Hotspur HQ

This was a big performance from Tottenham. A statement win in only Thomas Frank's second game. It was a controlled performance, very similar to the one vs. PSG without, thankfully, any of the late drama.

GK Guglielmo Vicario

Was not tested anywhere near as much as I, and perhaps he, would have expected. Looked comfortable with any shots or crosses that came his way. Made one potentially big error passing out from the back, but otherwise was solid, including narrowing the angle really well for an important first half save from Omar Marmoush with the score at 0-0. Rating: 7

RB Pedro Porro

Was his usual energetic self on the right of defence, and linked the forward play effectively. Performed especially well when Jeremy Doku came on, really limiting the impact of the City sub. Rating: 8

LB Djed Spence

Goes from strength to strength. Spence defended superbly, rarely giving opponents time on the ball. Is comfortable on the ball in attack and has improved his tackling already this season. At the moment it is difficult to understand how he took so long to break into the first team after signing from Middlesbrough. Rating: 9

CB Cristian Romero

Looked strong, and even on a yellow card was not pulling out of any tackles. When he and Micky van de Ven are on this form, our spine is very solid. Looked like a captain today against one of the best attacks he will face this season. Rating: 8

CB Micky van de Ven

Similar to Romero, very solid. Micky did not have to use his pace so much today as we played a more controlled game. Made some important blocks in the second half. A performance that should give a lot of confidence going forward. Rating: 8

CM João Palhinha

Was part of a wall in midfield that did not give City any time. Palinha seemed to be everywhere. Drilled in the second goal when it looked like the gift of a chance might have been passed up. Would have been our best player had it not been for Pape Matar Sarr's performance next to him. Palinha is the type of player we have needed for a long time, and let's hope more of these performances are to come. Rating: 9

CM Pape Matar Sarr

His best performance in a Spurs shirt. Sarr has improved with each season and this year has had an excellent pre-season. Like Palinha, he was involved all over the pitch, constantly broke up City's play, and did not stop running. If he keeps playing like this and can also improve his forward play, Sarr could be a box-to-box midfielder that most teams will have a hard time stopping. Rating: 10

CM Rodrigo Bentancur

Calm in possession as always, and provided a steady outlet for us to play out from the back. Bentancur generally reads the game very well, and his positioning today showed this to a great extent. Very promising start to the season. Rating: 8

RW Mohammed Kudus

We didn't get to see as much of his attacking play as last week, which was always going to be likely given the difficulty of the fixture. Kudus, however, still put in a great performance, winning the ball, holding it up and helping us to control parts of the game. I'm not sure if we will see another player that has quite the same unique style as Moussa Dembele, but Kudus, while playing in a different position to Dembele, certainly has some of the same attributes. Rating: 8

LW Brennan Johnson

Continues to not be involved too much in a game, apart from scoring, of course. Does seem to get lost a little in games but impossible to leave out while he maintains such a goal threat. Took the goal very well from a cross that just had enough to reach him. Rating: 7

CF Richarlison

Put in a good effort up front, pressed well, and held the ball up at times. Good run to provide the assist for the critical opening goal. Still doesn't always seem too confident to take on chances, but built on last week's excellent performance. Deserves to continue to start at the moment. Rating: 7

Substitutes: Kevin Danso, Lucas Bergvall, Dominic Solanke, Wilson Odobert

Tottenham Hotspur have missed out on at least a handful of credible attacking midfield options this summer transfer window. Eberechi Eze to Arsenal is the highest profile and most recent of the snubs, but it was almost as brutal watching Morgan Gibbs-White agree to a deal with Spurs, only to end up re-signing a contract extension with Nottingham Forest anyway.

Spurs also missed out on James McAtee, who moved from Manchester City to Nottingham Forest, and Rayan Cherki early in the window. RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons would be a dream signing, but he's made it abundantly clear on several occasions in reports by top transfer insiders that he only wants to move to rivals Chelsea.

After Eze chose to join Arsenal, Tottenham have been scrambling to sign anyone, and one of the bottom-of-the-barrel options is Tyler Dibling from Southampton. The top young prospect only scored a couple of Premier League goals in his debut as a starter at the top level last season, disappointing in the end.

But he is still just 19 and a high-upside player. So while he is far from the ideal option for Tottenham and would not start right off the bat, he was on their radar. Now, though, he's off it, and even Dibling, the lowest-ranked of the Tottenham transfer targets at the 10 position, has found a new home in the Premier League.

