Hotspur HQ

Tottenham Hotspur are under enormous pressure to get back to winning ways this weekend, after yet another miserable night. On Wednesday, Spurs were beaten 3-2 at Dean Court, with Bournemouth's winner coming in the 95th minute, no less. That made it just two wins in 12 Premier League outings for the under-fire Thomas Frank, with the Lilywhites languishing in 14th.

Up next, Spurs face two of the bottom three, namely West Ham and Burnley. Those should be a pair of routine wins, but the curse of Dr Tottenham could easily strike once or even twice more. Before that, they host Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Saturday evening, with a major fan protest set to take place.

Defeat in the FA Cup would really crank up the pressure on Frank, facing the reality that Spurs are only three points better off in the Premier League than after 21 matches compared to last season, when, of course, Ange Postecoglou's team went on to finish 17th.

Seemingly set to miss out on the Champions League places, having finished in the top four in only one of the previous six seasons, there are serious question marks about the club's direction. So, could Spurs' prize assets be tempted with a move away, with fears growing that, arguably, their best player could push for a departure?

Micky van de Ven new contract latest

As reported by Matt Law of the Telegraph, Tottenham are eager for Micky van de Ven to sign a new contract. However, it is believed that the Dutch defender is "frustrated with the current situation at the club", so he is hesitant to do so. The 24 -year-old's current contract does not expire until 2029, meaning this is far from an urgent situation, but could be the start of a worrying trend.

This news comes after van de Ven had a rather eventful evening by the South Coast this week. The centre-back had seemingly won a penalty against Bournemouth, following a trademark burst from the back, only to be correctly booked for simulation by referee Darren England following VAR review. After the match, van de Ven then had a heated argument with a Spurs supporter in the away section, a quite surreal sight while Freed From Desire was blaring through the stadium's speakers.

That aside, van de Ven is clearly one of Tottenham's best players, widely-regarded among the best central defenders in the Premier League. Thus, with Spurs unlikely to be in next season's Champions League, potentially missing out on Europe altogether, he could depart, given that many of Europe's biggest clubs would surely be vying for his signature.

Tottenham Hotspur need to be one of the most active buyers in the January transfer market, because they sit a lowly 14th in the Premier League and just lost to the 15th placed team, handing AFC Bournemouth their first win in 11 games. And if it were not for brilliant individual goals from Joao Palhinha and Mathys Tel, it would have been a clean 3-0 defeat for Spurs, who were swept by the Cherries this season.

Spurs have serious questions about manager Thomas Frank - well, at least the fans in the building do. But even if Frank is still the manager until the 2025/26 Premier League season closes, Tottenham are going to need to bring in more talent to help the squad.

The forward positions are the biggest area of need for Spurs, but the club does need some warm bodie in midfield and left back. With Destiny Udogie out injured, Tottenham do not have a true healthy left back in the squad, as inverted option Djed Spence and versatile center back Ben Davies are the only current options, with Davies actually beating out Spence.

Tottenham will soon have a need filled

But Tottenham are soon to welcome a new left back into the building as their first signing of the January transfer window, surprisingly inking a defensive player before signing someone who can help them score goals.

After reporting that Tottenham Hotspur had already agreed to personal terms, Fabrizio Romano is now saying that Spurs and Santos have now agreed on the final transfer fee for left back Souza. After Santos rejected an eight million euro tranfser bid for the 19 year old left back, they are now accepting an updated offer of 15 million euros from Spurs for the top Brazilian defensive talent in 2026.

With personal terms between Souza and Spurs already agreed and now the final fee of 15 million euros agreed, all that is left for this deal to be confirmed as an official "Here We Go" transfer for Tottenham is the actual payment structure of how Spurs will hand that money to Santos.

Souza is an unknown commodity, but Tottenham have been by far the most interested club in the player. Johan Lange and Co. must be sold on him, just as they were on the likes of Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall before bringing them into the fold at the N17 as prospect transfers. It is anyone's guess as to how good Souza will be, but 15 million euros for a left back is not unreasonable.

Tottenham Hotspur are in a perpetual injury crisis that began before the season even started. There are ebbs and flows even amidst this constant state of missing out on key players, and, right now, Spurs are entering another rough period on the injury front.

