Hotspur HQ

With a horrible 2024/25 Premier League season winding down for Tottenham, this is the perfect time for both the club and supporters to take stock of the current members of the squad. Since Spurs are in the bottom five of the league table, even a Europa League title triumph won't prevent a house clearing in the summer 2025 transfer window.

Let's take a look at the 25 main members of the Tottenham senior squad right now in 2024/25 and rank them in order from worst to first.

Power ranking every player in the Tottenham squad right now

The veteran goalkeeper brings up the caboose of the squad rankings, as it's been three years since Fraser Forster has registered a save percentage of at least 70. He has started 20 games over the past two seasons, allowing around two goals per 90 minutes and more than one post-shot expected goal allowed in total.

Tottenham are set to bring Ben Davies back for another season, but that's really part of the problem for Spurs; they are unable to move on from aging players who aren't helping them enough. Davies is a versatile enough player and there are worse veteran center backs in the Premier League, but he's 31 years old and provides no real future value to the team. Any minutes to him are much better off going to Kevin Danso.

Former Slavia Prague goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky has had a rough go-around in four Premier League starts this season, but his work in the Europa League shows that the 22-year-old prospect has serious potential. I'd rather see him in the lineup than Forster, because once he gets through the growing pains, he could develop into a good keeper.

Although it may seem like Yves Bissouma is too low on the list, a thorough examination of his body of work this season reveals that he's been given more opportunities than his production on the pitch merits. Bissouma is the worst midfielder in the Tottenham squad despite having a 25 million pound transfer pedigree and having been a starter for both Brighton and Tottenham for years.

Right now, Bissouma isn't adding anything to the midfield. He's not secure in possession, he doesn't get into goal-scoring situations, he can't create many chances, and his progression and ball-winning are both fairly mediocre for someone who touts these as his strengths. Tottenham can easily find a better box-to-box midfielder.

Thank goodness we've slowed down from the rather obtuse comparisons to Neymar that certainly do no favors to this burgeoning young talent, but Mikey Moore did deserve high praise for a scintillating Europa League debut that will hopefully be the harbinger of a stardom to come. Tottenham have been careful to manage minutes and expectations around Moore, whose path to playing time is difficult with a glut of other attackers trying to prove themselves as 10's or wingers.

Moore is a skilled dribbler with electric acceleration. He is one of a handful of intriguing young talents in the Tottenham squad, and while he may have the most upside of any of the prospects, the 17-year-old still has the longest way to go before becoming a key part of the first team.

Summer signing Wilson Odobert has done enough to merit consideration for starts, and his last appearance in the XI against Nottingham Forest was an overall positive one despite the 2-1 loss for Spurs.

Odobert is an above-average athlete with a willingness to create and go for goal. He's versatile enough to play multiple positions in the front three, which could come in handy since his future as a starter is even more up in the air with Mathys Tel potentially securing a longer stay in North London.

Former Juventus prospect Radu Dragusin is yet another prime defensive talent whom the Bianconeri let go too quickly, and it was Tottenham who somewhat unsurprisingly snapped him up in winter 2024 after a half-season breakout in Genoa.

Dragusin doesn't seem to fit Tottenham exactly, which is why he's ranked so low on this list and why he finds it so hard to get starts, barring injuries to the top two center backs. But Dragusin is a good footballer, even if his future may very well be outside of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham spent roughly 40 million pounds this past summer to sign perhaps the biggest midfield teenage sensation in English football, Archie Gray of Leeds. Whlie Ange Postecoglou surely must refrain from the experiment of starting the uber-taletned 19-year-old out of position at center back, the fact that Gray can do a relatively passable job there at a Premier League level is another endorsement of his all-around quality.

Gray is very much a set part of the future of the Tottenham squad, and whlie he has started 14 games with 9 substitute appearances (similar numbers to Bissouma), he's still very obviously raw. Still, he's shown enough for me to rate him comfortably above Bissouma.

Dominic Solanke is looking like a bigger waste of money on Spurs' part with each passing Matchday, and while even a pessimist can appreciate his all-around ability, it hasn't actually paid any real dividends for a disjointed Tottenham attack that revolves around a No. 9 who lacks goal-scoring instincts.

The fact of the matter is that Solanke has scored fewer goals than youngster Brennan Johnson and as many goals as playmakers James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski. If Tottenham can find a way out of Solanke, you had better believe they will take it.

There's nothing about Djed Spence that screams out "great player" at you, but he does so many things solidly and can occasionally put together a Man of the Match performance. Spence is never going to be a nailed-on starter for Tottenham, but it's hard to find a better rotational fullback to bring in against the right matchups - and I'm not just talking about restricting your search to the Premire League. Spence is such a good effort player on offense and defense.

