Hotspur HQ

Tottenham Hotspur made two major veteran acquisitions on loan in the summer transfer window last year. After securing Mathys Tel from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich on a permanent deal, Spurs then bagged former Fulham star Joao Palhinha on loan from the Bavarians after he spent the 2024/25 season toiling on the bench. They then landed experienced former Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani on transfer deadline day from PSG after Juventus failed to successfully negotiate another loan deal with the Ligue 1 powerhouse and defending Champions League winners.

So far, the returns on Palhinha and Kolo Muani have been more mixed than effusively positive. Palhinha started the season brilliantly as one of the best value signings of the summer transfer window, and it was seen as a foregone conclusion that Spurs would then try to buy him permanently from Bayern at the end of the campaign.

But Palhinha's play started to fall off, with Tottenham lacking badly in terms of creativity and offensive output in midfield, with the Portuguese international's strengths now no longer shrouding his weaknesses.

Randal Kolo Muani is battling back

Meanwhile, Kolo Muani started the season with injury woes, looked like the club's best striker whlie decimating PSG, and then faded back into obscurity with rumors of him wanting to terminate his loan - and rumors of Juventus wanting to push hard to bring him back this winter.

So going into Tuesday night's Champions League battle against his former club Eintracht Frankfurt, Randal Kolo Muani was under a lot of pressure. Spurs do not want to terminate his loan with how thin they are striker, but he legitimately looked mentally checked out - a player who could not give a rat's rear end about the current club he is at, which is an untenable situation.

But Kolo Muani scored against Eintracht. Whlie he was not as spellbindingly brilliant as he was against PSG,this was still another thoroughly positive performance from RKM against a former club of his on a Champions League night.

Palhinha was even better. The unsung hero of the team while Cristian Romero, Wilson Odobert, and Xavi Simons soaked up much of the plaudits, the defensive midfielder won a whopping seven tackles in a defensive monsterclass alongside Pape Matar Sarr as Tottenham Hotspur completely shut up shop in the middle of the park to secure a clean sheet win over the overpowered Eagles.

Randal Kolo Muani is not out of the woods yet, but with a strong overall creative performance and a crucial goal to the good, he staved off being ran out of Tottenham with a pitchfork, complicated Spurs forward outlook in 2026. Meanwhile, Palhinha seems to be working himself back to being more in than out, giving Spurs real food for thought to chew on transfer wise as they continue to mull their midfield options.

Once again, Tottenham Hotspur delivered in the Champions League after leaving their fans with more questions than answers in the Premier League. Following up their 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund last week, Spurs avenged their draw with Burnley over the weekend by beating up on another Bundesliga power with a 2-0 victory over a struggling Eintracht Frankfurt.

Cristian Romero and Xavi Simons were unsurprisingly the main stars of the night for Tottenham, but once again, Wilson Odobert managed to pique everyone's interest over on the right wing, which has become his new position in the aftermath of a multi month injury to star man Mohammed Kudus.

Thomas Frank has been embattled throughout the 2025/26 season, and while the results in the Premier League are only getting worse under the Danish coach, he remains successfully treading water with regards to his job status on the backs of Spurs wins in the Champions League.

Wilson Odobert had another big game

But perhaps the most concrete reason Spurs have for actually keeping Frank is best reflected by Odobert. Because when Frank first took over at Tottenham, there was a lot of optimism in the air, specifically because of all the talent he helped elevate at Brentford.

Ivan Toney, Kevin Schade, Yoane Wissa, Mikel Damsgaard, and, of course, Bryan Mbeumo all became among the best attacking players in the Premier League under the guidance of Thomas Frank, and so Spurs supporters were hopeful that Frank could do the same with the young players at Tottenham.

But while Frank has frustratingly held back Mathys Tel with egregious snubs, Wilson Odobert is a more positive example of what Frank can potentially do in terms of nurturing a player, and Spurs are finally seeing the seeds bear fruit with regards to the French youth international.

Odobert won five successful dribbles in the 2-0 win. He was active throughout the game in terms of taking players on and trying to stretch the pitch to help his team create chances, performing more as a workhorse on the right than he even did as a left winger this season.

