Hotspur HQ

Through the first seven matches of both the 2025/26 Premier League season and the Thomas Frank managerial era at Tottenham Hotspur, the Lilywhites are third in the Premier League behind only Arsenal and Liverpool - last season's top two clubs. Their only loss thus far is to Bournemouth, who sit fourth in the table but are behind on goal differential (thank you, Burnley and West Ham).

As Tottenham head into the October international break, surely many a Spurs fan has taken a gander at the upcoming slate of fixtures when the Premier League resumes in a few weeks - as well as the Champions League - and has noticed that the future looks troubling.

In the next two months up until Dec. 3, Tottenham will have to face Monaco and PSG in the Champions League, and those will be their toughest opponents in the competition yet. But the Premier League schedule is even more daunting with tough battles against Aston Villa, a resurgent Everton, Newcastle, Chelsea, Manchester United, rivals Arsenal, Fulham, and then the Magpies yet again.

The fact that Villa and Man United are the easiest of the two opponents speaks volumes to how tough the schedule that lies ahead will be for Tottenham. But the remarkable thing is that even though Spurs are averaging two points per game right now after a light schedule, they could arguably get even more points with the tough matchups ahead.

Tottenham step up in the biggest games

Aside from the obvious point that eight games is more than seven, the number three is the most important one here. Tottenham could be getting three important attacking players back from injury in the coming weeks in Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, and Randal Kolo Muani. And that's not even mentioning center backs Radu Dragusin and Kota Takai to add more depth to the squad.

Tottenham already have an elite defense - the only one to shut Erling Haaland out this season - and it's been the attack that has been the issue with a reliance on Mohammed Kudus to do it all. Spurs will have a more comfortable Xavi Simons, as well as two better strikers than Richarlison ready to bring everyone else into the game more.

Spurs are also notorious for playing better against the big teams, and their 2-0 romping of Manchester City - as compared to a putrid draw to Wolves - can help attest to that. There are so many reasons to believe Spurs are only getting better and better, and with their track record of being oppositely great against the best teams, Tottenham could paradoxically be even better in October and November.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank showed faith in Richarlison and held onto the former Everton forward despite transfer rumors linking him with a move away from the club last summer. Now, a large part of the reason why Spurs kept Richarlison was the fact that they didn't really have any real offers for Richy, so selling him for pennies on the dollar would have been worse than rolling the dice on a talented Premier League striker at a rather questionable position for Spurs.

But by all accounts, Frank was very high on Richarlison and believed he could bring the best version of the Brazilian international back. It looked like he did, too, as Richarlison was a standout in the first few matches of the season, scoring goals and running like a madman.

Lately, though, Richarlison has fallen back to the depths of being a major transfer bust, and against Leeds United this past weekend, Frank made the bold call to play Mathys Tel at striker despite 1) left wing behind the young Frenchman's best fit and 2) Tel receiving arguably harsher criticism from the Tottenham fanbase for his performances.

Well, Tel answered the call successfully for Spurs on Saturday, scoring once and nearly twice in a strong all-around game at striker, carving out his own chances. Meanwhile, Wilson Odobert did just enough to potentially earn more looks on the left wing, though, of course, not at the expense of Tel if the two are in direct competition.

Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert won't be competing

But coming out of the October international break when familiar foes Aston Villa await them, Tel and Odobert likely won't be in direct competition for the Tottenham left wing job. Instead, Frank could very well go back to the well that yielded copious water on Saturday, starting Odobert on the left and Tel up the middle again, leaving Richarlison the bench.

Tel could be preferred over Richarlison at striker now by Frank, and although Tel's stay as the main No. 9 will be short-lived with Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani getting closer to returns from injury, it's more than reasonable for Frank to make the swap from Richarlison to Tel against Villa on Sunday, Oct. 19 in about two weeks.

Whereas Richarlison is nearing his last legs with Tottenham if he can't prove he's a more consistent striker option for the club, Tel is here to stay. He works hard for the team - even harder than Richy - and he ha so much future potential, especially when you look at his mentally of always bouncing back in the face of criticism. He's earned another start at striker if Richarlison is his only barrier.

