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For the most part, Tottenham Hotspur will be after attacking stars in the January 2026 transfer window, because goal scoring has been a real issue for the team this season. Richarlison is the club's leading goal scorer right now, and anyone who thinks that is a good thing for Spurs is clearly out of touch with what is happening in the games.

Spurs have gaping holes on the left wing and at striker, yes, but a lot of their attacking woes also stem from issues in the middle of the park. Tottenham do not have a great progressor in terms of passing or deep lying playmaking in the midfield, as their best option is Archie Gray, who is still too young to affect games profoundly in that regard. He needs time.

Tottenham have a few rambunctious box to box mavens, but a more technical profile would suit them best if possible in January. That is why it was so jarring for Spurs supporters to then see the club linked to Leon Goretzka, of all people, going into the January transfer window.

Tottenham won't be making this mistake

It looks like the rumors of Tottenham talking to Goretzka's agent were much ado about nothing. According to Bundesliga expert Seb Stafford-Bloor of The Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur actually have "no interest" in the Bayern Munich veteran center midfielder at this time, meanwhile Goretzka is said to be focused on the rest of the season for Die Roten with six months left on his contract.

Now, maybe that does not rule out Spurs putting out feelers for Goretzka in the summer 2026 transfer window as a free agent, but given the wages he would make in free agency and his poor film over the past three years with Bayern mostly desperate to get rid of him, there really would be no sense in pursuing Goretzka at all. He is not better than Lucas Bergvall nor Pape Matar Sarr, and, plus, he has far less long term value than those two do.

Tottenham need to be smart and spend their money wisely on the transfer market, especially at a position like midfielder where they do have some real gem talents who are already capable starters at the Premier League level. On no plane does Goretzka make any sense for Spurs, and, therefore, supporters of the club have to be relieved that, as of right now, he is not an option for Tottenham.

Tottenham Hotspur are going to find it difficult to sign the top players they want to upgrade their squad this January, especially the goal scoring left winger and deep lying midfielder playmaker that Spurs supporters so desperately crave.

And just as Spurs will find it tough to sign top talents on the transfer market, they will also have the tough task of parting ways with key players who no longer serve a long term purpose to the squad and are best off exiting the N17 this January so they can blossom elsewhere.

No single player epitomizes that shift more than young right winger Brennan Johnson, who was a leading goal scorer for Tottenham last season and even struck gold with the decisive blow to hand Spurs their first Europa League title in 41 years in Bilbao against Big Six rivals Manchester United.

Brennan Johnson is now obsolete

But in 2025/26 under Thomas Frank, who coveted Johnson highly when he was Brentford's manager, Johnson's importance has waned further. He has been usurped on the right wing by the far more well rounded and dynamic Mohammed Kudus, and even when Frank has experimented with Johnson on the left, the Welsh international has been a total dud in that position.

He is not scoring or helping out the team in other ways, and with transfer interest mounting in Brennan Johnson, it is clearly time for him to go. But Thomas Frank confused Spurs fans a bit after the win over Crystal Palace with an update doubling down on the importance of Johnson to the team, even though he scarcely plays and has honestly been playing very poorly this season.

Frank said of Johnson, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, "Yeah, I think Brennan is very important for us. Maybe he didn't get many minutes, but unfortunately we can only play 11 players. We spoke about it before with Mo, he's coming in and put his stamp on that right winger position. Then the left, we tried different solutions. He's still started quite a few games. I think Brennan is an important player for us."

Right, so Frank tried out Johnson in a number of roles this season, and he has been unable to make an impact in any of them. Tottenham are openly in transfer rumors about selling Johnson, and when specifically asked about these rumors, Frank said that Johnson was important in lip service only because he really just gavea. whole bunch of reasons why he is not important now that Kudus has arrived - and then Dejan Kulusevski will be coming back from injury.

Frank might as well be honest, because even though it is diplomatic to call Johnson "very important" and you do not want to bury your own guys or lose transfer leverage, it is patently and blatantly obvious that Johnson has no place at Spurs in 2026.

A lot of times in world football, if you want to progress as a club, you have to make the decision to sell off decent players in order to bring in even better ones who can help you achieve lofty goals of winning real silverware. And that is precisely the transition in mind set that Tottenham Hotspur as a club and even as a fan base have to start embarking on as 2026 approaches.

