Hotspur HQ

As per usual, Tottenham Hotspur have been ravaged by injuries to start the 2025/26 Premier League and Champions League seasons, and they actually came into the campaign with a trio of significant long-term absences in striker Dominic Solanke, winger Dejan Kulusevski, and attacking midfielder James Maddison.

Along the way, new signing Randal Kolo Muani was slow to get started with a dead leg, Cristian Romero recently picked up an injury, and star left back Destiny Udogie has been in and out with issues of his own, too.

Tottenham are still waiting for Solanke to round into form, while Romero missed both of the last two games against Monaco and Everton with a knock after pulling up with an injury in the pregame warmups last weekend before a horrid loss to Aston Villa.

According to Thomas Frank, via Spurs Global, all is improving on the injury front. Solanke and Romero are taking steps towards their returns, while Udogie is also making progress from his own recent injury woes that have forced Djes Spence back into the lineup.

Frank said, “Dom stepped forward, step by step. Cuti on the pitch today, not a timeframe. Destiny on the pitch as well today. Three steps forward.”

Tottenham need Destiny Udogie back

Tottenham will face Newcastle on Wednesday in the League Cup before a massive battle with Chelsea at the weekend in another fiery London derby between two teams that are darkhorse Premier League title contenders behind the likes of Arsenal and a suddenly struggling Liverpool.

It's entirely unclear if these three players will be back in time for the Chelsea game, but Spurs fans will cross their fingers that captain Romero and Udogie can both be out there. Funnily enough, with how well Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso played last weekend in the 3-0 drubbing of Everton, Udogie may be the most important start of the three against the Blues and their electrifying right side of Reece James and Estevao Willian.

As for Solanke, we've yet to see him this season, and the all-around No. 9 figures to be an easy upgrade over Richarlison. But if Randal Kolo Muani balls out and draws the start in either the Newcastle or Chelsea game this week, then perhaps Solanke may not even get his job back as he works his way back from this injury.

Overall, these are three mildly encouraging updates on the injury front from Frank, who is getting more and more tight-lipped about returns. Which is, technically speaking, a good thing for Tottenham fans. You don't want to give it all away to Chelsea early.

Cristian Romero's absence at the Hill Dickinson Stadium didn't hurt Tottenham on Sunday afternoon thanks to the stellar performance of Kevin Danso alongside Micky van de Ven.

While the Dutchman garnered plenty of plaudits for his first-half brace, which put Thomas Frank's set-piece deviants into a commanding position, Danso's display shouldn't go under the radar.

Frank was once again without his captain due to a minor issue that the Dane believes will only sideline Romero for a brief period. Spurs suffered in his absence during the defeat to Aston Villa and the goalless draw with Monaco, but the difference in game state meant the drop-off in quality in possession wasn't so distinct on Merseyside.

Van de Ven nodded Spurs into a 19th-minute lead, which placed less onus on the visitors to take the game to an Everton team that were yet to be beaten at their impressive new stadium. The doubling of our advantage on the stroke of half-time thrust Frank's side into contain mode, and that's when Big Kev came to the fore for the Lilywhites.

Kevin Danso set a 2025/26 Premier League record in Everton win

While he's only played a sporadic role since joining the club earlier this year, Danso has emerged as a fan favourite in N17. A tremendous character with a smile capable of lighting up the London Borough of Enfield, the Austrian international is an excellent option to have when Romero is sidelined, even if no one can replace the Argentine's outstanding passing ability.

Danso, though, is an excellent recovery defender who excels when tasked with defending his box. Everton asked many questions of Spurs' defence on Sunday, forcing Guglielmo Vicario into two remarkable saves in the second half.

The full-backs had a few issues against the Toffees' dynamic operators out wide, but the centre-backs were brilliant. By the end of the game, Danso, according to Squawka, recorded a Premier League season-high 18 clearances in Sunday's win—the most in a single game by a Spurs defender since Jan Vertonghen's 21 against Burnley in 2016.

The former Lens defender also won all six of his duels and failed to commit a foul on Merseyside. It was an exemplary performance, and one that should reassert some faith within the fanbase that we won't collapse in Romero's absence.

Third centre-backs don't come much better than Danso, who's understanding of his role within the squad means he can function as the heart and soul of Frank's dressing room.

Sunday's 3-0 victory over Everton was one Thomas Frank desperately needed after a deflating week, although Spurs were once again reliant on set-pieces to get the job done.

The dead ball has seemingly never been so important in the Premier League. Arsenal's brilliance from such situations and their rise to the top of the division this season has seemingly placed a newfound emphasis and reliance on set plays. It's the new meta.