When Tottenham Hotspur signed winger Mohammed Kudus from rivals West Ham United this past summer transfer window for a cool 55 million pounds, I doubt even they envisioned him being both this good and this important to the club through the first seven matchdays of the 2025/26 Premier League season.

Kudus already means everything to Tottenham's attack, and that honestly isn't an exaggeration. Without Kudus's dribbling ability, fearless attacking instincts, and quality with his chance creation, Spurs would not be one of the Premier League title contenders just after Arsenal and Liverpool heading into the October international break.

The numbers Kudus is producing with the ball at his feet are staggering. In addition to four assists - and his first goal as a Tottenham player this weekend against Leeds - he is literally outproducing everyone in European football as a dribbler.

According to Squawka, the 25-year-old Ghanian superstar is the only player in Europe's top five leagues with 30 take-ons completed. Nobody is even within 10 take-ons of him in the Premier League itself. Kudus also leads the Premier League in assists and duels won, highlighting his dual ability to destroy defenders off the dribble and create goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates.

Mohammed Kudus just might be the best

There is literally nobody on this planet offering a higher-level of take-ons and one-on-one ability on the ball than Kudus. He is opening up the entire attack for Tottenham, and, in many ways, he IS the attack with how often he beats his man and gets into situations that change the game for Spurs.

No player can say they are beating their man as often as Kudus, nor are they trying to force the issue in games quite like him. That kind of player is priceless, and, honestly, if West Ham knew Kudus would be this good, they would have asked Tottenham to pay double for his services this past summer transfer window.

Kudus is only in the early stages of his Tottenham career, Thomas Frank is still trying to figure out the rest of the attack, and strikers Randal Kolo Muani and Dominic Solanke haven't even taken the field this season. So that means Kudus is only going to become even more effective for Tottenham going forward, and that's a fact that should scare the living daylights out of every single other team in the Premier League - both Arsenal and Liverpool very much included in that equation.

Heading into the October international break, Tottenham Hotspur sit third in the 2025/26 Premier League table, just one point behind defending champions Liverpool and two behind eternal rivals Arsenal. Exactly how Spurs stand as a true title contender will depend on how they do in head-to-head competition with the two title favorites, but they are, as of right now, absolutely in contention.

And Spurs did prove their legitimacy as contenders on Matchday 2 this season, beating another one of the main title contenders quite handily. Tottenham destroyed Manchester City 2-0 in Thomas Frank's third overall game in charge, and the most impressive part of that game is the "0" in the scoreline - and it's only getting more impressive with time.

That's because Tottenham are still the only team to hold Manchester City superstar striker Erling Haaland goalless for a game. That's right, in Haaland's six other appearances, he has scored. The Norwegian sensation has found the back of the net nine times in those six games, including two goals against rivals Manchester United and a goal against Arsenal.

So not even Arsenal, widely regarded as having the best defense in the Premier League, were able to hold Manchester City and Haaland to a clean sheet. But Spurs were. That's massive, and it goes to show you that Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Co. still don't get nearly enough credit for being one of the elite defenses in the Premier League.

Tottenham owned the Premier League's Golden Boot favorite

Haaland is on an outrageous run right now, and with Mohamed Salah a bit slow to start the 2025/26 Premier League season, the Man City man has 100 percent been the best player in the league this season. He is the only player with double-digit goal contributions thus far and has three more goals than anyone else, as well as WhoScored's highest overall rating in the Premier League.

Statistically speaking, Haaland is the Premier League's best player right now, and he is indeed entering the peak of his career at 25. And yet for as insanely consistent as he has been at finding the back of the net this season, Tottenham were able to blank him and are the only team, to date, to stifle the world-class striker.

Again, that's a huge feather in the caps of each of the defenders for Tottenham, and even though most people view Romero as a world-class player, it still feels like people don't get how great he and especially Van de Ven are.

When Tottenham Hotspur signed Wilson Odobert from Burnley in the summer 2024 transfer market, they did so believing that the young Frenchman could potentially develop into one of the top attacking players in the Premier League and boost the team with real goal contributions in terms of goals and assists, in addition to skillful dribbling.