There has been a lot of hopes of bringing in marquee players like Savinho and Antoine Semenyo this winter period, and even before January 1 has struck, those hopes have been swiftly dashed with Spurs simply not having the right pull as a side stuck in the bottom half of the Premier League, even after a much needed win over Crystal Palace.

As Spurs supporters ponder alternatives for the Omar Marmoushes and Semenyos of the world, they must also prepare to wave goodbye to talented young players who are clearly not of starting quality or even the right fit for Tottenham.

Tottenham will likely sell two talents

The most obvious candidates for a sale are right winger Brennan Johnson and center back Radu Dragusin out of those with a bright future left at the top level. Obviously, Spurs would want to axe Yves Bissouma the most, but given he is on an expiring contract and injured with no real transfer interest outside of Turkey, there is no real hope there.

But Dragusin and Johnson could fetch fair fees on the open market this January. According to Football.London's Alasdair Gold, these two young players could be allowed to leave Tottenham Hotspur at the right price, and given Serie A clubs are all lined up for Dragusin and several Premier League sides want to buy Johnson, it should not be difficult for Spurs to part ways with them and then use that money to sign bigger stars.

That is the name of the game for Tottenham right now. Dragusin, for example, has no real path to playing time at Tottenham with three top center backs in the squad and then Luka Vuskovic shining on loan in Hamburg. Johnson was the hero in Bilbao against Manchester United in the Europa League Final, but he clearly has no role to play under Thomas Frank at Tottenham.

Brennan Johnson and Radu Dragusin are good players who will be better at a smaller club like Roma or Bournemouth than they would at Tottenham, and the fact that Spurs realize that and are looking to sell this January is a very positive sign indeed.

Over the years, Tottenham Hotspur supporters have learned to have a very healthy dose of skepticism regarding any rumored incomings to the squad, because, so often, Spurs have failed to deliver on what they promise or strongly hint at to their fans.

Spurs actually had a pretty active summer 2025 transfer window for new manager Thomas Frank, landing the likes of Joao Palhinha, Randal Kolo Muani, Xavi Simons, and Mohammed Kudus to the side. But the thing is, Spurs had so many talent issues last season in finishing 17th in the Premier League as well as so many injuries carrying over to the 2025/26 season that those signings have been insufficient.

Tottenham will be looking for new players at a variety of positions, and while the priority will be landing attacking talent to try and help Frank foster an attack that is closer to the free flowing unit he enjoyed coaching at Brentford, there are more than enough needs to go around.

Tottenham need midfield help, too

According to reporting from Football.London's Alasdair Gold, there are five positions Tottenham Hotspur are considering upgrading this January transfer window. The first is obviously the left wing position, which will be a priority. Surprisingly, perhaps, Spurs are also interested in potentially signing another center back, especially if Radu Dragusin, as many expect, moves back to Serie A after recently recovering from a torn ACL.

But there are other needs still. Spurs are considering a striker, with Samu Aghehowa remaining a key name linked to them. They also want to sign a natural left back to cover for Destiny Udogie and thus divest from playing Djed Spence out of position, though Gold states that this move could happen in the summer, too.

Finally, Tottenham realize that they need more midfield help as well. They did sign Palhinha and Simons in the summer, but with Rodrigo Bentancur struggling and there being not a whole lot of passing progression deep outside of Archie Gray, a deep lying playmaker is a potential need. Per Gold, if Spurs are able to find the right player to suit them in January, then they would make a move for a midfielder in winter.

As it stands, Spurs are running out of credible options who can upgrade their squad at the most key areas of need with dream targets like Savinho and Antoine Semenyo unlikely to move. So addressing all five of these needs in the winter is highly improbable. But if Spurs can even knock off two, that would go a long way.

Tottenham Hotspur probably are not going to sign a new goalkeeper in the January transfer window, but the position is on the radar of fans as one the club could afford to upgrade. Although current starter Guglielmo Vicario is a very good pure shot stopper, he has been atrocious at nearly everything else a goalkeeper needs to do, and even national analysts like Jamie Carragher are catching on to his awful habit of throwing teammates under the bus when he makes a mistake.

Spurs have the young Antonin Kinsky waiting in the wings behind the error prone Vicario, though Kinsky has also shown that it is too soon for him to get the keys to the kingdom. He is good enough to merit far more starts than what he is currently getting, but, in an ideal world, Spurs would replace Vicario in the summer with a more consistent goalkeeper.