Tottenham transfer target signing 42M deal

Fabrizio Romano gave Dibling to Everton the fabled "here we go", and perhaps the Toffees hearing the mumblings that Spurs were interested in the Saints teenage sensation was enough to spur them into action to officially sign Dibling.

A deal is reportedly in place between Everton and Southampton on a whopping 42 million pound transfer with an additional sell-on clause for the Saints to profit from, should the U21 talent shine and move on from Everton to an even bigger club.

Dibling has talent and potential, but 42 million pounds for a player who would have been nowhere near the Tottenham starting lineup as a playmaking No. 10 or a wide playmaker on the wings would have been, in all honesty, absolutely asinine.

Tottenham fans will be happy Dibling went to a worse Premier League club for a ton of money, and Spurs supporters will be pushing the team hard to go after a world-class player. But those options are few and far between at this late stage of the transfer window with the 2025/26 Premier League season under way. It's all down to the Diblings now, and even they are finding homes fast, too.

Desperate times call for desperate measures for Tottenham Hotspur. The North London giants just lost out on another top-tier Premier League playmaker on the transfer market, as Crystal Palace star attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze broke Spurs hearts by choosing to sign with rivals Arsenal at the last second.

Eze's snub followed Morgan GIbbs-White's, leaving Tottenham without a viable star in the attacking midfield role following a potentially season-ending injury to James Maddison, as well as a prolonged recovery period for emergency backup option Dejan Kulusevski.

Spurs are left scouring the market for alternative options, and arguably the most intriguing of the ones actually available for transfer is Como star Nico Paz, who broke out in his first season at the top level.

An immediate starter - and star - in Serie A, Paz joined Como permanently last summer for six million euros. Real Madrid, the club where he graduated from as a top academy prospect, are no longer his parent club, but they can buy him back next summer for less than 10 million euros.

Tottenham may have to spend even more than 70M

Despite Madrid's looming presence, Tottenham are interested in plucking the 20-year-old Serie A playmaker from Como. According to a new report from Italian transfer insider Gianluca Di Marzio, Tottenham are ready to go back in for Paz after submitting a 40 million euro transfer bid to Como for the player earlier this window.

Per Di Marzio, Tottenham are going to submit an improved transfer bid to Como for Paz, but Como have set a high asking price for the Spanish international. The Italian club would like to obtain 70 million euros in exchange for the young midfielder, Complicating things further is the fact that Real Madrid will have final say on any Paz transfer because of their buy-back clause.

Therefore, in order for Tottenham to guarantee they keep Paz and don't end up in a Johnny Cardoso situation where he ends up in Madrid, Spurs may have to pay additional cash to Real Madrid on top of the 70 million euros to Como in order to avoid an eventual letdown,

It's a lot of money for a player who could end up being more expensive than Mohammed Kudus, Eberechi Eze, and even Savinho over at Manchester City. Paz is really good and blew everyone away in Serie A, but the competition was easier and the pressure virtually nil at Como with the keys to the kingdom handed to him. He's better than almost all the options left for Tottenham, but he's also ridiculously expensive for someone without a proven track record at the Champions League or Premier League level among the best of the best in Europe.

Tottenham Hotspur made quite the statement on the Premier League's opening weekend, lambasting newcomers Burnley 3-0 to take out their frustrations on the blown loss in the UEFA Supercup Final against reigning Champions League winners PSG.

Things are looking up for Spurs on the pitch, even as they were dealt a crucial blow off it with Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze choosing loathsome rivals Arsenal over them. Spurs still need to reenforce the attacking elements of their squad, and one of their biggest transfer targets is actually a member of the opposition on Saturday afternoon, Manchester City winger Savinho.

Manchester City will be a much more appropriate test for a Tottenham team that looked very game for the champions of Europe, as they have a lot more quality than Burnley. They showed it, too, last weekend with an even more impressive 4-0 drubbing of Wolves

Ahead of the big match on Saturday at the Etihad, Tottenham manager Thomas Frank spoke about two formations he is thinking of running against Manchester City and beyond in the 2025/26 Premier League season, via The Spurs Express:

“I treat every game a little bit different, but it’s definitely in my mind the 3-5-2, it’s also definitely in my mind the 4-2-3-1, and I will take a decision on what we do and you’ll see that tomorrow. I am always thinking, how can we tweak a little bit inside our principles. Then of course system can give us something, but principles are the most important thing. So, yeah I will be pragmatic, I will use different systems and different ways to win football matches.”

