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Tottenham Hotspur have to sign a No. 10 this summer before the clock strikes midnight on Aug. 31. With James Maddison out for the foreseeable future with a torn ACL and Dejan Kulusevski still a way's away from returning to action, Spurs absolutely have to sign a new playmaker to their squad, as if that wasn't already a transfer need for the Lilywhites.

Remember, Tottenham had their fans reacting with glee over the signing of Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest, only to be strong-armed by their ghoulish top-five rivals into watching MGW sign a contract extension anyway, tossing the whole deal into the rubbish bin.

But what really belongs in the bin is Tottenham's transfer endeavors as a whole if they can't sign at least one No. 10 for Thomas Frank, who has already proven that he is worth backing to the nth degree after a third coaching masterclass in Tottenham's 2-0 demolition of Manchester City at the Emptyhad.

Tottenham have been wading through the muck of playmaking transfer targets after the Eberechi Eze snub in favor of Arsenal, but they have settled on one transfer target actually worth pursuing - and one who isn't being chased by a big club that Daniel Levy is scared to battle.

Tottenham could reunite two stars

According to a report from Fabrizio Romano on his YouTube channel, Tottenham have made fresh new contacts with West Ham star attacking midfielder (and winger) Lucas Paqueta. Not only are Spurs considering Paqueta as a No. 10 candidate in the final week of the summer transfer window, but the former Lyon standout is reportedly open to leaving the Hammers this year.

And well, who wouldn't leave a relegation-threatened West Ham and the dysfunction of Graham Potter for Thomas Frank and Tottenham? Spurs are the reigning Europa League champions and in the Champions League, and if they can add Paqueta and another quality attacker before September begins, then they will be favorites to sew up a top five spot in the Premier League and maybe even compete for the title all together.

Paqueta is in the prime of his career at 26 and is one hard worker. Even when West Ham look terrible, which is most games, the Brazilian international manages to stand out positively for his technical ability, creativity, quickness on the ball, agility off the dribble, and work rate.

Frank would love a player like Paqueta who comes up with creative solutions, finishes off chances, feasts in transition or against low blocks, and, yes, of course, presses like there is no tomorrow. Reuniting Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus in Tottenham's attack would be a cheat code.

It has been a few days since Tottenham’s 2-0 win at Manchester City. We do have a surprisingly good record in this fixture, but it was still a surprise to see such a comfortable win, particularly given the investment levels of the two teams in 2025. It has been a frustrating summer so far for Tottenham, and while there is still hope that changes before the end of the window, our start to the season has been impressive. In particular, Pape Matar Sarr has stepped up his performances several levels.

Signed from Metz in 2021, Sarr was immediately loaned back for the whole of the 2021-22 season. Those are the kind of transfers that are often greeted at the time with a bit of a shrug. It’s good that we have signed a promising young player, but the season has just started, and we won’t see him until next season, so it will be forgotten for a while.

Sarr’s transfer is looking increasingly like one of those where the initial slightly longer wait is paying off. After a few appearances in his first season, Sarr has played consistently for the previous 2 years. He was a mainstay in our league and Europa cup games last season, culminating in an excellent performance in the final and an assist for the only goal of the game. That final against Man United was not won due to attacking dominance but by organized defending and a very solid midfield.

The performance on Saturday vs. Man City was similar but a vastly improved version. Although it is always true that the only stat that matters is the final score, it is also worth pointing out that while City had more possession, we had more shots on goal and more on target. Also, very few of City’s chances really felt threatening. There were many good performances that provided the reason for that, but Sarr stood out.

A big key to Tottenham's press

He put in the classic “covered every blade of grass” performance, but more than that his tackling and positioning were outstanding. Whether it was being in a position to receive the ball to dribble out of our half or putting himself in a position to stop an opposition attack, Sarr was consistently in the right place. Our pressing as a team has been great so far under Thomas Frank, too, and Sarr typified that as well, constantly putting pressure on City’s players. Our hosts had lots of possession, lots of passes, but very little opportunity to hurt us.

We saw a noticeable progression in Sarr’s play in pre-season, adding goals to his game as well. His pre-season goal vs. Arsenal is good to mention here, not only because it’s always welcome to bring up goals and wins vs. Arsenal but also because it came about from Sarr’s running, positioning, and pressing (all followed up of course by an excellent finish).