I like Pape Sarr in midfield, and he has a future as a key rotational piece for Tottenham. Again, there's nothing about him that stands out enough to make you feel certain he is the future of this team, but he's willing to work and good enough at a bunch of different things as an 8 that you can say he should be a cog in the wheel. Sarr has provided five goal contributions in the 2024/25 season.

Maybe this is a little high for Richarlison considering he's done pretty close to nothing since joining Spurs from Everton, but it's hard to ignore how much injuries have played a role in that. At Everton, Richarlison was legitimately one of the most important players in the Premier League and pretty much clawed the Toffees out of relegation.

Richarlison is a flat-out better striker than Solanke, and it's pretty obvious to see that he provides more of what Tottenham need up top with his goal-scoring and movement off the ball. He just wants to score. Richarlison has bagged three in his last four Premier League outings, and that shows that when the Brazilian is healthy, he is capable of making a difference for Spurs.

Out of anyone on this list, Brennan Johnson just might be the most likely to shoot up the rankings, and it shouldn't be lost on anyone who follows this club that he is the leading scorer in the Premier League with 11 goals.

Johnson has a long way to go in terms of realizing his potential and maximizing the positions he gets into, because he's frustratingly inconsistent at a technical evel. But that will come for the 23-year-old. He has to do more creatively and on the ball when it comes to creating chances, but off the ball, he's one of the best in the entire Premier League at getting into threatening positions. That matters a lot.

Rodrigo Bentancur is just a solid footballer. He works hard, he gets into good positions in the box, he works to get open on set pieces, he keeps the ball moving in possession, and he has become a great shield for the defense which was something he used to struggle at with Juventus.

Since joining Tottenham, Bentancur has been one of Spurs most important players, and I don't see that changing, even as his starts begin to dwindle with more, younger midfielders coming in. He is still an asset to Tottenham.

Selling Destiny Udogie would be a move of unbridled stupidity, so, thankfully, it doesn't appear that Tottenham are contemplating such a transfer despite the apparent interest in him. Udogie is a talented, versatile player who can act as an auxillary midfielder or winger on either side of the pitch, and he has that left back spot nailed down.

Under a manager who can create more midfield stability, Udogie should become an even bigger weapon, and I think he's one of the highest-upside players in the Premier League when you look at how unique his profile is. Even this season, Udogie has been an overall positive with a team-high 3.1 tackles per game while allowing just 0.6 dribbles completed per match.

When you watch Mathys Tel play for Tottenham, you can just tell he is cut from a different cloth with how he moves. He glides about the pitch and has a different gear to his movements in comparison to his teamates, fluildly and agily beating defenders in one-on-ones.

Tel is the best player on Tottenham at creating shots for himself and others, and with more seasoning, he could be world-class. Tottenham need to seriously think about acquiring him from Bayern Munich, and while 60 million pounds is indeed a lot of money, it isn't far off from Tel's true market value.

Named the best player in Ligue 1 by The Guardian's French football coverage from GFFN a couple of years ago, Kevin Danso is another potential world-class player who has mostly been lurking on the Tottenham bench this season after being signed in the winter transfer window.

Danso is a better fit than last year's January center back signing Dragusin, because he's very calm and an elite passer. There are few young center backs in Europe who are as poised on the ball as Danso, and he almost never has to make an intervention on the ball because his reading of the game is so good. A year from now, I wouldn't be surprised if his reputation surpasses Cristian Romero's.

Guglielmo Vicario is one of the better goalkeepers in the Premier League, and Tottenham would probably be worryingly close to the relegation zone with a different keeper. When he was out with an injury earlier this season, you could see how much Tottenham were suffering. Even though Vicario has been mistake-prone in recent games and has an unorthodox style of goalkeeping, I'd still consider him one of Spurs best players.

Dejan Kulusevski has been utilized as a box-to-box midfielder and a right winger this season, and while I like him significantly more in the latter role (it is more natural for him, too), his willingness and ability to be a midfielder has helped Brennan Johnson get much-needed experience in the starting lineup to go with a much-needed 11 goals.

The former Atalanta, Parma, and Juventus winger has been a fixture at Tottenham over the last couple of seasons. I'd like to see his development progress more than it has, especially when it comes to his end product, but the positives with Kulu will always outweigh the negatives.

It may seem presumptuous to have Lucas Bergvall above the likes of Kulusevski and Vicario, but when you look at some of Spurs most important results this season and stack up how each midfielder has played, it's not out of line to state that the young No. 8 has been the best box-to-box player in the side.

Bergvall just has that something special about him. He is capable of changing games from nothing with a charge into the final third and a timely shot or pass. Bergvall is mature with his decision-making beyond what you'd expect from a 19-year-old, and his motor as a progressor and defender are top-notch. Tottenham have a real talent in Bergvall, and I think he will be truly unlocked with a new manager.

While Cristian Romero can be a frustrating player because of his inconsistency, overly aggressive playing style, and occasional boneheaded decisions, there is no doubting his overall talent as a center back and that the positives of his risky approach can pay off big-time for Tottenham when it all works.