Rodrigo Bentancur is the most recent injury after the loss to Bournemouth on Wednesday night, but the most worrisome new injury is, by far, the one to Mohammed Kudus, who left early in the match at the weekend against Sunderland with an ailment and thus missed the game against the Cherries.

Unfortunately for Kudus and Tottenham, the Ghanaian right winger's injury was worse than expected on scans, and, now, Spurs manager Thomas Frank has confirmed to reporters before the FA Cup tilt against top three side Aston Villa that Kudus will indeed be out for longer than expected.

Tottenham cannot catch a break

Spurs fans were already bracing themselves for Kudus to miss multiple weeks with his latest injury, but Spurs have really done it now a far as running Kudus into the ground because it actually looks like he will miss multiple months with this issue.

Frank told reporters, via Lilywhite Rose, "Mohammed Kudus unfortunately is a bigger one to the tendon in the quad. That is one where we expect him back after the March international break."

The March international break. Wow. Even the most pessimistic Tottenham fans did not see that one coming, and so Mohammed Kudus is going to miss several games. Kudus will thus be out against Aston Villa, former employers West Ham, Borussia Dortmund, Burnley, Eintracht Frankfurt, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Arsenal, Fulham, and Crystal Palace before potentially returning to face Liverpool after the March international break on the 14th of the month.

Those are some big ticket games that Tottenham's best attacking player, by far this season, is going to miss. There are two big Champions League opponents, as wel las three matches against Big Six clubs, including Arsenal in the North London Derby - not to mention Newcastle, as well as three local London rivals on top of Arsenal.

Kudus's injury for multiple months only increases the need for Tottenham to sign a new attacking player, specifically a winger. With Dejan Kulusevski still injured and Brennan Johnson sold to Crystal Palace, Spurs do not have a single healthy right winger in the squad, and, as of right now, their only left wing options are still Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel.

The devastating rash of injuries that has plagued Tottenham Hotspur continued in the aftermath of the loss to Bournemouth this week. Spurs already came into the season with Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison out for an extended period, and those guys are still not anywhere near a return. Meanwhile, Dominic Solanke is still out with a nagging foot injury, while Mohammed Kudus and Destiny Udogie are two more vital players who have been added to the injury report.

Those injuries are all bad enough, and now Tottenham have one more key piece of the depth puzzle to put on the injured list. Center midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur is no longer a starter at Tottenham and has honestly been a liabilty for much of the season.

But Bentancur is still a decent footballer and a veteran depth piece who can help the team against certain opponents. Now, though, the Uruguayan international is also out for the foreseeable future, cutting down Spurs depth even more.

Tottenham keep suffering blows

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank confirmed the Bentancur injury to reporters after the 3-2 loss to Bournemouth. He said, via Lilywhite Rose, "Rodri has a hamstring injury - looks like a bigger one, unfortunately. We don’t know the time frame. That we will know later."

Yet another important player to Tottenham injured without a definitive time table for a return. Kulusevski, Maddison, Solanke, Kudus, and now Bentancur are all experienced players with defined roles in the squad who are injured for an indefinite period.

Now, there is no reason to believe Bentancur will be out as long as Maddison, Kulu, or Solanke, but this looks like another multi week injury with an uncertain prognosis that puts more on the plates of the other Tottenham midfielders, including the load of minutes on their bodies in this ever grueling Premier League fixture slate.

Tottenham will hope that Bentancur can return sooner rather than later, but there is a silver lining to his injury, in that, for the time he is out, it will mean more minutes and more responsiblity for the young players like Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall who are truly the future bed rock players for this Spurs midifeld. And even someone who has been discarded by manager Thomas Frank as of late, Pape Matar Sarr, should benefit, in theory, from getting at least a portion of the minutes left behind by the injured Bentancur going forward.

Tottenham Hotspur captain and superstar center back Cristian Romero is the best player on the team and the most accomplished footballer in the squad, given his Copa America and World Cup title victories, as well as his status as the Europa League Player of the Tournament last season when Spurs won the prestigious European trophy for the first time in more than 40 years.

Best yet, Romero, who could have left the club in the dust this summer, is always willing to say the tough words that need to be said and wear his heart on his sleeve. And in a season filled with cowardice and figureheads at the club spending more time clashing with the supporters than with their opponents on the pitch, it was very nice to see Romero publicly call the club's horrid leadership out again on Wednesday night after the loss to Bournemouth.