James Trafford has to be disgruntled with how things are shaking out at Manchester City after the Citizens signed the world class Gianluigi Donnarumma shortly after his own move from Burnley to the Etihad, but it appears he will not be available in the near future.

A cheap option for Tottenham?

So the best goalkeeper who could conceivably move in January is AC Milan star Mike Maignan, who has elevated not one but two teams (Lille and Milan) to league titles with his greatness in goal. Maignan is on an expiring contract and has been closely linked with rivals Chelsea, and while Tottenham have not really been mentioned in the transfer race for the French star, that has not stopped Spurs supporters from dreaming about a move.

Right now, though, it does not seem like Milan have any intention of actively shopping Maignan, who is very important to their Serie A title hopes, in the middle of the season in January just to make a pure transfer profit.

Max Allegri recently said of Mike Maignan, via Fabrizio Romano, “The club is working to discuss new deals for some of our key players. For sure, Maignan is a very important piece of our squad”

While that quote from Allegri is not exactly a concrete update or Milan slamming the door shut on a possible Maignan transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, or some other goalkeeper hungry top club, it is quite clear that the Rossoneri are not yet interested in giving up on Maignan or dangling him up for sale. But if there is any outside chance Spurs can get their hands on Maignan, they have to take it.

Tottenham Hotspur got back to winning ways on Sunday in the Premier League, outlasting a pretty tough team in Crystal Palace 1-0 as Thomas Frank was able to out maneuver Oliver Glasner, who has been a rumored potential replacement for Frank, in what turned out to be unsurprisingly a real defensive battle.

Richarlison was the main Man of the Match for Tottenham with a decisive assist, plenty of chances created, and even some wonderful defensive work as a positive follow up from his impressive performance against personal rivals Liverpool.

But if you ask most Tottenham fans who were watching the game, they would pinpoint second half substitute Wilson Odobert as the real game changer. Odobert's inclusion into the game helped turn the tide for Spurs, and you can see the tidy touches and the evidence of a player who could become a real Premier League terror for defenders with his take ons once he is truly full of confidence.

Wilson Odobert was in full flow

Well on Sunday against Crystal Palace, Odobert did not look lacking in confidence at all. He was brilliant on the ball and very direct, destabilizing an otherwise excellent Crystal Palace defense, helping Spurs ensure they would remain in control of the game with the lead intact.

Odobert has not been starting regularly for Tottenham, as both he and fellow young French left winger Mathys Tel are often discarded by Thomas Frank, who has a clear bias towards the more senior players like strikers Richarlison and Randal Kolo Muani.

You have to think, though, that with Tel and Odobert changing games when they come onto the pitch in important matches and proving to be decisive, Frank can only hold them out of important minutes and starts for so long.

Odobert has probably flown more under the radar than Tel because he isn't as explosive of an athlete and does not have the size to be a possible answer at striker, but he is a real playmaker in short areas with the quickness and skill to star on the left wing or in the attacking midfield.

Tottenham need players like Odobert who can provide a spark off the dribble, suck in defenders, and link up neatly with other forwards. Odobert is a real boon to have in the side next to players like Kolo Muani and Richarlison who are bigger bodied strikers, and RKM, in particular, would benefit a lot from playing with a young French playmaker who masters link up play. Odobert's key display against Palace just might help Frank take stronger notice.

Tottenham Hotspur checked a win off in the column on Sunday, as they successfully did what needed to be done to play gritty and get all three points off local London rivals Crystal Palace in a 1-0 win. It may not seem like much to write home about on paper, but given the losses to the likes of Fulham thsi season, this was the sort of match Spurs had to prove they could win again.

But even when Spurs come out victorious, it is still so abundantly clear to every member of this fan base that the squad is not good enough. Thomas Frank has his own issues as manager, and Tottenham fans can complain until the cows come home about his failings, most namely not creating a clear identity of what he wants to do at the club.

When the level of attacking talent is as barren as it is at Tottenham and when Archie Gray, who is still too young to be a star in this role, is the only remotely competent deep lying progressor, it is truly hard for a team to assert themselves at the highest level of the Premier League. Hence why Spurs are toiling in the mid table again despite changing managers.