Romero is a real asset going forward both in terms of his passing and ability to carry the ball. The Argentinian international is so good at hounding forwards into mistakes and nicking the ball off them to start counterattacks.

Micky van de Ven gets a slight nod over Romero because even though he makes fewer interventions than the former Juventus and Atalanta man, the ex-Wolfsburg star is a much better covering defender and an even better athlete.

It is truly scary how fast Van de Ven is, and his combination of speed and effort is just about unbeatable at the center back position. Still only 24, Van de Ven is the total package in terms of his physical ability, reading of the game, and technical quality.

I know there are Tottenham fans who would want Son Heung-min to be ranked substantially lower than this because of how poor he's been in the 2024/25 season, but I can't bring myself to dock him too much for what is obviously dysfunction caused by an unideal striker situation and an even more problematic managerial one.

Son is a legend of not just Tottenham and the Premier League but of world football as a whole. He was exceptional in the 2023/24 season and once carried Spurs to a Champions League Final appearance. Son was brilliant to start the 2024/25 campaign before things fell apart, and it would be dirty to place him any lower than third - even a ranking lower than first stings a bit.

There is no doubt in my mind that Pedro Porro is one of the best right backs in world football. The Portuguese international is literall everything you want from a fullback. He works hard, he defends well one-on-one, he carries possession at a world-class level, he creates clear-cut chances, and he can take the impetus to win you football games from a position that usually doesn't produce game-changers.

When a team is as bad as Tottenham has been, you begin to appreciate the players who perform at a high level even when everything else is crumbling around them, and that's perhaps the best bit of praise I can give to Porro. He is one of the best signings Tottenham has made in a while with the rare ability to both defend and create at an elite level.

Maybe James Maddison is a bit controversial to place in first, but I am a big believer in the notion that the players with the best technique and footballing brains are ultimately the ones who win you games and the ones you want to build your team around.

Maddison is third on the team in goal contributions as a midfielder with 15, and while he is more of an attacking midfielder, he has often ceded positions close to the striker to carry the ball and play deeper. As bad as Tottenham have been, Maddison has remained excellent and one of the best in his role in the league, drawing constant fouls with his intelligent dribbling in short areas, and he's even been a willing defender when pressing.

Undoubtedly, Tottenham will have a lot of work to do this summer. The pieces are clearly there for Spurs to return to being a top club in England, and they have shown resiliency in the Europa League with a semifinal berth on tap after knocking out third-placed Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt with a 1-0 win on the road (in one of the toughest stadium to play in Germany, I might add).

But even if Tottenham win the Europa League and qualify for next season's Champions League, this season won't be taken as a success with the team toiling in the bottom five of the Premier League. With a strong summer and a clear idea of which pieces to move forward with and which to discard, Tottenham can come back from this.

Before all that happens, there is still a major trophy on the line and five matches left to play in the Premier League. Here are the three biggest problems Tottenham have to look at in these final games and then work on solving in the summer.

Not enough attacking star power

Tottenham don't have enough star power to compete with the teams in the top four of the Premier League. Nottingham Forest are threatening Champions League football, but they might honestly be a one-off. The teams that consistently compete in the top four of the Premier League all have players who are among the best attackers in world football: Mohamed Salah, Bukayo Saka, Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer, and Alexander Isak all come to mind here.

Right now, Spurs don't have anyone. James Maddison has been the best of the bunch this season, and he's a step below the world-class level. And it looks like that's now the case for Son Heung-min as he approaches the age of 33 this July with Saudi Pro League rumors swirling.

Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski, and potentially Bayern Munich loan signing Mathys Tel are all quality pieces, but Tottenham don't have any real stars who can hit 25-30 goal contributions in a season. They may not even have a player hit 20 in the 2024/25 campaign when it's all said and done, and, worse yet, they still don't have a real top striker after Harry Kane's departure to Bayern.

Tottenham are going to have to unearth a real star in the front line if they want to shoot back up the table. The game is driven by difference-makers in the attack, and while Tottenham have a handful of good players, those assorted pieces won't be able to come together without a game-changer. On the bright side, Tel and Johnson have shown signs that they have the potential to be that kind of player for Spurs in the future.

Big Ange is a lame duck coach

I don't think anybody seriously buys Ange Postecoglou as the future manager of Tottenham Hotspur beyond this season. His attitude has begun to grate the fanbase, because it's one thing to be cocky and downtalk the fans when you are winning: it is another thing entirely to behave in this manner when you are at the helm of a historically poor team despite consecutive transfer windows of investment that more prestigious managers did not receive in the preceding seasons.

Postecoglou's seat is hotter than any other manager in world football, and Tottenham have been looking at replacements for months. Coaches like Marco Silva and Thomas Frank have been closely linked to Spurs. It seems increasingly likely that Postecoglou will be out of Tottenham, and it says a lot that many fans feel even a Europa League triumph would not be enough to save the former Celtic coach.