Tottenham went with three against PSG

Tottenham utilized a back four in the Premier League opener against Burnley with Pape Sarr, Archie Gray, and Lucas Bergvall anchoring the midfield three with the main back four, sans Djed Spence starting for Destiny Udogie, behind them.

But it's worth noting that in the game before that against PSG, Frank made use of a back three and had Pedro Porro and Djed Spence as wing backs. Kevin Danso drew a start in central defense alongside Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven to form quite the enviable trio of center backs.

Frank can't go wrong with any approach, and, ultimately, against a stronger like like Man City, he may opt for the formation he used against PSG for more defensive solidity against the likes of Erling Haaland, Bernardo Silva, Jeremy Doku, and new Man City superstar Tijjani Reijnders.

Going forward, Tottenham will be a flexible team with multiple formations that will be deployed depending on the situation. The fact that Spurs have such a versatile, young squad under Frank definitiely helps, and that tactical flexibility and squad versatility is exactly why it's so important for Spurs to keep signing good footballers before the transfer market ends.

No Son Heung-min or Dejan Kulusevski this weekend for Tottenham. Two players who Man City have historically struggled against. Here's how the last 5 games have gone.

Tottenham 0-1 Man City (Premier League)

After finding it difficult at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium for many earlier games, City continued better recent form there. Erling Haaland, just recently back from injury, scored an early goal. Having already been a threat, Haaland converted a Jeremy Doku pass from close range to give City the lead. Tottenham struggled to deal with Doku and Savinho on the wings and needed Vicario to make some good saves, but improved in the second half.

Odobert came close, and we did see a great late chance fall for Son, who had his shot saved. That gave Tottenham hope, but there were no more goals to come, Haaland even had a late finish ruled out for a handball. There was time, though, for Pape Matar Sarr to head over what should have been an equalizer.

Man City 0-4 Tottenham (Premier League)

If ever there was a game that shows Angeball at its finest, this was it. Ange's tactics did not always work, of course, and opposition teams did seem to figure them out quickly, but when they worked like this, it was wonderful to watch. Spurs went into this game without Cristian Romero or Micky van de Ven, two players who it was thought would be needed to have any chance. City were on a terrible run of form, and it wasn't long before they were struggling again.

James Maddison scored twice in the first half, once from a perfect Dejan Kulusevski cross and another from a Son through ball. The expected City avalanche in the second half didn't happen. Instead, Porro scored a third after another Kulusevski drive. Brennan Johnson added a fourth in injury time. Timo Werner provided the cross to leave the stadium in shock, showing great pace to go straight past Kyle Walker.

Tottenham 2-1 Man City (League Cup)

Timo Werner and Dejan Kulusevski combined for Werner to score to give Spurs the perfect start. Werner could have scored again before Pape Matar Sarr curled in a brilliant effort from outside the box. Sarr hit the ball first time, passing it into the net, and after 25 minutes, Spurs were two up. Since then, City came back into the game, led by Phil Foden and Matheus Nunes.

Nunes it was who scored just before half time to reduce the lead to 2-1. Both teams had chances in the second half in what was an open game. Werner and Savinho looking threats on the wings for each side. Werner and Richarlison both missed opportunities when through on goal. City pressed but a late goal-line block by Yves Bissouma was enough to give Spurs the win.

Tottenham 0-2 Man City (Premier League)

One of the strangest recent games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Many Spurs fans came into it not particularly wanting to win, given City dropping points would boost Arsenal's title chances. Ange Postecoglou did not seem impressed with this talk before the game, but its difficult to see how this should have been a surprise.

In any case, the awkward situation of Spurs helping Arsenal did not materialize. Haaland scored twice as City won fairly comfortably. There were chances for Kulusevski and Son, but City's win put them on their way to the title.

Tottenham 0-1 Man City (FA Cup)

Tottenham vs Man City in the FA Cup will always make me think of Ricky Villa and his (best ever) FA Cup final goal. This game, however, was not as memorable. City had some chances, Spurs did not, and it was a game that never really got going.

Fittingly, the winning goal was a scrappy one, too. Nathan Ake scored late from a corner with Spurs feeling it should have been ruled out for a foul on Vicario. It was the first goal City had scored at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium and was enough to send them through.