Sarr is still young and should develop further, but with the number of games he has played for Tottenham and Senegal, he does have a fair amount of experience already. Last year he extended his contract with us until 2030, showing the club believe in his ability, too. The dominant box-to-box midfielder has generally not been as much in recent years for any team (due to the popularity of attempting possession-based football), but Sarr has the potential to be that force for us. While Tottenham lately don’t often sign ready-established stars, we have seen them develop with us. It looks like Pape Matar Sarr will do just that.

Tottenham Hotspur have enjoyed a dream start to the 2025/26 Premier League season, running riot over Burnley 3-0 in the opener before shutting down business at the Etihad this past Saturday with a commanding 2-0 victory over perennial Premier League title contenders Manchester City.

So many players have been central to Spurs resurgence under Thomas Frank, including new signing Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha, but one of the biggest individual difference-makers has been new starting striker Richarlison, who has taken Frank's trust and run with it.

Richarlison went from being a near sure-fire exit at the start of the transfer window to being the goal-scoring solution Tottenham were looking for up top, completely discarding their need for a new No. 9. After two brilliant goals in the opener against Burnley, the Brazilian international continued to push and press his way into Tottenham hearts with an assist, two fouls drawn, and three combined tackles and interceptions in a vintage well-rounded performance vs. Man City.

Now, Richarlison is reaping his just rewards, as he is finally back in the official Brazil national team squad under manager Carlo Ancelotti, who used to coach him at Everton and has always favored the 28-year-old forward.

Tottenham don't need any more bad luck

What makes this triumph even sweeter for Richarlison is who he beat out for a spot in this competitive group. Neymar, Rodrygo Goes, and Vinicius Junior are three of the biggest stars in the country, yet all were left off the list. Richarlison, therefore, made it over two other beloved ex-teammates of Ancelotti's.

It's deserved, but it also leads to some trepidation from Tottenham supporters. See, the biggest impediment to Richarlison living up to his billing as a 60 million pound signing from Everton and one of the Premier League's best forwards hasn't been quality but rather health. Richarlison simply wasn't available enough and thus could not get the momentum he needed to shine.

Playing in the World Cup qualifiers is huge for Brazil and Richarlison, but it's a liability and a risk to Tottenham, even as Richarlison's achievements for the Selecao will raise the profile and value of Spurs as a club, even if just tacitly. But that's not worth the cost of losing, right now, their best scorer in what will be a slog of a season between the Premier League and Champions League.

So big ups to Richarlison for getting back into the Brazil squad, but, please, Don Carlo, take it easy with the guy.

Tottenham Hotspur made one of the best moves of the summer 2025 transfer window in the Premier League by bringing Joao Palhinha back to England after a doomed one-year spell with Bayern Munich. Although Spurs have an option to buy Palhinha, the transfer comes with no obligation, as Palhinha is, effectively, a free stopgap to upgrade a midfield that badly needed steel.

With strong displays against PSG and Burnley followed by legitimate Man of the Match level dominance at the Etihad against Manchester City, Palhinha has been a revelation for Spurs alongside Pape Sarr, who could very well end up being the breakout midfield star of the 2025/26 Premier League season under Thomas Frank.

Though Tottenham are currently after attacking midfield talents to upgrade their playmaking in light of James Maddison's torn ACL and multiple high-profile transfer snubs at the position, there is opening for one more deeper-lying midfielder to make Spurs a true Premier League powerhouse.

According to a report from Alex Crook and Anton Stanley of talkSPORT, Manchester United star defensive midfielder Kobbie Mainoo remains unsettled at the club and is open to leaving Old Trafford in the final week of the summer transfer window.

Tottenham need to compete with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool in midfield

Tottenham have been loosely linked to Mainoo before this window, and if they send Manchester United a legitimate offer, he could be theirs. Mainoo and Man United have not made headway over the last several months on a new contract, and the talented young player barely seems to be on the mind of manager Ruben Amorim's dysfunctional midfield "system" that continues to yield no tangible results for the Red Devils.

Spurs could be the ones to rescue Mainoo and play him in a dynamic, top-class midfield. At least, they would be top-class with the 2023/24 verion of Mainoo, who took the Premier League by storm as a teenager, won the FA Cup for Man United, and immediately became an England national team starter.