Frank has long been an set-piece advocate, unlike predecessor Ange Postecoglou, with his Brentford teams bridging the gap between themselves and the resource havens that surrounded them in the top flight by maximising every opportunity they got to wreak havoc in the opposition's box.

This was no spectacular Spurs performance, but there were positive changes from the Aston Villa defeat and Monaco draw. Randal Kolo Muani's first start was encouraging, and we saw Mohammed Kudus perform a slightly different role in tandem with Brennan Johnson.

Still, Spurs sought a unique route to victory at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tottenham's unique route to comprehensive Everton victory

For the first time since March 2008, Spurs scored three headed goals in a Premier League match. Juande Ramos was in charge when we thumped West Ham 4-0 in our previous header-fest, with Dimitar Berbatov scoring twice against the ten-man Hammers.

Alan Hutton, Pascal Chimbonda and Didier Zokora were in Ramos’ starting XI that day, while club legend Gilberto scored his only goal in Lilywhite off the bench. We were a month removed from our Carling Cup final triumph over Chelsea at Wembley.

Spurs' production on Merseyside didn't exclusively arrive from set-pieces, but Micky van de Ven's first-half brace came courtesy of two wicked dead-ball routines and deliveries. The Dutchman first headed home from Rodrigo Bentancur's back post win before outmuscling Jordan Pickford to finish a pinpoint Pedro Porro inswinger on the stroke of half-time.

After Guglielmo Vicario resisted Everton's second-half advances, Pape Matar Sarr completed Spurs' Sunday of headers (this time from open play) after some good work from Richarlison.

The poets and romantacists are currently weeping at the state of the English top-flight, but its one that Frank's Spurs are seemingly built to thrive in. Inflicting the first defeat upon Everton at their impressive new home means the Lilywhites are up to third with the joint-best scoring record in the division. Who'd have thunk it?!

Complaining over the nature of such victories feels somewhat entitled, especially when we were without our captain, most dynamic left-back and multiple creative bodies at the weekend. Let Frank's set-piece army roll on!

Thomas Frank is still figuring things out as Tottenham Hotspur manager, but even his detractors, who shouldn't really even exist in the first place, have to admit that this team is in a significantly better place than it was last season under Ange Postecoglou.

There have been predictable bumps in the road, but Spurs recent 3-0 win over Everton to bounce back from lousy performances against Aston Villa and Monaco is a reminder of how far this team has come from the plodding 17th placed outfit that couldn't win against any semi-competent Premier League opponent.

Even so, Frank still has some work to do when it comes to selecting his best XI, and Everton didn't exactly test Spurs much on Sunday afternoon. One of those players the Tottenham manager needs to stop snubbing is Pape Matar Sarr, who, again, spent the last game on the bench.

Now, Tottenham won handily this time, but that statement-making third goal scored by Spurs on the Toffees was registered by none other than Sarr himself. The Senegalese midfielder came onto the pitch at around the 78th minute, and not more than 10 minutes later, he finished like a striker by depositing a header from now backup striker Richarlison into the back of the net with the clinical touch and presence of mind that even Richy himself has been missing this season.

Tottenham are better with this midfielder

It was another lively cameo from Sarr, who continues to have the full support of Tottenham fans. These Spurs supporters are simply surprised that the club and its manager are not backing Sarr to start every game when he comes up in the big moments like he did with this goal and has been impressive in nearly all of his appearances.

Tottenham have been a better team with Sarr on the pitch and were at their best at the beginning of the 2025/26 season when Sarr was starting regularly. Whenever he is getting meaningful minutes - or simply making meaningful actions, like this goal vs. Everton - Tottenham are better off and more likely to score a blowout.

Sarr's goal off the bench to make it a real party against Everton was a shot across the bow of Frank's desk that he deserves to play more often and is a difference-maker for Spurs, even more than he is just a player who works very hard for the team and can do a bit of everything from the middle of the park.

Tottenham Hotspur got back to winning ways on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League, ripping a previously impressive Everton to shreds in 3-0 fashion, making it Thomas Frank's third 3-0 win of the season.

It couldn't have come at a better time, too, as Frank and Spurs were having some serious questions to answer after putrid attacking performances against both Aston Villa and Monaco up on their return from the October international break.

But while much of the conversation centered around Spurs themselves, Tottenham fans couldn't help but take notice of an Everton star who was likely already on their radar earlier this season as a possible transfer target.

No, that player isn't Jack Grealish, who was linked to Spurs for years but ended up joining Everton as a free agent this summer with little interest from Tottenham. Grealish has been a transformative signing for Everton, but, over the long term, he isn't even the most desirable winger on his own team.