Tottenham fans can finally exhale. Their worst nightmare is a reality—Eberechi Eze has officially joined bitter rivals Arsenal. It can’t get much worse than this.

If there is a silver lining to the most depressing day for Spurs supporters in recent memory, it is that the death blow came swiftly. But let’s be honest, there are no positives to take from the humiliating debacle. Fans have every right to be apoplectic, and they have every right to direct their contempt toward Daniel Levy and ENIC before the Bournemouth match.

The Tottenham chairman has racked up a laundry list of offenses this summer that will surely be paraded along the High Road on August 30. He sacked Ange Postecoglou just two weeks after winning the Europa League and ending the club’s soul-crushing 17-year trophy drought. He procrastinated before announcing Thomas Frank as his replacement, giving other clubs a two-week head start in the transfer market. He bizarrely declared during in an interview with Gary Neville that he wanted Spurs to win the Premier League, and the Champions League. He was then bullied by Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marianakis and failed to finalize the Morgan Gibbs-White deal. He has been unable to sell a single first-team player other than club legend Son Heung-min. And, most damming of all, he committed the unforgivable sin of allowing Arsenal to steal Eberechi Eze from under his nose, rather than triggering the player’s release clause.Â

There will be no shortage of football executives and agents celebrating Daniel Levy’s spectacular summer of failure. His arrogant, small-minded negotiation tactics have now been laid bare for all the world to mock.Â

Respected Sky Sports football reporter Dharmesh Sheth went so far as to call Levy’s actions “outlandish” during an episode of "Last Word On Spurs" following the Eberechi Eze news. We have since learned that not only did the Tottenham chairman refuse to trigger the £68 million release clause, which Arsenal ultimately agreed to pay after it had expired; he attempted to use Richarlison as bait in a convoluted scheme to hijack Yoane Wissa’s move to Newcastle.

But the fall-out from the Eze debacle will ripple far beyond the chairman’s insulated bubble. The consequences will be felt at every level of the club, and beyond.

Outside the Stadium

The facts of the case will only amplify the chorus of enraged fans demanding that Levy step down from football-related activities at Tottenham. While only a small, die-hard contingent chose to join the “Change For Spurs” protest before the Burnley match on opening day, Levy can now expect thousands of supporters to gather outside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before Bournemouth game. National news outlets will be there to cover the demonstration, and Daniel Levy’s name will be on everyone’s lips.

Within the Dressing Room

How will the fury of the fans affect the morale of the squad? Will it galvanize the team, or cause new captain Cristian Romero to question his decision to sign a long-term contract? How will Thomas Frank respond to losing a crucial target just ten days before the transfer window closes? How will he manage to compete in four competitions without a number ten? Was he even consulted on the negotiations? Would anyone blame him for seeking a more serious project elsewhere in two years? How will Richarlison react to the news that he was involved in the Eze deal? Was he aware that he was part of the negotiations?

At Board Level

Daniel Levy has lost what remained of his credibility with fans, but what about the board of directors? How will Vivienne Lewis react to the public humiliation? Will she or Non-Executive Director Peter Charrington report their concerns to the Lewis Family that Levy’s negotiating tactics single-handedly caused the deal to collapse? How worried are they that other owners and player agents are now unwilling to do business with him? And how will CEO Vinai Venkatesham respond to his new boss being publicly embarrassed by his previous employer?Â

In the Corporate World

Will the board be concerned that Levy’s mismanagement has diminished Tottenham’s reputation to the extent that corporate sponsors will not want to associate their brands with the club? Have his actions caused sponsors to walk away from naming rights deals during the past six year? Is Levy’s failure to secure deals with traditional “selling clubs” proof that, under his leadership, Tottenham is no longer a “big six” club?

Across the Premier League

Has Levy’s hubris priced Tottenham out of the market for other targets now that every club knows Spurs are desperate to sign an attacking midfielder. Did he neglect to pursue other options while wasting weeks on two failed deals? How could he fail to sign a replacement for the injured James Maddison in three weeks, while Arsenal did so in three days? Did he really enlist Fabio Paratici to help Crystal Palace sign Bilal El-Khannouss as Eze’s replacement? Are his negotiation tactics so toxic that Manchester City, Aston Villa or AS Monaco will now summarily reject any offer for Savinho, Morgan Rogers or Maghnes Akliouche?