Imagine a Tottenham midfield with Rodrigo Bentancur, Joao Palhinha, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Pape Sarr, and Kobbie Mainoo all rotating in it behind a shiny new playmaker. Even Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool would have to reckon with Tottenham, and if Spurs want to reach that level of being a Premier League title contender, then these are the midfields they need to compete with.

Signing the young and energetic Mainoo would put Tottenham in that bracket, and if there's any chance that Amorim and Manchester United are foolish enough to entertain offers for him this transfer window, then Spurs had better jump up and make an offer.

Tottenham Hotspur have to be livid with the way they lost out on the Eberechi Eze transfer battle to rivals Arsenal, who swooped in at the last second to sign one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League.

Arsenal's latest slick transfer move over Tottenham has left Spurs reeling, as they already had a need for another playmaking talent before starting No. 10 James Maddison tore his ACL. With Maddison injured and Dejan Kulusevski still recovering from his own knee issue last season, Tottenham are desperate for attacking midfield help.

Instead of Eze, Tottenham could actually pivot to the player Crystal Palace are trying to sign to replace the England international, exacting revenge on a local London rival in the process for waiting on Eze and secretly negotiating with Arsenal before selling to the Gunners instead.

According to a report from the Daily Mail's Simon Jones, Bilal El Khannouss, who is Palace's main transfer target right now, is actually being pushed towards Tottenham's direction as an alternative landing spot for the Belgian international. Per Jones, Crystal Palace had two bids rejected by Leicester City, who could now be looking to sell to Spurs instead.

Tottenham have vengeance on their minds this summer

Tottenham weren't linked strongly to El Khannouss because Eze was their priority, but they have indeed been linked to the playmaker before. And with no better options available after Como roundly rejected their approach for star man Nico Paz, whose ultimate future is in Real Madrid's hands, El Khannouss could be the move.

Spurs have revenge against other Premier League clubs on their minds right now, as Crystal Palace, Arsenal, and even Nottingham Forest have stymied them at least once on the market this year. Tottenham's only big attacking signing was Mohammed Kudus from another local rival, West Ham United.

El Khannouss is just 21 years old and more than good enough to stay in the Premier League. Even on a dysfunctional Leicester City side last season, El Khannouss managed to distinguish himself as one to watch for the future, averaging a solid 1.3 key passes and 1.1 dribbles completed per game.

Ideally, Tottenham would sign someone more experienced and proven in terms of production alongside El Khannouss as more of a high-upside backup option, but, at this point in the market, if they don't have any other options, El Khannouss would be better than nothing and come at the added bonus of burning a pesky Palace side coming off an FA Cup triumph.

Although Tottenham Hotspur are riding high after blanketing Manchester City 2-0 to keep up their spotless record to start the 2025/26 Premier League season, the same positivity isn't being reflected in their summer transfer business.

After star attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze spurned Spurs for a move to bitter rivals Arsenal, Tottenham have been scouring the open market for any signs of quality playmaking to replace an injured James Maddison.

Although the options are limited, Spurs were zeroing in on Como star Nico Paz as their top target at the position. Paz only enhanced his reputation with a goal and an assist in a brilliant Serie A victory for the underdog side, as they managed to upend one of the bigger clubs in the league in Maurizio Sarri's Lazio.

The performance from Paz was followed up with some transfer news from Italian insider Fabrizio Romano, who dropped some unfortunate news for Tottenham fans. Per Fab, Tottenham did actually up their transfer bid to Como for Paz to the 70 million euros they were asking for, but even that fee was no longer enough to persuade the Italian club.

A European giant looms above

Romano states that Como rejected the bid outright, and, furthermore, Paz himself doesn't want a move. The 20-year-old Spaniard, in fact, doesn't want to exit Como at all this season, because his goal is still to return to Real Madrid as a star player, even after the Merengues bagged brilliant teenager Franco Mastantuono this summer to start alongside fellow playmaking phenom Arda Guler.

Real Madrid themselves were always going to match any offer for Paz anyway and do not want to see the player leave Como, as they are still reportedly intent on signing him in the future if he shows he's ready, given they hold a mere 10 million euro buy-back clause over Paz for 2026 in case Spurs or any other club were to get ideas of stealing him away.