Everton star on the Tottenham radar?

That distinction would belong to right winger Iliman Ndiaye, who would be shining on the left, which is Spurs area of need after signing Mohammed Kudus to man the right flank, if it weren't for the emerging presence of Grealish.

Ndiaye has been just as impressive, in many ways, to start the 2025/26 season with his dynamism and ball progression. He showed that quality as an out-and-out winger with his take-ons against a strong Tottenham defense, shining as one of the few real attacking threats for Everton in their shutout loss with four dribbles completed.

The 25-year-old Senegalese international has been tough to beat all season long with 1.4 key passes, 1.3 fouls drawn, and 2.7 dribbles completed per game for the Toffees. A rate of three goals in nine starts as a traditional right-footed right winger is also quite impressive.

Tottenham are going to need to sign a new winger in 2026, whether in the winter or summer transfer window. And while Antoine Semenyo will be the pipe dream, everyone will be after the Bournemouth superstar amidst a Premier League Player of the Season level start to the 2025/26 campaign.

Ndiaye is better than a mere consolation prize, though, and Tottenham would do well to sign him in his prime on the cheap. By shining in head-to-head competition with Tottenham even as the team around him completely flopped in a 3-0 loss, Ndiaye has placed himself squarely on Spurs transfer wishlist.

Tottenham Hotspur Guglielmo Vicario has been the man of the moment this week. Despite being one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League statistically, the acrobatic shot-stopper came under immense fire again from a bloodthirsty fanbase after a couple of soft goals conceded in a horrid loss to Aston Villa last weekend.

Well, Vicario went out and delivered one of the biggest goalkeeping masterclasses of the year 2025 in a 0-0 draw in Monaco, almost inexplicably delivering a Champions League point to Thomas Frank in a game that Spurs had no business getting a result better than a 3-0 blowout loss.

Vicario showed that was no fluke with another strong performance and a clean sheet over Everton at the weekend, making a statement to all those Tottenham fans who doubted him that they simply haven't got a clue what they are talking about.

Now, Vicario wasn't the only high-profile Tottenham player to make a statement to the fans on Sunday. Fellow Serie A recruit Rodrigo Bentancur, however, has been on the receiving end of some more deserved criticism, struggling mightily after receiving an arguably premature contract extension, drawing continued starts over better and younger midfielders.

But on Sunday against Everton, the good version of Bentancur popped up again, as the Uruguayan international was in full control of the pitch in the stellar 3-0 win for Tottenham, even directly involving himself in a goal with an assist to the good.

Bentancur finished the match with a key pass, dribble completed, blocked shot, and about 85 percent of his passes completed. He was a real rock in the deep midfield role alongside Joao Palhinha, as the duo looked a lot better than they did in recent weeks, hearkening back to the start of the 2025/26 season when they looked like the solution for Thomas Frank in the middle of the park during the Danish manager's earliest days at the helm of Spurs.

Of course, Bentancur is going to have to do more than just produce one good bounce-back game for Tottenham in order to convince fans that he's the man to start on this team every week. It takes consistency against all opponents to do that, especially when players like Lucas Bergvall and Pape Matar Sarr have shown more short and long-term ability to Tottenham.

But Bentancur can still be a useful rotational player and a quality starter in the right circumstances, and maybe Frank is getting closer to finding out when those circumstances are right or wrong. They were very right for Bentancur on Sunday, given Tottenham were the dominant side.

After two horrid performances against Aston Villa and Monaco following the October international break, Tottenham Hotspur were in need of a serious statement game on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League against Everton.

Well, Spurs did exactly that, blowing out one of the surprise teams of the 2025/26 season so far, cutting down the Toffees to size with a 3-0 win, reminiscent of 3-0 wins over Burnley and West Ham earlier this season.

But this 3-0 win was far more impressive, as it came without the services of captain and superstar center back Cristian Romero, who has been out injured. Plus, Everton are a much better team than either Burnley or West Ham.

Key to winning so big in the absence of Romero were the performances of the other starting center backs, Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso. While VVD was the main hero of the afternoon with two goals from the center back position, Danso deserves just as much praise for his standout performance.

A majestic performance in defense

The Austrian international was quietly one of Europe's best overall center backs during his time with Lens, and the January 2025 transfer signing has been just as much of a stalwart at Tottenham - and with just as little fanfare.

An important player for Spurs en route to their Europa League title win, Danso has been exemplary with his no-fuss defending this season whenever called upon, including games like the one against Monaco in which the rest of his teammates do not show up.