Tottenham are in a situation where everyone thinks their manager will be out. That's an immediate issue. It affects the status of the team and the culture, and you get the sense that players like Cristian Romero are so openly talking about futures outside North London because the stench of Big Ange has permeated so strongly across the grounds that its hard to see the future clearly through this fog of actively dissipating excrement.

Crack in the midfield spine

Tottenham have such a porous and disorganized midfield, and while a lot of that can be blamed on Ange Postecoglou's elementary school tactics that often leave cavernous gaps in the system, Spurs have been missing a critical profile in the middle of the park.

Right now, Spurs don't have a midfield who can control play. They don't have someone who can dictate the game, playmake from deep, and shield the defense. Rodrigo Bentancur is their best defender in the middle of the park, and he's not a real anchor point. In Lucas Bergvall, Tottenham have a highly promising box-to-box player, and Pape Sarr is not half bad either. Then, of course, there's James Maddison as an attacking playmaker, and both he and Dejan Kulusevski are more than adequate progressors on the ball.

But Tottenham have a massive crack in the proverbial windshield - a piece of jagged, shattered glass that draws a singular line over what would otherwise be a perfectly suitable window. As ugly as that crack is and as much as Tottenham are currently hamstrung by their lack of a midfield controller who can facilitate play, I'd rather have to make one big replacement that would make a night-and-day difference rather than toying around with trying to make two or three tweaks to patch up a bunch of small cracks.

Tottenham already did well to bring in Archie Gray and Bergvall as young, future stars in the midfield, and, again, they have a few experienced players who are, at worst, good enough to be useful members of a rotation. But until Spurs get that stabilizing presence at the base of the midfield, they are going to struggle to compete with the best teams in the Premier League that do have a good base like crosstown rivals Chelsea and Arsenal.

As bad as things have gotten for Tottenham in the Premier League this season, these are the times when you learn a lot about your club and the resiliency of your players. You learn who is worth keeping around and building the team around, while, conversely, you learn who isn't interested in being here and won't fight for the badge.

It is starting to look like Tottenham star center back Cristian Romero falls into the latter category. Despite being one of the most physically talented central defenders in the Premier League, Romero has now turned in two costly performances in back-to-back Premier League fixtures against Wolves and Nottingham Forest, even getting hooked off the pitch early in the Forest defeat after looking like he flat-out didn't even want to play in the game.

While Romero was significantly better last week in the clean sheet win over Eintracht Frankfurt to help Tottenham punch their ticket to the Europa League semifinals, the way Romero phoned in his performances against Wolves and Nottingham Forest is highly concerning. And for as talented as Romero is, he's earned a reputation for being an inconsistent, streaky defender whom Tottenham are having trouble trusting because of his overly aggressive style of play that seems to place the team second.

Cristian Romero wants to go to LaLiga

And now, Romero has committed a more grievous defense than even playing poorly on the pitch. With Tottenham in crisis mode, the club's vice captain publicly admitted in an interview that his mind is on potentially joining another club in the summer transfer window and that he'd love to play in LaLiga for the simple sake of collecting playing in other leagues like they were infinity stones.

Here is what he told Argentinian reporter Gaston Edul of the famous TyC Sports in an interview for his YouTube channel, as relayed by the Spurs Express:

“We're in the Europa League semi-finals, and I want to finish the season on a high note. After that, we'll see. My focus is always on growing and looking for new places to continue developing.”

Romero should know better

I have seen worse examples of players openly flirting with the idea of leaving a club, but the context of this quote from Romero is absolutely troubling. Romero is the vice captain for a Tottenham team that is rebuilding in the Premier League amidst a historically putrid season. They are facing a likely coaching change this summer, another potential squad overhaul, and further rebuilding while juggling a Europa League semifinal on the other hand with the potential to still qualify for the Champions League outright by winning that tournament.

While Romero does acknowledge Tottenham being in the Europa League semifinal, he uses it to try to soften the fact that he is basically saying that he wants out and that he can't see himself developing at Tottenham. And Spurs fans see right past that, especially since, well, Romero's quote itself and his recent performances at Wolves and Nottingham Forest highlight that he still has a long way to go in his own development.

Romero isn't some young rookie making quotes he shouldn't. Again, he's the vice captain and 26 years old. He knows what he's doing, and either he should know better or, more likely, he means exactly what he is saying and doesn't care about Tottenham or the fans.

As talented as Romero is, he's not good enough to be disparaging the club at this time or focusing on anything other than helping the team at this crucial moment. Tottenham need to seriously question if he wants to be here and if they even want to move forward in the future with him. Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso are both starting-caliber center backs, and Spurs can always sell him and use that money to buy someone else like Dean Huijsen, who, by the way, had a much better season than Romero.