Romero's words were directed at upper management, but given the poor performance of new manager Thomas Frank - and we all know how much Romero and the others loved playing for Ange Postecoglou - you could not help but read the timing of the dig as being partially and very subtly directed at Frank for being the complacent and incompetent manager appointed and galvanized by an even more complacent and incompetent board.

Cristian Romero was in the right

Well, it looks like Frank got the memo that Romero may have been speaking about him, and instead of taking the high road, the Danish coach, as he always does, decided to take a little dig at the captain in a passive aggressive way.

Frank told reporters after the 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur loss to Bournemouth, via The Spurs Watch, "When you're a young leader sometimes you make a mistake, of course it's good to keep it internally."

Why should Cristian Romero keep things internally? Frank has had no problems criticizing Xavi Simons, Mathys Tel, Wilson Odobert, Mohammed Kudus, and others all season long for his own mistakes, and he even threw young Archie Gray under the bus once for a mistake that was not even his, playing favorites with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

Frank plays favorites and is not held accountable for his issues, and when Romero finally had enough and said what everyone who truly loves Tottenham Hotspur is thinking deep down, Frank basically pooh poohs Romero about keep things internal. But look, everything has been kept so internal at Tottenham these months that the club feels like a pressure cooker that is about to explode. Maybe Frank should have taken his own advice and kept things internal, because by opening his mouth, he proves Romero's point that there are a lot of cowards at the club who would rather take the easy way out. And Frank is one of them.

Tottenham Hotspur have been ravaged by injuries in the 2025/26 Premier League season, and they are in real need of a boost this winter as they sit 14th in the table, fresh off another humbling defeat by 3-2 to Bournemouth.

Spurs are still waiting for all of Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, and Dominic Solanke to return from injuries. None of these three players have been involved in meaningful minutes this season. Kulu and Maddison have played literally zero seconds for Spurs this season due to injuries carried over from the 2024/25 campaign, while Solanke has appeared in just three games due to a slow to heal foot injury that required surgery this Fall.

Meanwhile, the other injuries are ever compounding at the N17. Mohammed Kudus recently picked up a multi week ailment against Sunderland, while star left back Destiny Udogie, who is the only viable player at the position right now, has been out for multiple games with an injury of his own.

Tottenham finally get some positives

Finally, though, Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank dropped some very positive injury news on two Spurs stars amidst the sea of negative injury energy at the club. Per Frank, Udogie and Solanke are both progressing well and may actually be close to returns.

Frank said ahead of the FA Cup battle between Tottenham and Aston Villa, via The Spurs Web, "Yeah, both of them are trained. Both of them are getting closer, definitely. Destiny is a bit closer than Dom, obviously, because he's only been out for five weeks-ish. So that's, of course, less than six months. But both of them are positive and improving."

Udogie being close to a return is not a surprise and jibes with what Frank was saying earlier, and his injury was never expected to be catastrophic; it's just more of the same of the Italian international being in and out of the Spurs lineup with constant, nagging issues. And him being closer to return than Solanke, who has been out for a whlie, is not a surprise either.

So the Solanke update is the even bigger boon. Now, Udogie is actually even more important since the left back position is so barren at Tottenham, which is why they want to sign Brazilian phenom Souza from Santos.

But as a team, Spurs biggest issues are at striker. Richarlison has been horrid all around, while Randal Kolo Muani is probably going to be one and done as a loanee. Solanke is not a superstar, but he was crucial to the Europa League title and will be an important option whenever he gets back in.

It is shaping up to be another disappointing transfer window for Tottenham Hotspur supporters based on how things are going in the early portion of the market - and even before the proceedings officially opened when Antoine Semenyo soundly rejected them.

Aside from a few better loan deals negotiated and the productive sale of backup right winger Brennan Johnson, Tottenham have very little to be happy about this window. And loans and sales are far from the priorities for a team stuck in 14th in the Premier League, one season after finishing 17th under a different - and less problematic - manager.

The Thomas Frank era at Tottenham is off to a woeful start and seemingly only getting worse. Tottenham need to sign an impact goal scorer, preferably on the wings but maybe even additionally at striker, in an effort to salvage their failing season.