Tottenham Hotspur won this game convincingly in part because of Odobert's fine work, which was nearly rewarded with a goal. After his pair of assists the previous Champions League week against Dortmund, Odobert provided a different flavor of attacking excellence, and if there is one thing Frank can actually boast about right now, then it is the way he is helping Odobert shine now.

Pedro Porro has been a standout player for Tottenham Hotspur since he joined the club initially on loan from Sporting CP. From right-back, he has managed 11 goals, with 25 assists in 139 games for the club. This is a lot of matches, considering Porro has only been at the club since 2023.

The Spain international is rarely injured, but it appears Spurs' over-reliance on him is taking its toll. Porro posted on Instagram today, "Time to stop for a few days, I'll be back soon. Good luck tonight, team. Bring back the three points.

This is bad timing for Porro to have to miss a game as Spurs play Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League. Tottenaham need a win to ensure they progress automatically into the round of 16. However, a draw could be enough.

Porro came off at half-time in Spurs' 2-2 draw with Burnley in the Premier League last weekend. He was replaced by Destiny Udogie, who went to left-back with Djed Spence moving across to right-back. It helps that Spence is right-footed, although he is usually used at left-back.

Pedro Porro's situation has led to fan outrage

A lack of a natural replacement for Porro has left Tottenham supporters fuming. One fan posted on Reddit, "Ran into the f****** pavement because they didn’t want to buy a left back to cover Udogie for 2 years. If the senior leadership were players, they would’ve been sacked ages ago. Absolute gross mismanagement."

Much of the blame will always go on Daniel Levy. However, he is no longer the club's chairman.

Spurs were recently linked with bringing in Andy Robertson from Liverpool. That said, the full-back is now set to stay at Anfield.

It is unclear if Spurs will be able to bring in another full-back who is ready for first-team soccer this transfer window. They have signed Souza from Santos, but he is only 19 and considered one for the future.

Tottenham need to strengthen if they are to improve under Thomas Frank. Spurs are as low as 14th in the Premier League, and there is huge pressure on their manager. Success in the Champions League is biding Frank with time.

Despite being successful in Europe, Ange Postecoglou still lost his job with Spurs at the end of last season due to a poor domestic campaign. The same could be the case with Frank, especially with top coaches, including former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, potentially being available after the World Cup.

Tottenham Hotspur are quietly mulling over the immediate future of striker Randal Kolo Muani, whose performances on the pitch over the last several games have been so thoroughly unsatisfactory that it is all but guaranteed Spurs will not even think twice about letting his loan from PSG expire without even attempting to negotiate a permanent transfer.

Although Kolo Muani had some promising moments for Spurs, including against his parent club PSG in the Champions League, the Frenchman has largely been a transfer flop for his new club, with his latest displays being characteristic of an overpaid and mentally checked out forward who simply does not want to be there or fight for his team.

Juventus want Kolo Muani back on loan after Tottenham and Fabio Paratici thwarted their efforts on deadline day, but Spurs are reluctant to lose any more striker depth with all the injuries they have faced this season. Richarlison is now out, per usual, and Dominic Solanke only just returned from a major injury.

Randal Kolo Muani is useless now

But Kolo Muani is so bad that he is worse than useless if he does not even care an ounce about the club. So in an ideal world, Tottenham would get rid of the veteran striker this winter and help PSG acquiesce to Juventus obtaining him again, whlie they would then sign a younger and more dynamic replacement who will fight for the club.

According to a sneaky new report from elite transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, "several" clubs around European football have recently been expressing interest in former Aston Villa star Jhon Duran, who is currently playing for Fenerbahce in the Turkish Super Lig on loan from Saudi Pro League giants Al-Nassr - and yes, that is a mouthful. Apparently, per Fab, Duran is a "potential last minute deal" for these clubs in the January transfer window. The decision rests with Fenerbahce and Duran now.

It always seemed bizarre that Duran, who was scoring absolute bangers as one of the most clinical finishers in the Premier League and a massive breakout star, left Aston Villa and the best league in the world for a paycheck in Saudi - and Villa were all too happy to cash in.