Tottenham could have been blown out by Nottingham Forest on Monday night, as the boos rained down upon the players from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Spurs headed into the break with a 2-0 deficit.

In the end, Tottenham buckled down to play significantly better football in the second half, with striker Richarlison waking up and pulling one back with a well-placed header after Matz Sels robbed him of a goal the first time around.

Like the 4-2 loss to Wolves, there is no question that the worst performance of the night was goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario's. Although the star center back duo of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven was, once again, highly disappointing in a big Premier League fixture, the reality is that Vicario was the one cost the team the game.

Guglielmo Vicario cost Tottenham again

He flapped helplessly at the two goals that Nottingham Forest scored, and if it weren't for the offsides flagged, he would have been hooked with a goalkeeper error for a first goal from Forest star striker Chris Wood.

Vicario continues to display suspect handling and even worse decision-making when trying to claim dangerous crosses into the corridor of uncertainty. He was an excellent goalkeeper for Empoli, but I am starting to worry that Vicario's lack of technical ability in goal and his sloppiness put a ceiling on him that won't enable him to be reliable enough to start every game for a side with Champions League ambitions.

The best player on the pitch is a more difficult discussion, because young winger Mathys Tel had another standout performance, particularly in the first half. He created a handful of good chances for his teammates, and whenever the Bayern Munich loanee is on the ball, you can tell he is a cut above the rest.

Pedro Porro was Spurs workhorse vs. Forest

But for me, the nod has to go to right back Pedro Porro, as he was the most decisive player on Tottenham at the end of the game when Spurs started to threaten a comeback. He had a jaw-dropping seven key passes with a team-high four combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn, providing an on-stop outlet with legitimate end product on that right side.

It was Porro who assisted Richarlison with a brilliant deep cross, and he has some of the best technical skills of any right back in Europe. Porro defended decently well, too, and whlie his key passes are buoyed by volume and a cross-heavy approach, he still had to put in the work to make those plays happen.

Tottenham still have everything to play for in the Europa League with the semifinals on the horizon against underdogs Bodo Glimt, as Spurs were able to dispatch tough Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday at the Deutsche Bank Park.

But the Premier League is a different story, as Tottenham aren't at any risk of relegation but are so far away from European qualification in 16th that they are playing for nothing more than pride and the future. At this point for Tottenham, the latter is more important, and fans are looking to the last games of the 2024/25 Premier League season as a key trial for up-and-coming players who want to become important to the Spurs cause.

One such player is recent center back signing Kevin Danso, who is ready to push Radu Dragusin as the top backup behind Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven - one of the best center back duos in not just England but in European football as a whole.

Kevin Danso was a great signing from Lens

Danso was a top-class central defender in Ligue 1, and he is ready to get his chance to show what he can do in North London as an excellent ball-playing center back. And it sounds like Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou is ready to oblige Danso and the fans by giving the Austrian international his chance to shine before the 2024/25 season ends.

In the build-up to the game against Nottingham Forest, Postecoglou said of Danso, via the Spurs Express, “I think it's important that we get him some game time because I think he will be important [moving forward].”

Danso joined Tottenham this past winter transfer window for an affordable 25 million euros after three-and-a-half solid seasons with RC Lens in France. Known for his reading of the game and technical ability, Danso is a good athlete with above-average technical ability in the tackle and borderline elite marking skills with how he reads strikers off the ball.

Danso is a cerebral defender

With his talent, the 26-year-old Danso could potentially push Van de Ven and Romero for starts, but he needs some momentum to get going. Danso has started just four games in the Premier League, one game in the League Cup, and one game in the Europa League for Tottenham to this point. The end of the season could be Danso's time to finally get some consistent games going, sparing the starters wear-and-tear that they don't need.

Tottenham fans were surprised when manager Ange Postecoglou revealed just a couple of days before the do-or-die tilt at the Deutsche Bank Park against Eintracht Frankfurt that star man Son Heung-min would be unable to play in the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinals with an injury.

Son didn't start in the preceding debacle over the weekend against Wolves, but that was seen more as an opportunity for young loan signing Mathys Tel, rather than any injury to Son. But Postecoglou later added that Son had been dealing with an injury for more time than that, stating Tottenham finally decided to rest him because he wasn't getting better.

Cynically, I and others wondered, amidst a backdrop of transfer rumors and a very disappointing campaign, if this was a concocted story from Postecoglou and if Tottenham were attempting to phase the Premier League legend out of the starting lineup in preparation for a summer sale to Saudi Arabia.

Son Heung-min should have been rested sooner

While that may still be the case on some level, it does seem like Son's injury is real. Before Monday's tough matchup against surprise package Nottingham Forest, manager Ange Postecoglou gave more information about Son's injury, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold:

"Not really sure, something he's been dealing with for a while and we got to a point where it wasn't improving and it was deteriorating. So it's a good time to give him a bit of a rest."