Tottenham are empty handed thus far

But so far, they are coming up empty on all of their targets. Semenyo rejected them swiftly for Manchester City, and now their top target from Man City, Savinho, has gone down with an injury that will last him through the January transfer window.

On top of that, an even better potential fit from Manchester City, left winger Omar Marmoush, still appears to be off the table. Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg stated that Marmoush currently has "no plans to leave" the Citizens this month in the transfer window. The Egyptian star reportedly has numerous offers on the table from elite clubs around Europe, per Plettenberg, but his current intention is to stay at the Etihad Stadium and fight for his place under Pep Guardiola.

Plettenberg did not name Tottenham as a suitor, but if several elite clubs are after him, then, going back to the Antoine Semenyo rejection, it is fair to wonder if Spurs would even have a realistic shot at Marmoush anyway.

But Marmoush does not want to leave Man City after only joining last year. Even though he has been discarded by Guardiola this season, that could all change with Savinho injured, though the addition of Semenyo is an even bigger road block to playing time than the Brazilian, who plays a different role and was not utilized much anyway.

Dreams of Marmoush make sense for Tottenham fans, but if Semenyo did not want to join Spurs over Man City, then it is hard to envision the former Eintracht Frankfurt star wanting to leave the Etihad now that he is already there for a woefully struggling Spurs side.

Thomas Frank and anyone else associated with Tottenham Hotspur has to know as well as the fans and media do that Spurs cannot go into the second half of the 2025/26 Premier League season with the personnel they currently have in the attack.

Spurs have been pretty putrid from an attacking perspective, which is reflected by the fact that they are a mere 14th in the Premier League table and losing to some of the weaker squads in the division. And it is only going to get tougher for Spurs offensively, as key players remain out injured, compounding that is the recent multi week injury to their best attacker in right winger Mohammed Kudus.

Plus, Spurs just sold Brennan Johnson to local rivals Crystal Palace, and while that was the wise move, all told, Johnson was still an asset who helped win the Europa League last season. At a minimum, Spurs need to replace his spot in the squad.

Tottenham need wingers

Tottenham are trying to add to their wish list after Antoine Semenyo's rejection and Savinho's injury, and it looks like another Brentford player is on the radar for Frank after he did not really push hard for either of his best forwards, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, last summer.

Per a report from Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports Germany, Brentford star winger Kevin Schade is "one to watch" for a possible summer transfer move, and Tottenham Hotspur are "closely monitoring" the 24 year old left winger. Brentford, however, do not want to sell and are trying to extend Schade beyond the 2027/28 Premier League season. On top of that, Plettenberg says that there are many clubs interested in Schade, not just Tottenham, with the Bees valuing the player between 50 and 60 million euros.

The real big problem, then, with Schade is not the age, quality, or fit of the player. Frank knows him, his nine goal contributions from the wing equal even Tottenham's best goal producer at striker, and he has huge potential even at 24. Schade, though, is quite expensive at 50-60 million euros, costing nearly as much as Mbeumo despite being about half as productive as the current Manchester United star right winger.

And then the biggest problem is Brentford. Now, it is not impossible for Tottenham to convince Schade and Brentford to do a deal sooner. The issue is that convincing costs money,and Schade is already quite expensive. If Brentford do not want to do a deal this winter, then, simply put, it is not worth it for Tottenham to get into a bidding war when they need a reasonable transfer now. And Frank, with how poorly he has done, is not the kind of person with the wiggle room to beg for a transfer.

Tottenham Hotspur fans are hoping that the club makes some real improvements to the attacking lineup, especially with their best forward, Mohammed Kudus, out for what could be months with a recent injury he suffered against Sunderland.

Spurs, though, have other needs besides wingers and even strikers to address this January transfer window, including a deep lying playmaking midfielder and a left footed left back to replace the anemic Djed Spence.

It looks like the first transfer Tottenham could make in the January 2026 window will be a non forward option, specifically a left back. Spurs submitted a minimal bid for top teenage left back prospect Souza from Brazilian club Santos, who proceeded to come close to laughing Tottenham out of the building for offering just eight million pounds.