Odobert didn't get much of a shake in his first season at the club, as expected, but he's already been getting significantly more runs of game time under new manager Thomas Frank, who has been more open to giving youth chances while experimenting with his lineups.

So far in the 2025/26 Premier League season, the 20-year-old has drawn two starts and seven total appearances, including a start this past weekend against Leeds United. Odobert had his momens against Leeds, but he was largely quiet, though he did show signs of improvement from the 2-2 draw with Brighton a couple of weeks prior.

Odobert's talent is easy to see, even when he's not really impacting the bottom line of the game very much. He makes neat touches, and he can occasionally blow by his defender. There are elements of positive positioning and ball progression, and his best moments come when he's linking up with teammates.

This isn't Wilson Odobert's best role

But the thing is, Odobert isn't really being put in the best position to succeed. He's a left winger, yes, but he's more of an attacking midfielder, and when he plays on the left side for Tottenham, it seems like Frank hasn't quite figured out how to best maximize Odobert's skill set.

See, as it currently stands with how Tottenham are playing, Odobert is isolated on the wings, and that's exactly why he's been so quiet. He gets blanked for stretches of the game because he's treading water out wide, unable to collect and interchange with players, instead waiting for the ball to come to him.

Odobert is more of a quick player than a fast player. He doesn't eat up large swathes of grass, but, rather, he kills you defensively with quick shifts across, tight dribbles, and little one-twos. The Frenchman is a neat and technical player, and he would actually work best as an inverted wide playmaker who tucks in, takes long shots, and passes and moves into the box.

If Frank can find a way to harness Odobert's best strengths in terms of his short passing game, dribbling ability, and quickness in tight spaces, then Spurs will have quite the player on their hands. Mathys Tel is a better true goal-scoring winger, but Odobert can certainly have a role to play, especially if he is used to play off a big, well-rounded striker like Dominic Solanke or Randal Kolo Muani when those two returns from injuries.

Tottenham Hotspur are building a team to dominate for the next decade, as their main focus on the transfer market these past few windows has been signing a nucleus of young superstars who can eventually become world-class players.

Lucas Bergvall has already arrived as a top player despite being a prospect, and there's plenty of hope that the likes of Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel, Antonin Kinsky, Mikey Moore, and Archie Gray can soon join him in the future. Not to mention summer 2025 signings Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus, who are already two of the most important players on the team.

But the best prospect of them all isn't even playing for the senior Tottenham team because of the sheer volume of talent at the center back position. Luka Vuskovic, signed for 12 million pounds from Hadjuk Split in 2023, was sent on loan to Hamburg before the 2025/26 season started in order to give the obvious preseason standout a chance to start regularly each week.

Well, Vuskovic has taken full advantage of that opportunity in the Bundesliga, and even those who were comparing the 18-year-old to Sergio Ramos have to be absolutely blown away by what he is doing in the Bundesliga already.

Only Bayern Munich players are outshining him

It's not a stretch to say that Vuskovic, through four games, has been one of the best players in the entire league. In fact, when you look at his WhoScored rating, he is literally the fourth-best player in the Bundesliga behind only Bayern Munich's attacking trio, who benefit from, you know, not having to face Bayern themselves. If you take out Vuskovic's first game in the Bundesliga against Bayern for newly promoted Hamburg, then he is pretty close to Harry Kane in terms of rating.

The numbers are staggering. After registering three interceptions, three blocked shots, and 17 clearances in a defensive monsterclass as part of Hamburg's upset 4-0 blowout win over Mainz, Vuskovic is now averaging 12.3 clearances and an interception to just 0.3 dribbles allowed per game in the Bundesliga. He also has 1.5 blocks per game. Plus, Vuskovic has scored a goal in four appearances with 1.8 fouls drawn per game and nearly 60 passes per match as an asset on the attacking end, too. And he's even earned the moniker "Air Vuskovic" with 7.3 aerial duels won per game.