That sounds well and all, but it raises the question as to why Son wasn't held out sooner. If he's been dealing with discomfort and a knock for "a while", then why was he playing regularly and allowed to struggle for that timeframe before the manager and club finally stepped in? I get that athletes, especially high-performing ones, always want to play and are willing to play through pain, but we could all see that Son wasn't playing anywhere near his usual standard lately.

Mathys Tel could have gotten more chances

If Son was playing through an injury that long, it's a serious problem and shows a lack of foresight or leadership by Tottenham and Postecoglou to have allowed that situation to fester. It took minutes away from a young player like Mathys Tel who needs that chance to show himself, and a healthy Tel is much better than an injured Son.

And certainly, the decision did Son no favors either, as it made him look bad at a critical point in the season in which his future at Tottenham is on the line due to sour performances. Son didn't need that bad film due to an injury shrouding his perception, and fan perception does end up mattering when transfer rumors are whispered. This is another case of poor decision-making by Postecoglou.

Tottenham will face Nottingham Forest on Monday night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and given that Spurs are buried in the Premier League table while Forest are legitimate Champions League contenders, this could be a long night in front of the fans if players don't step up for an increasingly under fire Ange Postecoglou.

Spurs will already be without the legend of their biggest player, club legend Son Heung-min, who has finally been shut down after an apparently lengthy injury issue. That's a tough enough loss, but as recent games have shown, a healthy Mathys Tel is better than an injured Son.

However, Tottenham look set to miss an even more important player to them in the short term, as manager Ange Postecoglou has revealed that attacking midfielder James Maddison is a doubt against Nottingham Forest with some soreness after a monstrous second leg victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday night in the Europa League quarterfinals.

James Maddison is a doubt with soreness

Big Ange said, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, "We had the day off yesterday as we didn't get back until the early hours of Friday morning. Madders is probably a bit sore so a doubt for Monday. Sonny is still out."

Confirmation of Son's absence is not surprising and honestly a positive, because the last thing Tottenham or the South Korean icon need is for the winger to be playing when he's not healthy. But the Maddison blow would be a very tough one for Tottenham against a Nottingham Forest side that is legitimately one of the best defensive units in European football.

Maddison has been Spurs most consistent player in the 2024/25 season, particularly from an attacking perspective. He is their best technician and playmaker, making the difference in so many big matches, especially in the hard-fought Europa League quarterfinal draw against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Tottenham must play it safe with Maddison

While Postecoglou has left the door open for Maddison by calling him a "doubt" instead of saying he is outright "out", with Tottenham not really playing for anything meaningful in the Premier League this season but having everything on the line in the Europa League, messing with any soreness makes no sense. That's especially true when it comes to Maddison, who is not only vital to what Tottenham do but also has an injury history that makes the cautious approach best.

Tottenham will probably shift Dejan Kulusevski into a midfield role without Maddison and have him take on the most attacking role in the middle of the park with Brennan Johnson starting again on the right side of the attack across from either Wilson Odobert or Mathys Tel as the Son replacement.

Tottenham need some heroes to emerge in the twilight of what has been a comprehensively atrocious 2024/25 Premier League season. With just weeks remaining in the campaign, Spurs are nowhere near qualification for European places, and while they could actually make the Champions League next season by winning the Europa League, even that may not be enough to save Ange Postecoglou's job - and it's certainly not enough to wash away the stench of a historically poor domestic campaign.

Now is the time for players on the bubble to show that they are deserving of a future at Tottenham. After rebuffing serious offers from the Saudi Pro League this past summer, Richarlison made it clear that his loyalties lie with Tottenham and not a paychec - a move that endeared him to the Spurs faithful despite a wretched start to life in North London.

Well, through injury and continued poor individual displays, things have not turned around for the former Everton star in the 2024/25 campaign, but Postecoglou remains optimistic that Richarlison can be a factor in the final games of the season.

Richarlison is impressing Ange Postecoglou

Postecoglou said of the Brazilian forward, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, “Richy is another one who is going to get some game time in the next couple of games because he's looking really good in training.”

Looking good in training is never a bad sign, but Tottenham fans will believe it with Richarlison when they see it in actual games, plural. And goodness, do they want to believe it. Richarlison at Everton was absolute money and a saving grace, somehow turning this awful Everton side into something competent. Well, Tottenham are even worse than Everton these days, and heroic displays from a healthy Richarlison would go a long way to helping the team, especially with superstar Son-Heung min disappointing.

It's easy to forget, but Richarlison is only 27 and in the athletic prime of his career. He's just been unlucky. And even though he's scored a meager three goals in the 2024/25 Premier League season, all three of those goals have been in the last four games, an indication that the old Richarlison - the one that got links to Real Madrid and PSG in 2021 - may be lurking around the corner.