Tottenham are in negotiations now

But reports have indicated that Spurs are preparing a substantially better offer to sign the biggest defensive gem in Brazilian football, and before that bid has come through to Santos, Tottenham have already secured half the deal.

That's because, according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham Hotspur have just "agreed personal terms" with Souza. Now, there are "negotiations underway" between Spurs and Santos on the transfer fee, with Fab reporting that a "new bid" from Tottenham is about to come through the wire "soon".

Tottenham need a new winger above all else, but they also very much need a new left back. Destiny Udogie has been in and out of the lineup this season due to injury, which is nothing new for the talented Italian international, unfortunately.

Souza is a totally unknown quantity, and there is no way of knowing that he will translate to the Premier League. Spurs will not even know that in the first six months of his transfer, barring a crazy hot start to life at the club.

But we have seen players like Estevao Willian and Endrick perform well at more successful clubs immediately after playing Brazil. It is literally all down to the quality of the player. Pending the price, this is a case of trusting Tottenham's scouting process, and while there is little to trust about this club, signings like Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray have shown that this club can get things right when it comes to identifying young talent. Left backs are not cheap and are rare to find, so a bit of a gamble on Souza is not an unwarranted winter deal.

Never before has the idiom 'when it rains, it pours' been more true than in relation to Tottenham Hotspur this season. On Wednesday night, despite taking the lead through Mathys Tel and then João Palhinha scoring a spectacular overhead kick, Spurs were beaten 3-2 by Bournemouth, conceding in the 95th minute at Dean Court.

That, though, only tells a tiny percentage of the story. Under-fire manager Thomas Frank was pictured drinking his hot beverage out of a paper cup with an Arsenal crest on it. Meantime, Micky van de Ven thought he had earned a penalty, only to be booked for diving. Then, after full time, he seemingly wanted to have it out with a furious supporter.

More importantly, Tottenham have now won only two of 12 Premier League matches since the start of November, losing six of them, so they are down in 14th place. The pressure is already intensifying on Frank, and defeat to Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Saturday could crank this up to 11. If Frank is going to turn things around in North London, he is going to have to do so without a key attacker.

Mohammed Kudus injury latest

In his pre-Aston Villa press conference on Thursday, Frank revealed the severity of Mohammed Kudus' injury. The Ghanian hobbled off just 19 minutes into Sunday's 1-1 draw with Sunderland, replaced by Randal Kolo Muani. Following a scan, the extent of Kudus' thigh injury is worse than first feared, thereby set to be sidelined until after the March international break.

During this period, Kudus could miss as many as 19 matches, including the start of the Champions League knockout stages, as well as Premier League clashes with both Manchester clubs, Newcastle, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Since arriving from rivals West Ham for £55 million in the summer, Kudus has scored just three goals for Spurs, netting against Leeds, Fulham and Slavia Prague. Nevertheless, he has been a regular starter and, following the departure of Brennan Johnson, Frank is now very short of attacking options. So, which Tottenham player need to fulfill their full potential during this crucial period?

Spurs require their star creator to step up

Neither James Maddison nor Dejan Kuluševski have played a single minute this season so far, after both suffered serious injuries during pre-season.

Thus, it was clear that creativity was required. After failing in their attempts to sign both Morgan Gibbs-White and then Eberechi Eze, Xavi Simons arrived from RB Leipzig for a reported fee of €60 million, to much fanfare. However, the Dutchman has certainly not lived up to this hype to date, as the number make clear.

Xavi Simons' Tottenham statistics

As the table documents, Simons' statistics this season are generally pretty middling at best. The Dutchman's lack of end product is encapsulated by the fact that only 15% of his shots have found the target, while he has also been successful with only 33% of his take-ons.

Across his previous three campaigns, with PSV and then RB Leipzig, Simons accumulated 33, 25 and 19 combined goals and assists respectively, but is nowhere near replicating those numbers in North London.

Now though, with Kudus sidelined for months, if Tottenham harbour any hopes of making a success out of this season, they need Simons to start producing. As has been well documented, other midfield options such as Rodrigo Bentancur and João Palhinha are incapable of passing the ball forward, even if the latter is capable of a jaw-dropping bicycle kick.

Thus, the whole team should revolve around Simons in an attacking sense, so being made the central figure could be exactly what he needs to belatedly flourish.