Basically, the fact that Tottenham offered 70 million euros and were still rebuffed by all three of Como, Paz, and Madrid entirely enforces the idea that Paz isn't for sale at all. No amount of money, beyond anything truly absurd (which Spurs would not even offer) would coax a transfer. Paz is going to stay put in Como, and if Tottenham identified him as their next top transfer target, then they might as well take him off their list now and stop wasting their time. He isn't leaving.

Tottenham Hotspur have one main order of business before the transfer window closes at midnight on the night of Aug. 31, and that is to sign at least one more playmaker to bolster the squad after James Maddison's ACL tear and the infamous Eberechi Eze transfer snub in favor of rivals Arsenal.

Spurs are also working on Manchester City winger Savinho, though it's unclear if the way Spurs manhandled Man City at the Etihad on Saturday will work in their favor to convince the Brazilian to switch sides to them or if it will lead the Citizens to rethink doing business with a possible Premier League title rival.

That's the level Spurs can aspire to reach if they are able to sign the right players before the summer transfer window ends, though they are finding that the pickings are slim when it comes to playmakers who can truly elevate the squad.

One possible gamble on a cheaper deal that has been kicked around is AS Roma playmaker Lorenzo Pellegrini, who was once one of the most touted and well-rounded playmakers in Europe. And he was actually quite good until the bottom fell out last season, and his form didn't recover as Roma's did under Claudio Ranieri.

Tottenham might actually benefit more from losing this transfer

Now, Roma are open about moving on from their former captain and club legend. Via Fabrizio Romano, Roma director Frederic Massara confirmed that Pellegrini will be on his way out and ideally this summer so that the Italian international does not leave the club for free:

“Lorenzo Pellegrini will leave, now or in January for sure. We won’t extend his contract and we are looking for a solution not to lose him as free agent”.

Pellegrini had a run of five straight seasons with at least nine goal contributions in Serie A, and at 29 years old, the Roma attacking midfielder should still be in the prime of his career. But he's run a lot for a long time in Italy, and all of that running takes its toll, which may have been what happened last season.

With Gian Piero Gasperini on board, Pellegrini is expendable, but he is drawing interest from West Ham and Tottenham. Although Tottenham will only have Pellegrini as an emergency option if nothing else is there, he might be better than nothing at all, especially if Spurs can get him for well under 10 million euros with time ticking on his contract expiry.

Better yet, though, if West Ham are interested, that could open up a better signing for Spurs. Imagine Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta both ending up together at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium under Thomas Frank in 2025/26.

It was already hard enough for Tottenham Hotspur supporters to wave goodbye to Ange Postecoglou this summer, as Daniel Levy and the club rather unceremoniously dumped the Australian coach weeks after he had brought them a Europa League title in a particularly arduous season.

While moving from Postecoglou to Thomas Frank has proven to be a massive upgrade tactically and an overall better move for the clubs future, just looking at how Spurs have played in the last three games, there's no question that Big Ange did more good than harm for Spurs. The fight the current squad has, of course, is largely down to a lot of what Postecoglou imparted to the players he fought so hard for.

Postecoglou will always be a beloved figure around Tottenham, even through the gaffes and his inexplicable inability to play with a midfield in the Premier League. The memories and triumphs will live on, as well as the undeniable spirit with which he carried himself.

Of course, Big Ange won't be on the unemployment line for long, and, likely, another Premier League job will open up for him. And it already looks like the charismatic coach is thinking about his next move. Unfortunately, it's to a club that Spurs supporters won't be particularly pleased to see him at.

Big Ange could be back in the Premier League this season

According to the talkSPORT insider duo of Alex Crook and Ben Jacobs, Ange Postecoglou has already engaged in "informal talks" with Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis as the next possible candidate to take over from Nuno Espirito Santo - a former Tottenham coach himself - should the veteran Premier League manager choose to depart. Santo recently made public statements distancing himself from Marinakis and hinting at a possible resignation.

Marinakis is the most controversial figure in the Premier League, which is saying something since there are a load of players, coaches, and obviously owners who raise their fair share of eyebrows with their shenanigans.

But the stunt Marinakis pulled in barring Tottenham from signing Morgan Gibbs-White to a fair-and-square transfer is not one forgotten by either Spurs fans or the rest of the diehard supporters around the Premier League.