Duran is just 22 years old, but he would immediately be the most talented striker on Tottenham Hotspur and arguably just as good overall as Dominic Solanke if his performances with Aston Villa in the 2024/25 season are anything to go off of.

Now, Duran has not been linked to Tottenham, but if European clubs are after him and if there is any chance Spurs could sign the 23 year old, he is a much better target than Samu Aghehowa, a much better signing than Kolo Muani, and a much better player than the washed up alternatives Spurs could be looking at.

It started as a few annoyed fans and grew into legitimate transfer speculation, but Tottenham Hotspur starting goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario looks like he has truly made doubters out of most of the Spurs fan base and the club's brass itself.

Although Vicario is a perfectly fine shot stopper with the reflexes to make some incredible saves, the Italian international has cost Tottenham quite a few points this season by being genuinely poor at everything else. His postioning, handling, and work on the ball have been horrid, leading to unforced errors that undo the few truly game breaking saves he makes.

Tottenham are already on the verge of letting top backup Antonin Kinsky, one of the most promising young goalkeepers in the Premier League, go on loan to West Ham United, where he could eventually move permanently to become the Hammers new No. 1 in goal.

Robin Roefs is one to watch

If Tottenham were indeed to do that, it makes finding the next goalkeeper to succeed Vicario this summer all the more important. And when it comes to important tasks, Spurs have shown to their fan base that they cannot be trusted fully,

According to a report from talkSPORT insider Alex Crook, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in stealing away Sunderland 23 year old breakout star Robin Roefs in goal. Roefs just joined the Black Cats upon their Premier League promotion and has legitimately been one of the best goalkeepers in European football - a clean sheet machine who has been a huge part of the club's success this season.

But while Roefs would be a younger alternative to Guglielmo Vicario and an exciting upgrade, the other transfer target Tottenham are now linked to is far less exciting. Per a report from BBC Sport's Sami Mokbel, Tottenham are also eyeing Sam Johnstone on loan from Wolves.

Now if we assume Tottenham are a reasonably well run club, then the Johnstone links would not be alarming at all in the context of Spurs likely sending Antonin Kinsky to West Ham. Johnstone would be his loan replacement for Kinsky so that Kinsky could get minutes, but then following that logic, you would also have to assume that Spurs would not be so stupid as to let Kinsky have an option to buy in his loan deal with their local London rivals.

Look, Johnstone is not anywhere near as talented as Kinsky, nor is he the caliber of goalkeeper to replace Vicario. Either way you spin it, Johnstone is not somebody Tottenham should be interested in him and is half the goalkeeper Roefs is while being worse than Vicario, too. Being linked to a loan like Johnstone makes zero sense for Spurs.

Thomas Frank is fighting for his life as Tottenham Hotspur manager. The Danish coach will remain in charge ahead of Wednesday night's Champions League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt, but pressure is mounting.

Victory at Deutsche Bank Park will secure Spurs' place in the round of 16, but their Premier League form is alarming. On Saturday, the Lilywhites required a stoppage-time equaliser from Cristian Romero to salvage a share of the spoils against Burnley at Turf Moor. That means they've won just two of their last 14 outings, currently without a win in five.

Well, with Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle and then Arsenal their February opponents, the eight-point gap between Tottenham and the bottom three is looking precariously narrow. One consistent performer in this otherwise inconsistent team is Micky van de Ven. The Dutchman broke the deadlock in Lancashire at the weekend, edging close to an all-time club record.

The Spurs record Micky van de Ven is seeking to break

So, how many more does he need to become the highest-scoring Tottenham defender in a single season?

Tottenham defenders to score 6+ goals in a single season (1980-present)

Since 1980, only four Tottenham defenders have managed to score eight or more goals in a single campaign. Sol Campbell, who isn't very popular at White Hart Lane these days, is the most-recent man to do so in 1998/99.