Tottenham fans want to be active in January

Tottenham supporters are hoping for an active January transfer window, and the two main needs are attack and midfield. Spurs want to sign a proven goal scoring option either out wide on the left wing, which is preferred, or even at striker if possible. And then they definitely need to sign a top level technical midfielder to help out Gray and upgrade on Rodrigo Bentancur. Left back, center back depth to replace Radu Dragusin, and maybe even a goalkeeper to compete wtih Guglielmo Vicario are other possible signings.

But everyone knows that when it comes to Tottenham and the transfer market, the dreams tend to be bigger than reality, and even something like the summer transfer window they just had with Joao Palhinha, Randal Kolo Muani, Xavi Simons, and Mohammed Kudus coming in is not going to be replicated.

Even Thomas Frank sounds resigned to the fact that Tottenham Hotspur are not going to back him fully in the winter window. The manager said after the win over Crystal Palace, via The Spurs Web, "Of course, the window will open, and we will be in the market and see if there's anything we can do, but it will have to be something where we can improve the team. If not, rather wait, but we will be out there."

So basically it is the same coach speak that Ruben Amorim and other Premier League managers are giving about how Spurs will not force signings but will try to be active. Basically, Frank is setting himself up knowing that Spurs need to make many upgrades, the attacking quality is nowhere near what he even had at Brentford, and he is probably going to get blamed for Spurs issues even more in the second half of the season because those kinds of players will not be available in January. There we go.

Tottenham Hotspur defeated Crystal Palace 1-0 yesterday, with their goal coming from a very unlikely source. Midfielder Archie Gray scored his first goal for the club in 60 games to secure the three points for Spurs.

Whilst Richarlison has scored seven Premier League goals this season, he could do with some competition up front. Randal Kolo Muani is yet to get off the mark in the league, and Mathys Tel has scored just twice in the division.

Tottenham have never replaced Harry Kane, who is often linked with a return to the club. It is unlikely that Kane will rejoin Spurs from Bayern Munich in January. Therefore, Tottenham will have to assess other options in the mid-season transfer window.

Igor Thiago

Igor Thiago has been in fine form in the Premier League this season, scoring 11 goals in 18 games. This has helped the unfancied Brentford make it to a current position of eighth in the division. Brentford were not expected to do well this season, with Thomas Frank being replaced by Keith Andrews in their dugout.

Thiago worked with Frank last season, but the player's campaign was disrupted by injury. This meant that Thaigo played eight games without scoring or assisting a goal. As his injury problems now appear to be behind him, Thiago could finally find some form under Frank, but in a Spurs shirt.

Kenan Yildiz

Kenan Yildiz's versatility could make him a great asset for Spurs. The Juventus star can play as a center-forward, attacking midfielder, and on the left wing. This season, he has scored five goals and made four assists in 15 Serie A games.

Tottenham will have to act quickly to secure his services as he is being linked with other top sides. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal are all interested in securing his services.

Kevin Schade

Kevin Schade is in fine form, having just scored a hat-trick against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. This takes his tally for this season up to six goals in 17 games in the division.

The Brentford man will have a lot going for him at Spurs, especially as he has worked extensively with Frank. Schade played 74 times for Frank at the Bees. The one concern with Schade is that he appears to enjoy playing as a left-winger more than as a center-forward.

Jonathan David

Jonathan David was once a highly rated center-forward when he was at Lille. However, since moving to Juventus, he has scored just one Serie A goal. If he cannot make it in Italian soccer, then he will have little chance in the Premier League.

Omar Marmoush

It is no surprise that Omar Marmoush has struggled for game time at Manchester City, as he is competing with Erling Haaland for a starting spot. This season, he has not scored in 10 Premier League games and is currently at the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt.

Given game time, Marmoush could be able to prove why City paid £59m to Eintracht Frankfurt for his services last January. The Egyptian did well in the second half of last season, scoring seven times in 16 Premier League games.

Samu Aghehowa

Adapting to English soccer from the Liga Portugal can be difficult for players. Viktor Gyökeres is yet to reach the heights expected of him at Arsenal since his transfer from Sporting CP last summer.

Samu Aghehowa has scored nine goals in 14 games in the Primeira Liga for FC Porto this campaign. However, as he is only 21, it might take a while for him to replicate this form in the Premier League.