Danso was majestic vs. Everton, shutting down a previously exciting attack while scarcely having to make an intervention. His marking is insanely good, and Danso finished the matchup with a jaw-dropping 18 clearances to go with a pair of blocked shots while completing around 90 percent of his passes.

The signings of Joao Palhinha and Mohammed Kudus have been more impactful this season, and Xavi Simons figiures to be a bigger superstar. But when you look at the fact that Danso cost just 25 million euros and is almost never spoken of, you have to say that the signing of the 27-year-old center back in his prime for such a reasonable fee was the shrewdest move of them all.

When he's on the pitch, Danso looks world-class in his own right. He's only overshadowed by Romero and Van de Ven, but that doesn't mean he isn't an excellent player in his own right. He'd be starting for most teams in the Premier League, and rivals like Chelsea would kill to have him as one of their own.

GK Guglielmo Vicario

Had an outstanding game in midweek against Monaco, effectively preserving us a Champions League point, and was excellent again. One top class save from Beto’s overhead kick stood out. So, too, did another important save from an Iliman Ndiaye shot that deflected twice before reaching him. Vicario also dealt well with most of the corners and crosses that were put in. Impressive all-round display.  Rating: 9

RB Pedro Porro

Made an important block from Beto in the first minute. The ball was shot straight at him but credit Porro for being in position to make the block. Industrious as usual. Provided good balance going forward as well. A perfect ball in for Micky’s second goal from the corner. Rating: 8

LB Djed Spence

Struggled a bit with Ndiaye at the beginning of the game but stood up to the challenge as time went on. Ndiaye’s much quieter second half says a lot about Spence’s performance, and the help he got from Brennan Johnson. Spence could do well to provide more going forward but is in good form defensively, which is of course the priority for his position. Rating: 7

CB Kevin Danso

Proving to be a very important signing, Danso is providing excellent cover while Christian Romero is out injured. He brings more than just squad depth, though, particularly with his ability in the air. Everton tested our defenders with high balls into the box and Danso consistently won his headers. Reliable. Rating: 8

CB Micky van de Ven

After saying for a few weeks that we should get more from Micky going forward, it was great to see him deliver 2 goals. This takes his tally to 5 for the season, which is impressive for his position, especially at this early stage. Aside from his threat at set pieces, van de Ven was commanding at the back. In line with Danso, he dealt comfortably with Everton’s attacks. Did not put a foot wrong and is our most important player at the moment. Superb. Rating: 10

CM João Palhinha

While Palhinha getting forward and scoring impressive goals as he has done in some games this season is obviously welcome, it is more this type of performance that shows how much he benefits the team. Palhinha was quietly everywhere, reading the game, making sure he was in the right position to stop opposition attacks. Â Rating: 8

CM Rodrigo Bentancur

Like last week vs Aston Villa, Bentancur got forward more, particularly in the first half. He headed (more accurately shouldered) the ball across to claim an assist for our first goal. Also, showed good technique for a shot just wide nearer to half time. Bentancur also worked well with Palhinha to break up Everton attacks. This is a partnership that some weeks shows a lot of promise and other weeks seems less certain. In the later stages of the game, there were times we looked potentially in trouble and Bentancur was able to keep the ball without panic. With 5 minutes left and surrounded by Everton players, he was able to keep the ball in midfield, play in Porro who then won a free kick. It’s not a moment that will always make highlights, but those instances are incredibly important, particularly in a game like this. Rating: 8

AM Xavi Simons

Started in the number 10 role again. Improved over last week, and again no lack of effort, but still could not influence the game enough. The struggle began in the first half where he was easily knocked off the ball by Michael Keane and then played a dangerous ball across his own goal which was bailed out by Vicario. We are still waiting to see the best of Simons as he adjusts to the Premier League. He needs games to do this and playing consistently in this position is the best way to move forward at the moment. Â Rating: 6

RW Mohammed Kudus

Great corner which led to the first goal. Kudus continues to be our best creative threat, even if he was quieter than previous games. I was surprised he was substituted as it seemed like he had plenty to offer. His ability to keep the ball is invaluable to us, particularly at the moment when it is not happening elsewhere in attack. Always looks to take people on, and even if this is not successful, he has the ability that makes us need to keep giving him the ball. Â Rating: 7

LW Brennan Johnson

Was barely seen in the first half. If Johnson is not scoring, he struggles to get involved  and this was another one of those games, at least in an attacking sense. While not providing much on the ball, Johnson was effective off the ball in the second half tracking back to help Djed Spence and deserves credit for helping to stop Ndiaye. We need more threat going forward though and while Johnson did not provide this, he did an important job defensively.  Rating: 5