Graham Roberts actually did so twice, mustering ten goals in 1983/84, but the record is held by club legend Gary Mabbutt, netting 11 times in '82/83. The centre-back won both the UEFA Cup and FA Cup during 18 years at Spurs, appearing for the club 611 times, second only to Steve Perryman (866) on the club's all-time list.

Well, van de Ven (81 appearances) is along way of Mabbutt in that regard, but could break his single-season goalscoring record for a defender. Having netted seven times already, who is to say he cannot bag five more before the campaign comes to an end. In fact, Saturday's other scorer Romero has now netted six times in this campaign, meaning both centre-backs could be targeting this accolade.

Every single Tottenham Hotspur supporter knows that Hamburg center back Luka Vuskovic is a special talent, and although he will be back at Hamburg for another season in 2026/27 to wisely continue this upward trajectory, Spurs fans are already dreaming about him joining a center back group that is already among the world's elite with Micky van de Ven, captain Cristian Romero, and big Kevin Danso.

Vuskovic has been a revelation this season, not just as a Spurs loanee but as one of the best players in the Bundesliga overall. He has been the No. 1 center back in the league this campaign, which is just insane considering he is both a teenager and in his first season as a starter at the professional level. He is a shoe in for the Bundesliga Team of the Season and a legitimate dark horse candidate for the Bundesliga Player of the Season with how he has stabilized the newly promoted Hamburg.

With his ability to control the passing game, score bangers, dominant the aerial game, carry the ball progressively, mark athletic strikers out of the game, and read the pitch for interceptions, Vuskovic has surprisingly few weaknesses for a young player.

Tottenham fans need to watch the Bundesliga more

But the other crazy thing is, he isn't even the only Bundesliga center back on the books at Tottenham who is on the verge of a breakout season. Spurs signed the young Kota Takai this summer in a quiet bargain move from the Japanese top flight, and after recovering from an injury, Spurs loaned Takai to another historic Bundesliga club in Borussia Monchengladbach this winter.

After getting his feet wet with a few substitute appearances, Takai earned his first start for the Foals this past weekend. And even though Gladbach got trounced 3-0 by a much more talented VfB Stuttgart side, Takai distinguished himself as a huge bright spot and a potential breakout star as the best player on the pitch in an otherwise dismal day.

To stand out the way Takai did when the defense around you is getting annihilated that badly is incredible, and every Tottenham fan needs to take notice of what the 21 year old center back did over the weekend.

Takai had one tackle, three interceptions, seven clearances, and a block without being dribbled past once on defense. Then as a passer, he somehow had two key passes as a central defender with an insane pass completion of 90.5 on 74 attempts, including five long balls.

If Takai can build on this debut when everything around him was tragically poor, imagine how great he can be. Tottenham may have two more amazing center backs on their hands, and they already have three top players in their first team squad an the pearl of them all, Vuskovic.

Because Guglielmo Vicario has a strong save percentage and makes highlight reel saves with his cat like reflexes, there were many Tottenham Hotspur fans who were defending the Italian international as an asset to the team earlier this season.

Now, it is true that Vicario was somewhat unfairly scapegoated in certain results early in the campaign, and it is also true that he is a great pure saver who can prevent goals better than most Premier League goalkeepers can.

The problem, though, has become evident as the season has gone on. Vicario cannot be trusted. Despite the nice saves he makes, Vicario arguably commits even more errors that prove costly to Tottenham, resulting directly in dropped points in the Premier League table, leading Spurs to have to think more about the threat of relegation than the possibility of salvaging European football.

Tottenham are watching Antonin Kinsky rot

As Tottenham Hotspur supporters watch the arguably even more gifted Antonin Kinsky rot on the bench with rumors of a transfer to West Ham on the table, they are becoming increasingly restless, and the transfer speculation of Inter Milan's interest in replacing a washed up Yann Sommer with Vicario, formerly of Empoli in Serie A, have given Spurs fans an opening to hope that the club will try to upgrade from Vic this summer.

According to journalist Paul O Keefe in an appearance on the new The Whistle Blows podcast, Tottenham are indeed looking to make an upgrade at the goalkeeper position from Guglielmo Vicario this summer transfer window. Per O Keefe, the reasoning is that Spurs are just as alarmed as the fans are about how poorly Vicario has been performing in goal over the past six months.