It would benefit Tottenham for Postecoglou to give Richarlison some starts in the Premier League as the season winds down and make it a priority to help him rebound. Richarlison honestly has more talent to offer the club than Dominic Solanke at striker and can play on the wings, too. Even if Tottenham sign a striker this summer, they should continue to have a vested interest in Richarlison's success.

I have been a Spurs fan for more than 15 years now, and I have never seen they win a trophy. It all started when I got home one afternoon from school, and my grandfather was watching a Champions League match: Inter Milan vs. Tottenham. For context, I am a Spurs fan from abroad, so I had absolutely no affiliation with them whatsoever before becoming a fan.

Seeing that team playing in white, the same color as my local club, and Gareth Bale storming at San Siro made me curious about that random club with a funny name: Tottenham Hotspur. As a disclaimer, I have nothing against the name; it was just a combination of words I had never heard of for my native language or in my life at that point, in general. From that day on, I started to follow the club and got frustrated after most matches, like any good old London-born Spurs fan.

Since that time, I have identified several reasons why the Spurs are experiencing a particularly unbearable trophy drought (don't you dare think it's my fault; we've been here since 2008), and I have come up with a few explanations to account for this phenomenon.

For instance, the constant manager carousel, except for Rednapp, Pochettino, and now Postecoglou (for now); the transfer market methodology, with the underspending and missing on the right players, and the overspending on the wrong players (despite some bullseyes here and there); and, mainly, the culture behind the club, which innevoquotely gave us the famous nickname: Spursy.

I don't personally believe in that Spursy narrative, per se, as it's mostly banter from rivals. However, Tottenham Hotspur undeniably provides enough evidence for that same chat to repeat itself over and over again. Apparently, there is no such thing as an easy win at White Hart Lane, as I always tell my friends: the Spurs can be winning by a 10-goal margin, it ain't over yet.

With all that in mind, recent events and protests over the 25 years without winning a trophy circle back to one individual: Daniel Levy. Since purchasing the club and assuming the role of chairman in December 2000, his tenure as the decision-maker of Spurs football has been marked by controversy and questions regarding the development of a winning mentality. But, is it really all his fault?

The pros and cons of the ENIC administration?

I don't want to be unfair to Levy, despite my emotional attachment to Spurs sometimes clouding my judgment and preventing me from showing any sign of empathy towards his administration. At the same time, it is relevant to acknowledge the pros of ENIC's ruling before diving into the cons.

First and foremost, it is undeniable that Daniel Levy has transformed the football club from both a financial and structural perspective. I know, I know, that is precisely the main piece of criticism surrounding Levy and the whole "business before football" discourse. Even so, that aspect is pivotal for any professional sports enterprise to succeed and elevate its capital and its status to a new level.

If we have now one of the most modern and eye-catching stadiums in Europe and one of the most advanced training centers, it is due to Levy and his good spending on infrastructure, which is a solid base from which the club can flourish. The maintenance of proper booking balances, resulting in positive financial outcomes, enabled Tottenham Hotspur to move from a mid-table club to the 9th with the most revenue in the world, according to a Deloitte report.

With a high-level structure and a good reputation in the market, Tottenham Hotspur have all the tools to attract some of the best players in the world, as one of the most intriguing sporting projects in place. Or, that's what you would assume, at least.

The real problem with Spurs is how they allocate their resources and which footballing brand they wish to stand for. Unfortunately, neither of these factors has been adequately explored, nor has it provided a clear path for fans to support it fully. Over the years, between a few periods of certainty, such as the Pochettino Era, Levy has been fluctuating regarding those two key factors.

The real issues with Daniel Levy and Spurs

In terms of transfer market strategy, this club has been a mess. I mean, who can forget the 2013 package, which included players such as Soldado, Paulinho, and Chadli? Players who required significant funds for club standards at the time and had little to no impact. Or the so-called "club signings," who allegedly had no managerial approval over the years, that Antonio Conte has emphasized during his tenure at the club? My point is that there is not always a clear strategy or consensus in that department, even with some good business being made.

Who should call the shot? The manager, the sporting director, or Levy? It is not the first time we have heard about the issues with Spurs' transfer policy, as I alluded to previously regarding the decisions to underspend and overspend. While Levy prefers to be more cautious in the market, even leaving it to Deadline Day to make moves at a cut price, the Spurs ultimately lost quality players. A recent example is Désiré Doué, who is excelling at PSG and was heavily linked with us.

However, the problem runs way deeper than just the transfer policies, which are directly reflected in the club's identity. Without a clear brand of football or a well-defined sporting project, the people in charge of football operations struggle to find a clear direction when making significant decisions, which is also a concern for Levy. From managers with completely opposing profiles to desperate attempts to win trophies at any cost, Tottenham Hotspur wasted some precious time.