CF Randal Kolo Muani

Everton dealt very comfortably with Muani and he struggled to get into the game before being substituted. Poor attempt to mark Jake O’Brien’s for Everton’s disallowed goal albeit he shouldn’t have been given the responsibility to mark a major aerial threat like O’Brien. This was a close call which could have changed the game at 1-1. Like Simons, Muani is our best option in attack at the moment and has ability. Needs games to see if he can adjust to the Premier League.  Rating: 4

Substitutes: Richarlison, Lucas Bergvall, Pape Matar Sarr, Mathys Tel

Tottenham Hotspur were lucky again. On Wednesday night in the Champions League, the entire Tottenham team fell asleep as a wheel, letting in a barrage of shots while, once again, posing no real attacking threat for the seemingly umpteenth game of the season.

As more questions mount around Thomas Frank's start and his ability to manage a Champions League level club, another under fire individual at the N17 just greatly boosted his own stock in the 0-0 draw with Monaco.

Because without goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, this match clearly would not have been 0-0. Without world-class save after world-class save from the acrobatic Italian, Tottenham would have been blown out 3-0.

The stats back it up, too. Sofascore credited Vicario with 2.68 goals prevented in this draw against Monaco alone, as Vicario was the literal difference between Spurs scraping by with a point and completely losing all dignity with a 3-0 defeat that would have better reflected the slaughter that was on full display.

Exaggerated criticisms

Vicario has been criticized and lampooned by half the fanbase, and while many of those criticisms are legitimate, many more are either superfluous or grievously exaggerated. While, yes, young Antonin Kinsky could theoretically be better one day and is an exceptional young goalkeeper deserving of more chances, the notion that Vicario is in any way one of the five biggest problems with Spurs right now is absolutely ludicrous.

He may be streaky and he may have been poor against Aston Villa at the weekend on a couple of shots, but those minor mistakes are more than overshadowed by repeated goal-saving stops against Monaco. And this isn't even the first time this season Vicario has spared Spurs blushes, as they nearly pulled off a similar 0-0 draw early in the campaign against Bournemouth, which should have been Frank's first warning sign that things are not all hunky dory at N17.

Vicario has gone from someone who was under fire at Tottenham to a hero in just one game, and that turnaround isn't even as reactionary as many of the takes against him. While the fickle nature of football dictates that one bobbled ball in the next game will throw Vicario back on the hot seat, for the rest of the rational heads watching, at least this big game performance will generate some real appreciation for the job Vicario is able to do for Spurs when he is at his best.

When it became established that Cristian Romero was going to miss Sunday's Premier League clash with Aston Villa, I'm sure there will plenty of neutrals who refused to believe it was that big of a deal.

I mean, for those with barely half a brain, Romero cannot be regarded as one of the division's finest centre-halves. He polishes Dan Burn's boots and doesn't have anything on old what's his face... the Forest fella... Brazilian... Shoots from 50 yards every few weeks. It'll come to me.

I'm sure those who hold the opinion above are not reading this, given that they clearly do not care enough about Spurs to shift their antiquated assessments of a defender who is, without question, one of the world's best.

So yes, when he pulled up in the warm-up ahead of the game with Aston Villa, it was a big deal. Romero is not only Thomas Frank's captain, but the best progressive passer in the squad. His defensive work sets the tone, and his partnership with Micky van de Ven had led Spurs to one of the best defensive records in the league.

We can only hope that his absence isn't prolonged, otherwise we may be in trouble. Here's the latest on Romero's injury.

When will Cristian Romero return from injury?

Romero's dealing with a groin injury that Frank suggested he entered the weekend's game with. The manager described the issue as "minor", as he also did with Destiny Udogie's latest knee problem.

So, there's hope that Spurs won't be without their captain for the long-haul, with Romero previously enduring lengthy absences as a result of hamstring and groin injuries.

His return date will, of course, be determined by the severity of his setback. Physio Scout on X writes that a Grade 1 strain can be monitored day-to-day, but a Grade 2 injury may result in a month-long absence.

Frank expressed further calm over both Romero and Udogie's injuries after landing in Monaco, with the two players remaining in north London for Spurs' Champions League clash on Wednesday. While the manager wasn't able to provide a definitive return date for the Argentine, supposed club insider Poseidon (not the ancient Greek, but a social media celebrity among the Lilywhite fanbase) reports that Romero is expected to miss the next three games.

The clash with Chelsea on 1 November first is seen as a potential comeback date (what could go wrong!), meaning Romero is set to miss the fixtures against Monaco, Everton and Newcastle in the Carabao Cup.