A few Tottenham reporters have discussed the possibility of Vicario leaving this summer and the fact that Tottenham are considering a move to a new keeper. James Trafford is the only big name concretely linked to Spurs, as Mike Maignan has now taken himself off the table officially by re-signing with AC Milan. Trafford's situation is complicated, but with Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, it may be difficult for Manchester City to convince him to stay if he knows he could start for Tottenham right out the gate.

Tottenham Hotspur supporters were very excited about the links to Antoine Semenyo at one point before the January transfer window even opened up, as Spurs were apparently showing real ambition and going hard after arguably the best winger in the Premier League for the 2025/26 season. They were even listed as among the favorites alongside the a few of the other Big Six clubs.

However, that optimism did not last long at all, because just a week or two later before the January transfer market even opened, Semenyo had already rejected Spurs and made it clear that he wanted Manchester City, where he has since officially ended up.

Spurs fans then turned their focus to Omar Marmoush and Savinho, and, once again, neither star winger from Man City will be coming to the N17. The Tottenham transfer options on the wing are now barren, even as Spurs have become even thinner on the flanks after selling right winger Brennan Johnson and watching their best forward, Mohammed Kudus, suffer a multi month injury.

Tottenham have very few winger options left

Another Manchester City winger in Oscar Bobb and Monaco standout Maghnes Akliouche are the only achievable winger transfer targets concretely linked to Tottenham Hotspur, but one of them looks close to exiting the list of possibilities himself, too.

According to the latest report from transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, negotiations between Fulham and Manchester CIty for Bobb have now reached the "final stages" after the Cottagers submitted their "initial bid". The fee Man City want for Bobb is 35 million pounds, and if the deal were to go through, it would be a permanent transfer and not a loan.

Fulham have been very proactive lately about signing young wingers with potential. Bobb is probably closer to their level than Tottenham's, so Spurs fans won't be particularly upset with the idea of missing out on Bobb and watching him go to their local rivals, who, by the way, embarrassed them in their last head to head meeting.

The amount of gaffes Tottenham Hotspur have made this season is truly abysmal, and while their biggest, by far, has been sticking with Thomas Frank in the manager's chair despite months and months of futility with no signs of turning it around, Frank is far from the only mishap worth scolding Spurs over.

Tottenham have been holding back a lot of young players from shining, all the while the board has been going after some pretty underwhelming transfer targets while gaping holes that have festered in the squad for years remain unfilled.

All the while, Tottenham are about to risk selling off another talented young player this winter. As rumors spread around Mathys Tel's future at the club as Frank continues to disrespect his biggest attacking gem, Spurs are already prepared to jettison the talented backup goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky to a big rival club.

Tottenham are making a real mistake

Instead of giving Kinsky more minutes while Guglielmo Vicario flails around and costs the club points while blaming the players around him, Tottenham Hotspur are prepared to let Kinsky go to West Ham United, as has been feared for weeks.

According to a report from top transfer journalist Matteo Moretto, West Ham are close to securing the loan transfer of Antonin Kinsky from Tottenham. That alone is not the issue, since Kinsky could use minutes if Spurs are not going to play him. But the real issue is that Spurs are apparently going to add an option to buy clause in the deal.

That is insane. Tottenham just lost to West Ham and are honestly at risk of being relegated instead of the Hammers at this rate, especially if Frank continues. By giving them Kinsky, not only are Spurs making West Ham stronger this season since the young Czech international is already better than the rubbish the Hammers have in goal this season, but they could also make their London rivals a lot better for the long term.

Kinsky is a real talent in goal who can be better than Vicario in the future. And worse yet, by loaning out Kinsky now, Spurs will lose their only backup for Vicario, because whoever they add to replace Kinsky probably isn't going to be good, especially not in the winter.

The move is not official yet, but there is more than enough smoke here for Tottenham fans to be very worried that their beloved club is about to make yet another massive transfer misstep. Kinsky could be gone forever and haunt Tottenham badly in the future at West Ham.