The truth is that the Pochettino Era was an exception that proves the norm at Spurs. Although the Argentinian went trophy-less, the Spurs were a different animal than in previous years, where a 4th place in the league was almost considered a Premier League title. Poch elevated the standards for us and made us dream of higher heights when we had no hope of achieving them. Indeed, he has won nothing, but his project was the most solid in recent Spurs history, and we have never been closer to a trophy than under his leadership — after all, it's not just us who want to win, and it's not simple to do so at this level nowadays.

Therefore, it is clear that Spurs need a trophy to take that weight off our shoulders, but at what cost? I ask you, dear reader. If we change managers every one or two years, especially ones with no connection between one another, how are we supposed to sell a project with higher goals to future players, coaches, and investors? Levy's decisions in that area have given fans reason to worry, as maintaining the club's financial balance and structure is one thing. At the same time, making a concise sporting project, combining it with an organized transfer plan, and delegating it to the right people to execute it, is a whole different story.

I know this is a lengthy one, but overall, I don't believe Levy is the only one responsible for Tottenham Hotspur's trophy drought, as managers and players from past and present are also to blame for that. However, in my opinion, Daniel Levy is a significant part of the problem due to his confusing tactics in managing the football department, rather than leaving it to other professionals and focusing on the business side of the club, where he excels. Ange's project, for instance, has its merits, albeit limited, and it might ultimately bring us a trophy, but the problem at the club runs deep within the hierarchy.

Tottenham need a statement win in the Premier League after losing 4-2 to Wolves last weekend in what was a truly embarrassing result for a team that is closer to the relegation places than they are to qualifying for any sort of European football in the 2025/26 season.

After defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 on the road to punch their ticket to the Europa League semifinals, there is room for optimism at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday night, but this season's surprise package in the Premier League, Nottingham Forest, beckons.

Here are five players who will decide the game.

Tottenham CB Kevin Danso

All eyes will be on Kevin Danso, who, like so many center backs in the Premier League right now, was once one of the biggest standouts at the position in Ligue 1. Renowned for his reading of the game and passing abilities for upstarts Lens in the 2022/23 season, we have yet to see the best of Danso in a Spurs kit.

The game against Nottingham Forest is a great opportunity for Ange Postecoglou to roll out the Austrian international as a starter and see what he is made of against one of the most in-form strikers in the Premier League this season, big man Chris Wood.

Nottingham Forest ST Chris Wood

With 18 goals scored this season, Chris Wood has found the back of the net more than any player in this fixture, and you can make a compelling argument that he will be the best player on the pitch this coming Monday.

The priority for Tottenham will be stopping Wood. They cannot afford to give him even an inch of space, because he can take the smallest amount of breathing room and turn it into something with his strength and with the finishing chops he has shown this season. Wood is the toughest striker to beat in the air in the Premier League, and Tottenham are going to need whoever plays at center back to be extremely vigilant on crosses and set pieces.

Tottenham CM Yves Bissouma

Yves Bissouma is, quite frankly, on his last legs as a Tottenham player, and I think that no matter what happens to end the 2024/25 Premier League and Europa League seasons, the former Brighton midfielder isn't going to be starting many games for Tottenham next season.

So he's fighting for a spot as a squad player, and he is going to have to start showing some tangible value to Tottenham, otherwise they need to find anyone willing to take on his wages. Bissouma has been disappointing defensively and flat-out terrible offensively. He's not creating chances, his progressive output has been meandering, and he is a dime-a-dozen midfielder in the Premier League.

If he can't put in a convincing performance on both ends of the pitch against Nottingham Forest, he will be one step closer to getting pushed out the door. Forest are a good team, and this is the kind of test that Tottenham should use as a measuring stick for underperforming players like Bissouma.

Nottingham Forest AM Morgan Gibbs-White

It's been great to see Chris Wood getting a lot of credit this season as the leader of the Nottingham Forest attack when Forest are mostly known as a defensive team. But I like to think of Morgan Gibbs-White as the mastermind behind the operation, beacuse he is a well-rounded and active creative impetus who sits behind Wood and does so well at negotiating all of his duties, whether they be defensive or in creatively supporting the lone striker.

Gibbs-White is one of the top players in the Premier League right now in his role, and I'd rate his season above James Maddison's. He is an intelligent and hard-working footballer, and if Tottenham's midifeld isn't as alert and as adept defensively, he could pick them apart this Monday.

Tottenham RW Brennan Johnson

As tough as I can be on Brennan Johnson sometimes when it comes to his inconsistent play and inability to grab games by the scruff of their neck, I am that way with the young Welsh international because I can see the clear ability and future superstar potential in him.

Johnson quietly has the second-most goals in the 2024/25 Premier League season of any player in this fixture with 11. His all-around play as a winger needs to get better, and facing Nottingham Forest is a great chance for him to break out of his shell and prove to Tottenham that, at 23, he already has the ability to get it done against one of England's best defensive sides. This game is a great test for Johnson to rise to the occasion under pressure.