Vuskovic is a legitimate Bundesliga Player of the Season candidate through this early point in the season. He has Hamburg believing again and has completely overhauled this team's defense just as one addition to the starting lineup. At the age of 18, that is insane, and Vuskovic just might be the Bundesliga's biggest sensation this season. Tottenham fans need to bang the drum hard, because everyone needs to be paying attention to the story Vuskovic is writing in the Bundesliga right now.

After losing his debut with Nottingham Forest by a margin of 3-0 to Arsenal, Ange Postecoglou has done nothing to show that he is turning fortunes around. He literally remains winless as Forest manager, with fans decrying him to such a degree that they are already calling for his sacking in less than a month at the helm. And as much as that would otherwise pain Tottenham Hotspur fans after they grew fond of Postecoglou for winning them the Europa League, the result is neither surprising nor truly disheartening since it is a misfortune happening to the club that unprofessionally blocked the Morgan Gibbs-White transfer.

Nottingham Forest have now lost three straight games, and they have lost a total of five of their seven matches witih Big Ange leading the way. Those two results that were not losses were draws to Burnley and then Real Betis in the Europa League.

Postecoglou's side has all the marks of a poorly-coached team, and it is remarkable that Forest made the mistake of firing Nuno Espirito Santos - another Spurs reject - for him. Big Ange is playing relegation level football for Forest right now as their coach, but, to be blunt, even the Tottenham fans who loved Postecoglou have to admit that this is just par for the course.

Tottenham were terrible under Ange Postecoglou last season

Remember, Tottenham finished the Premier League in 17th, which is their worst ever finish as a franchise. And as much as some Spurs fans want to write that off as the team not caring about the league as a certain point in the season, that doesn't change history, nor does it change the obvious fact that Spurs were atrocious.

The three teams that got relegated were essentially guaranteed to be relegated since they were newly promoted Championship sides that were immediate bounce-backs from the Premier League because they were so ill-equipped and so talent-poor that they couldn't come close to competing in the top flight. Spurs were well above them, but they were also below all the other somewhat competent Premier League clubs.

Postecoglou is simply taking exactly what didn't work at Spurs and bringing it to Forest with the same results. Last season, Forest were contending for the Champions League and were a late collapse from achieving that unthinkable feat. Just a few months later, they are literally 17th in the Premier League table themselves heading into the October international break, exactly where Postecoglou was with Spurs at the end of the 2024/25 league season. And that should tell you all you need to know about Big Ange's level as a coach.

As Mohammed Kudus trudged off the Elland Road turf, surely satisfied with his afternoon's work, UK broadcaster TNT Sports deemed it the right time to name the Ghanaian as their Player of the Match.

While Tottenham were considerably improved in possession from the two most recent draws against Wolves and Bodø/Glimt, Kudus continued to function as a one-man attack at times. It so often required more than merely multiple white shirts to tame the master ball-retainer down Spurs' right flank.

After West Ham "robbed us blind" for his services in the summer, Kudus has since emerged as the standout performer of the Thomas Frank era at this early juncture. An assist for Mathys Tel was followed up by his first goal for the club in the second-half, with his fierce but deflected effort proving to be the match-winning moment.

And for all that, Kudus was more than deserving of the widespread acclaim.

However, I remembered this morning that I do have free will, and I thought it was necessary to shoutout, in my eyes, another standout performer who slipped under the radar during Saturday's gritty win in all the elements.

Give Destiny Udogie his flowers for role in Leeds win

The statistics simply do not do Destiny Udogie's performance justice, so I'm simply going to ignore them. The eye-test rules, folks. Don't ever forget that.

While Kudus made a mockery of whichever white shirt thought it was wise to try and dispossess him down one flank, Udogie helped the previously maligned left side emerge from the creative abyss.

Thomas Frank has often spoken about "connections" in his currently functional Tottenham team, with the lack of time and constant personnel switches ensuring the harmonious dynamics he wishes to instil in possession haven't yet come to pass. Pedro Porro and Kudus have blossomed in spurts, but an optimal formula hadn't been stumbled upon on the opposite wing.

It wasn't perfect on Saturday, but the improvement was distinct. Udogie's understanding with Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons allowed a more varied, unpredictable and exciting Spurs to manifest.