The optics of losing Eze are worse than Sol Campbell’s defection to Arsenal while he was Spurs’ captain. But this time, Spurs fans can’t even be upset with Arsenal. The Kroenkes approached Eze months ago. The player agreed to terms with his boyhood club. They backed out of the deal and gave Spurs free reign to sign the star midfielder. When Kai Haavertz got injured, they moved quickly to seal the deal, while Daniel Levy was focused on shafting Steve Parish out of a few million quid. Fair play to them. They have taught Tottenham a lesson that will resonate painfully for decades—this is how a big club operates.

Tottenham Hotspur were so close to completing a deal for attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze, but, ultimately, Crystal Palace and the England international decided to break Spurs hearts and go with Arsenal, who presented a sweeter offer to the Eagles than Daniel Levy did.

As Spurs scramble for an actual replacement for the injured duo of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski so the No. 10 position is occupied by a valid playmaker in the 2025/26 season, they are also still mulling over other transfers like a new winger or defender - or even a few sales.

The most high-profile players linked with moves away from Tottenham are center midfielder Yves Bissouma and striker Richarlison, and while Bissouma remains someone Spurs want to let go of, the Brazilian international has totally changed his fortunes.

According to a new report from Eduardo Burgos of Diario AS, Richarlison will not be leaving this summer. Thomas Frank did not entertain the idea of offering up the veteran forward as a makeweight in the deal with Crystal Palace for Eberechi Eze. He believes in Richarlson as a part of the squad for the 2025/26 season, with Burgos going so far as to say that Frank views him as "crucial".

Tottenham can't make superfluous transfers

That can be evident through the first two games of the season against PSG and Burnley, too. Richarlison was active and even brilliant against Paris, constantly causing danger with his movement and willingness to get into the box and into scoring positions.

His effort paid off in the Premier League opener, with the 28-year-old grabbing two goals in the 3-0 win, getting himself five shots in total while completing two dribbles. He even worked on the defensive end, too, snagging a cool three clearances.

The transfer rumors surrounding Richarlison have come to a dead stop, and that's because Frank continues to cement his belief in the player. With his acrobatics, raw talent, and Premier League experience, Richarlison is much better than anyone Spurs could realistically sign at striker at this point, and Richarlison is also more valuable to Spurs than what he'd gain in transfer capital elsewhere.

Plus, Tottenham can't just sell Richarlison and sign a more expensive striker in a lateral move. They need to pinch every penny of Daniel Levy and ENIC's they can in order to sign two attacking midfielders, a winger, and potentially a depth signing to bolster the forgotten needs in the squad at other positions.

Tottenham Hotspur are reeling at the playmaker position, and it showed in their blown lead to PSG in the UEFA Supercup Final to kick off the 2025/26 campaign. Spurs won't have James Maddison for the foreseeable future due to a torn ACL, while his emergency replacement, winger Dejan Kulusevski, is also out for a while with a knee injury.

Having missed out on two established Premier League stars in the attacking midfield in Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White, Tottenham are scrambling with less than 10 days left in the summer 2025 transfer window to fill this all-important need in Thomas Frank's squad. After the way Spurs let those two marquee transfers collapse, the fans have absolutely no faith in Daniel Levy or the club's brass to back the incredibly talented tactician Frank - if they had any faith left at all.

Tottenham have been filing through a host of attacking midfield names that are either impossible to sign right now in the window or are simply underwhelming, like Tyler Dibling. However, a name has been floated back in Spurs direction after weeks of the trail going cold, and this one actually makes some sense.

Appearing on Fichajes MARCA, reporter Diego Rico said that Tottenham Hotspur are preparing a transfer bid to Como for attacking midfielder Nico Paz, who additionally has a buy-back clause to Real Madrid for just nine million euros next year.

Tottenham need to take Real Madrid out of the equation

Real Madrid could have signed Paz for a meager eight million euros this summer after his big Serie A breakout in 2024/25 after his six million euro bargain move to the ambitious Como, but Madrid already have enough mouths to feed in the attack and midfield. But of course, Paz is a bargain at that price and if he plays any better, Xabi Alonso could change his mind, even with Franco Mastantuono set to start already as a new teenage phenom in the Spanish capital.

Tottenham need to snag playmaking talent before the clock runs out, and while detractors will state that they want someone proven from the Premier League like Eze or Gibbs-White were, the reality is that those top options no longer exist on the market. And Tottenham have had great luck with signing stars from Serie A and the Bundesliga in the past. Players like Cristian Romero, Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, and Dejan Kulusevski are key to Tottenham's success but were proven in Italy and not England.