For the most part, Tottenham Hotspur are expected to focus on upgrading the left wing position when it comes to signing a new attacking player in the January transfer window, as this area has been pinpointed as the main position of need for a Spurs side that lost legend Son Heung-min to MLS and did not sign his replacement.

Son is having a grand old time in Los Angeles, whereas Spurs do not really have a settled option on the left wing. Youngsters Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert are the best candidates, but Thomas Frank does not seem to trust them much; for the most part, the new Spurs manager has an inkling towards playing the veterans. As another alternative, he has also went with a striker partnership in Richarlison and Randal Kolo Muani to play without a true left winger.

But the thing is, Tottenham are not quite settled at striker either. Kolo Muani has played well in his appearances on loan from PSG, but neither he nor Richarlison are the real deal. Richy just had a brilliant all around game in a win over Crystal Palace, but those overall great performances have been admittedly few and far between. As for Dominic Solanke, at this point, Spurs are realizing they can not count on anything at all from him; he is just there for bonus.

Tottenham might be down another candidate

The tough thing is that there are not many available striker options for upgrade this January who could feasibly help the team. One of the potential targets is AC Milan forward Christopher Nkunku, who was actually on Tottenham's radar in the previous transfer windows when Chelsea were shopping him.

He quickly made his way to Milan, and although he is very talented and was once a sleeper Ballon d'Or candidate at RB Leipzig, his rough start to life at the San Siro made him the subject of intense transfer speculation in December.

In one fell swoop, though, Nkunku may be playing himself back into the good graces of Max Allegri and Milan. Speaking after Nkunku's brace of goals in a 3-0 win over lowly Hellas Verona, Allegri said, via Fabrizio Romano, “I’m happy with Chris Nkunku. These goals are in his DNA, he wanted to make an impact, he can do even better”.

With Nkunku, the question has never been about quality, but rather health. He is a highly accomplished creator and finisher with an incredible technical and football IQ level. But Tottenham already have a host of injury prone forwards, such as Solanke, and since Milan are seeing how much Nkunku can help them when he is healthy, they may not be inclined to give up in the middle of the season with the Scudetto still to play for.

Once again, it has been a season of trial and tribulations for Tottenham Hotspur, and it seems like they can not go into any campaign without already being behind the eight ball from an injury perspective. Dominic Solanke, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Bergvall, Destiny Udogie, Randal Kolo Muani, Kota Takai, Radu Dragusin, James Maddison, and more already came into the 2025/26 campaign at less than 100 percent, and still others like Richarlison, Djed Spence, Xavi Simons, Archie Gray, Cristian Romero, and Mohammed Kudus have missed at least one game with a knock.

On Sunday, Tottenham finally got a quality win back for themselves, outlasting Crystal Palace 1-0 in a defensive struggle, with Richarlison, of all players, being the main star of the show with a decisive assist and an all around quality performance.

He and Wilson Odobert were among the positive takeaways from the game, as well as an overall solid defensive display as a follow up from the red card fest the previous weekend against Liverpool. But even amidst all the positives, Spurs do have one glaring negative to be concerned about after the win over Crystal Palace.

Tottenham will hope it is not serious

Star center midfielder Lucas Bergvall quietly sustained an injury in the win. He had to come off in the second half alongside Randal Kolo Muani for the duo of Joao Palhinha and Wilson Odobert. Funnily enough, Odobert and Palhinha helped change the game against Crystal Palace, so all was not necessarily bad despite losing Bergvall to injury.

But Spurs can ill afford a significant injury to the dynamic Bergvall. That is becaue Spurs do not just have injuries to worry about right now. Cristian Romero and Xavi Simons were both red carded in that Liverpool game and are suspended, and while Spurs outlasted Crystal Palace without these two key players, losing Bergvall on top of Simons for a couple of games would really stretch the formation thin.

Although Bergvall is not a No. 10 - and Tottenham supporters want that to be made abundantly clear to Thomas Frank - he is a competent option in this position and one of the best starters on the team in the midfield - a midfield that is already pretty shaky compared to the top clubs in the Premier League.

It is unclear as to the severity of Bergvall's injury, but it looks like a soft tissue injury from the way he potentially injured it whlie turning. Sometimes, a key player is taken off as a precaution, and Tottenham fans hope further testing reveals that is merely the case with Bergvall here.