Marinakis quite possibly rubbed Santo the wrong way, and who is to say that he wouldn't have the same kind of clash with the headstrong, heart-on-his-sleeve Postecoglou? Save for Arsenal and maybe Chelsea, there may not be a place Spurs fans would rather see Postecoglou go less than Forest, both for the bad blood after the Gibbs-White deal and, maybe more concerningly, the dark cloud around Marinakis at the top.

Tottenham Hotspur are riding high after another big win, as Spurs cooked Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad to make it a perfect 5-0 aggregate start to the season with convincing wins over two very different opponents in Burnley and the Citizens.

After showing in the UEFA Supercup Final that they can legitimately go toe-to-toe with the best team in European football, Tottenham have to be feeling good about themselves as they head into a crucial final week of the summer 2025 transfer window.

Although the focus needs to be on incoming players in order for Tottenham to maintain this level through a grueling season that now includes the Champions League, Spurs next move may be a relatively high-profile departure.

According to the latest information from Fabrizio Romano, Bundesliga newcomers HSV Hamburg are "close" to an agreement with Tottenham over a loan deal for star center back Luka Vuksovic, one of the best young players in the world at the position.

Tottenham are loaning their two biggest gems

Per Fab, negotiations are ongoing, and agreement between the two parties will be "completed soon", ending weeks of transfer speculation that the Croatian international would soon be headed to the German top flight.

Vuskovic is one of two prospects Tottenham fans are most exciting about with the other being winger Mikey Moore, who already joined a very high-profile club in Scottish giants Rangers on loan. Vuksovic is about to follow, and, like Moore, he will benefit from having more opportunities to start elsewhere.

Hamburg are only just returning to the Bundesliga after years of being stuck in the second division, and Vuskovic, even at the age of 18, already has the quality to start for them. That means Vuskovic will be a starter in a top five European league once this deal goes through, and that is invaluable experience for the Tottenham youngster to gain before returning to North London.

Simply put, Vuskovic is good enough to get some minutes for Spurs, but they are already loaded at center back with four legitimate quality footballers at the position in the superstar duo of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, the ever underrated Kevin Danso, and even Radu Dragusin is an above-averager starting center back.

Vuskovic to Hamburg is as nailed-on of a transfer as you'll see, and while it is always tough to see a young player leave on loan, the benefits far outweight the negatives for Spurs with this Vuskovic loan deal.

The field of candidates at the No. 10 position seems to be pretty wide open due to the uncertainty of the situation for Tottenham Hotspur, as the club are scrambling for a valid James Maddison replacement after previous top target Eberechi Eze snubbed them at the last second for rivals Arsenal.

Eze's decision has sent Tottenham's summer transfer plans into a tailspin, and while there aren't many great options available in terms of playmakers who can raise Spurs level to that of a contender in the Champions League and Premier League, the undefeated North London giants still have a couple of quality players left to look at on the market.

Perhaps the most promising is Nico Paz of Como, though the complicated aspect of going for the Spanish international is the looming presence of Real Madrid, who can buy the player back at a future summer transfer window at a meager fee of less than 10 million euros. Removing that clause threat will likely take additional financial negotiation.

For now, though, Spurs seem serious about trying to pry Paz away from Como just one year after his breakout season helped the ambitious Italian side survive their first campaign in Serie A. According to veteran Italian transfer journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Tottenham have indeed followed through on their plan to submit an improved offer to Como for Paz.

Tottenham will likely have to pay more

After previously sending a bid to Italy for 40 million euros in exchange for the 20-year-old attacking midfield talent, Tottenham have now upped their offer to 50 million euros. While that's still significantly below the high price of 70 million euros that Como are asking for, there is likely room for negotiation underneath the "sell high" fee that Como are aiming for.

Perhaps Tottenham can snag Paz for something in between 50 and 70 million euros, though it's hard to see Como going for just 50 million when Paz still has more room to grow and is already so vital to Como's hopes. Now, Como are seeking more than just survival and are looking to invest and build towards something greater in Serie A.

Tottenham don't have many options, and Paz is one of the few who is both talented enough to play games for Tottenham right off the bat and with enough upside to be a long-term solution at the position alongside a, hopefully, healthy Maddison. Negotiations should continue, though a sticking point may not be just the fee for Paz to Como, but also the fact that Real Madrid will surely want a hefty slice of pie, too.