Tottenham Hotspur are reeling after watching North London rivals Arsenal scoop up Crystal Palace star attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze, just when everyone thought the 27-year-old was headed to Spurs as their new marquee addition to the summer 2025 transfer window.

Instead, Tottenham are now at risk of exiting August empty-handed at what is now their biggest position of need, and, so far, their only real attacking addition of the summer transfer market has been Mohammed Kudus from West Ham. Kudus is already paying off dividends, but even his brilliance against PSG wasn't enough to overcome the severe lack of central playmaking.

Tottenham are going to have to sign at least one No. 10 - and preferably two - as both veteran stars James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are out until further notice with knee injuries. As Spurs head back to the drawing board, it appears they are going after the one player their fans don't want to see in a starting role.

According to a report from The Independent's Miguel Delaney, Tottenham have made an approach to Southampton regarding the availability of 19-year-old prospect Tyler Dibling. Spurs had been linked to Dibling briefly early in the transfer window, and now he's resurfaced months later as something further down the list than a Plan B following the Eberechi Eze transfer collapse.

Tottenham need proven stars

Tottenham fans are not too pleased with Spurs entertaining the Dibling option, and you only have to read replies to Spurs fan news accounts, like this one with over 100 likes, to see exactly what Spurs fans think about this "bottom of the barrel" candidate in comparison to the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White and Eze.

Spurs could have had their pick of several competent, established Premier League playmakers or more exciting, ascending prospects with proven track records elsewhere, such as current Manchester City star Rayan Cherki.

Instead, Tottenham have to look at guys like Dibling as their most realistic transfer targets left in August, which is all down to their own poor planning and even worse negotiating. Dibling has clear talent, but he's nowhere near the caliber of player to start as a No. 10 in the Premier League for a side with Champions League aspirations, and he already showed in Southampton's dismal demotion season that he's far from ready.

Dibling scored just 2 goals in 33 Premier League appearances last season, and he didn't even start on Matchday 1 of the Championship for the Saints. There's no way Tottenham should even be wasting resources approaching Dibling as an option right now when they should be committing 100 percent of their time and efforts into the elite attacking midfield or winger options like Savinho, Nico Paz, or Morgan Rogers.

Tottenham Hotspur fans already had a low bar set for expectations from the club, but somehow Daniel Levy managed to limbo underneath the surface of the earth to sneak underneath said bar. The way Spurs blew the Morgan GIbbs-White and Eberechi Eze transfers has been nothing short of remarkable, with the loss of Eze to Arsenal standing as an unforgivable transfer crime in the eyes of a perpetually disappointed fanbase.

Even before James Maddison went down with a torn ACL, Tottenham were already desperate to sign another attacking midfielder, which is why they thought they had a deal planned with GIbbs-White in the first place. But after the No. 10 went down, signing Eze should have been a matter of life and death for Daniel Levy.

The need for a new No. 10 has only increased now, too. Tottenham knew that Dejan Kulusevski would need about another month to get healthy after a knee injury at the end of the 2024/25 season, but, now, it looks like the Spurs midfielder/winger will need even more time to get on the pitch.

According to a report from The Guardian's David Hytner, Kulusevski is now expected to be out until January of next year after undergoing surgery. It's a devastating blow to Tottenham, taking one of their best right wingers and playmakers out of the equation, and it means that Spurs now have no first or emergency-choice No. 10's for the next four to five months of the 2025/26 season.

Tottenham have no playmaking quality

Tottenham have to sign a playmaker now. And because Kulusevski is out until 2025 and for nearly as long as Maddison with every chance of a further prolonged timeline or aggravation, Tottenham absolutely have to listen to Thomas Frank's initial request and sign two No. 10's.

Right now, they have no real playmaking talent of which to speak. That was highlighted strongly by their blown lead against PSG, as their goals were both by the superstar center backs on set pieces. And although they put three past Burnley in a commanding opening display, a lot of the great work was done by Richarlison and Mohammed Kudus individually.

The right playmaker can unlock the rest of this Tottenham attack. Not signing anybody and not having cover for the new guy would be akin to self immolation for Spurs. Tottenham are toast if they don't respond to the latest Kulusevski injury blow with an even more aggressive transfer approach.