle in a key fixture.

Even though Johnson finally notched his first goal contribution of the season in a Palace shirt with an assist for Maxence Lacroix during a 2-1 loss to Manchester United this past Premier League weekend, it has been a disastrous start to life with the Eagles for the Welsh international.

As most Tottenham fans could have predicted, Johnson has been a massive transfer bust. Not only is the golden goal scoring touch gone, but Johnson is just as poor as he was at Tottenham as a winger. He cannot create, take players on, defend, progress the ball, or do anything that a winger should.

Brennan Johnson is destined to shred Tottenham

But given how cursed Tottenham have been this season, Spurs fans are deathly scared of the supposed inevitability of Johnson suddenly waking up to cook them. Just as Eberechi Eze has done nothing this season save for scoring five of his six Premier League goals against former suitors Tottenham Hotspur, Spurs fans are worried Johnson will save his best performance to help Palace exact revenge on Spurs for their 1-0 win on Dec. 28 - literally their last win in the Premier League.

It flies in the face of logic to be convinced that Johnson will score and dominate Spurs, but when watching just how putrid Spurs were against two other London rivals in Arsenal and Fulham, it really isn't an outlandish conclusion. And it would only be fitting for an incredibly unlucky Tottenham side that has suffered more injury blows than anyone else.

There is very little in the form of positive news emanating from the N17, and Tottenham Hotspur supporters now have to be worried about the very real possibility of Archie Gray leaving the club this summer transfer window as more vultures circle the carcass of the Premier League Big Six side.

According to a report from Fraser Fletcher of TEAM Talk, Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich are indeed interested in poaching Gray from Tottenham this summer, and joining them is a club even more renowned for plucking great young talents from England before they become household names, Borussia Dortmund. With Real Madrid, the mightiest of them all and in need of a new No. 6, also linked, Spurs have to be wary of losing one of England's best midfield prospects before he truly blossoms into a star.

Per Fletcher, both Bayern and Dortmund are believers in Gray's potential, and because Spurs are 17th in the table and much closer to the drop than they were last season in the same position with just four points separating them from West Ham United, Gray is now a realistic target for these two German clubs.

Bayern Munich, Dortmund want to steal Archie Gray

Bayern and Dortmund surely won't be the only teams involved in the Gray sweepstakes, especially if Tottenham are relegated. And in all reality, Spurs have not exactly helped their case with regards to staying afloat or appeasing themselves to Gray by the way they have treated the English standout, most recently playing him as a left back and right winger in a dreadful loss to Fulham.

Through the reigns of Ange Postecoglou, Thomas Frank, and Igor Tudor, everyone has mistreated Gray, who had to work his way from the bottom to earn starts over an already inferior Rodrigo Bentancur this season.

Tottenham are at serious risk of losing several young stars, but the most frustrating losses would be the likes of Mathys Tel and Gray. These are young players who are already good enough to be starters for Tottenham and who are giving their all for the club despite multiple snubs and disrespect, as well as all the futility of the team itself.

It is never a good sign when Dortmund is eyeing one of your players, because that means both they are very good and that you are not making the most out of them. Gray's transfer situation should deeply concern the Tottenham front office at this point.

When looking through the talent levels in the Tottenham Hotspur squad, it is almost difficult to believe that they are 17th in the Premier League and getting shellacked by squads like West Ham United and Fulham, but when you actually watch the body language of the players and how many of them perform, it is obvious that this team has a rotten collection of entitled egos who are mailing it in.

It is profoundly disappointing to see what has become of Tottenham, and it is almost baffling how several highly talented, likable players have become complacent and overrated, failing to bank on the talent they have at their disposal.

Attacking midfielder Xavi Simons and center back Micky van de Ven are beginning to fall into that category, and as the losses continue to pile up, it is quite clear that these two young stars are not playing up to their reputations, even as they act as though they are above it all.

Xavi Simons, Micky van de Ven turn their backs on Tottenham

As Spurs influencer Ben Bowman pointed out after the entirely unacceptable 2-1 loss to Fulham at the Premier League weekend, Van de Ven and Simons could be observed blatantly ignoring the traveling supporters, who were subjected to another disasterclass from the team - and from these two in particular. Tottenham's coaches had to essentially force Van de Ven to acknowledge the supporters - the same supporters he has been seen screaming at after horrible losses in the past. The same happened with Simons, who ignored the fans clapping him after he was taken off at the hour mark for a beyond pathetic, putrid performance.

It is baffling to see two young players behave this entitled. Spurs were embarrassed by a squad with players who are less known and less wealthy than these two, and even though the fans showed them the support they were complaining that the fans had failed to, these two turned their backs on the supporters.

Simons is a hyped 60 million pound signing from the Bundesliga, but aside from a few small trophies at clubs that dominate their leagues, he has accomplished very little in this sport. He is all potential with no bite, and he has to realize that he needs to do a lot more to justify his price tag and past praise. Van de Ven has at least won a Europa League title and will be a more than 60 million pound transfer in the future, but when you watch how horrible he is without Cristian Romero holding his hand, you really have to do wonder if he is buying his own hype a little too much as a future Real Madrid or Barcelona player.

Tottenham Hotspur are the most disappointing team in European football, though considering they finished 17th in the Premier League last season, perhaps disappointment is not the right way to frame Spurs futility; they are finally now as dreadful as they deserve to be.

There are bright spots in the squad, though. One of them, lately, has been Dominic Solanke. Though he's been hampered again by a throat issue, Solanke was a revelation upon his return from a nasty foot injury, immediately making an impact in a big win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

But even as Solanke has asserted himself as the clear No. 9 for Spurs, a look at his numbers exemplifies the root of the problem at Tottenham. Sure, the attacking talent itself is far from adequate for a club of Big Six status, but the delivery of chances to the strikers and forwards is the real travesty here.

Tottenham cannot create sufficient chances

Look at Solanke's numbers. Before he joined Spurs, he was able to average 3.48 and 2.95 shots per 90 minutes in his final two healthy seasons with mid table club Bournemouth. Even in his first season at Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou, Solanke's shots per 90 average fell to 2.45.

But now under Thomas Frank (and Igor Tudor) rule, Solanke is averaging career lows with 1.70 shots and 0.68 shots per target per 90. Whereas his shots per target average in his first season with Spurs was about the same as his final season with the Cherries, the chances - and the quality of chances - available to Solanke have fallen off a cliff in 2025/26.

That speaks volumes to how difficult it is for a striker to succeed at Tottenham with how weak the team is tactically. They are a disaster, and while Solanke and Richarlison are still working hard to sniff out those few chances, even Randal Kolo Muani has given up as a hired gun from PSG.