The Italian left-back has fought to earn back his place from Djed Spence, whose right-footed preference eventually proved debilitating for Frank's side in possession. Udogie's reintroduction, having recovered from a knee injury before the September break, was necessary, and the perks of his presence were laid bare in Yorkshire.

The former Udinese starlet has been compromised by injuries over the past 18 months, but there was once a time when he was regarded as one of the Premier League's best at his position, all while boasting the potential to emerge among Europe's elite. His development since the initial hype has been stodgy, but Saturday's performance was a timely reminder of what he's all about.

Udogie marauded forward with so much purpose. His imposing frame and standout athleticism render him a force when he opts to burst out of the confines of the defensive line. We took advantage of a Leeds defence that didn't always correctly shift, affording the left-back time and space in superb positions once or twice, but Udogie is not yet a reliable final-third operator.

That's where improvement is required if he's to be considered in a similar realm to Nuno Mendes, whom I think is an excellent comparison profile-wise, and currently the best left-back on the planet. Mendes would've taken full advantage of the attacking situations that Udogie found himself in on Saturday.

Thomas Frank is widely praised as one of the finest tacticians in English football right now, and there's a serious case to be made that he is the best all-around coach in the Premier League right now when you combine what he did for Brentford with how he has quickly transformed Tottenham into a more stable - and yet more dangerous - team in 2025/26.

Although the new Tottenham Hotspur coach is mostly praised for being a great tactician, Frank is also a wonderful man manager who relates to his players and carries himself well. Ever calm, Frank is a great diplomat in press conferences and is already working wonders with the burgeoning talents at Tottenham, just as he coaxed career years out of players like Bryan Mbeumo and Ivan Toney at Brentford.

The young players are growing in importance and confidence under the patient and sagely Frank, and he gave Tottenham fans another glimpse of his wise approach to managing players and his attention to detail on Saturday after a tough 2-1 win over a plucky Leeds United on the road.

Frank could be visibly seen, in the pouring rain, going over to young star Mathys Tel and urging him forward to celebrate with the faithful away supporters in the crowd, giving Tel a confidence-boosting moment in the sun.

Mathys Tel deserves more love

It was a beautiful moment that not many other coaches in the world would have done, taking the time and having the presence of mind to help a young player get his shine. And especially Tel, who faced so much unfair criticism this season, including racist abuse after being cruelly scapegoated by a few imbeciles masquerading as Tottenham supporters.

Tel drew the start at striker against Leeds and was one of the best players on the pitch, recording the opening goal in solo fashion before nearly scoring a second off the crossbar with his head. He responded wonderfully to the valid, constructive criticisms of his play to start his first permanent season as a Tottenham Hotspur.

Just like last season, Tel has always worked hard for the team and shown love and respect for the fans, even when they have not always done the same in reciprocal terms. So after this big performance before the October break, it was beautiful to watch Tel having this moment with some true Spurs supporters - and it was just as great to see Frank help be a part of it. He's the right guy to have in charge and just as much of a player's coach as Ange Postecoglou was, if not more.

Bayern Munich superstar striker Harry Kane is having another truly outrageous season for Die Roten, and he added another great goal to his warchest on Saturday in the Topspiel against Eintracht Frankfurt, bringing the Tottenham Hotspur legend's 2025/26 Bundesliga season tally to 11 goals in six games (with three assists for good measure).

Tottenham fans have been silently hoping for a Kane reunion with a summer 2026 transfer, ever since Raphael Honigstein opened the door to the possibility of a move next year. Now, that door has been seemingly slammed shut by Kane himself, but don't tell that to the Spurs fans who are still dreaming of their club's greatest ever striker from making a triumphant return to a much stronger squad under Thomas Frank.

The latest play that has Spurs fans wistfully thinking of a Kane transfer was his jaw-dropping goal against Eintracht. Check out this clip of the goal for yourself, because it is absolutely stunning and easily one of the best strikes you will see in any top league this season.

It's insane the way Kane is able to strike a ball with the combination of movement, finesse, power, and placement. And the way this shot swerves both ways into the back of the net, nestling perfectly into the bottom corner, is basically cheating.

Harry Kane to Tottenham is still wistful thinking

Now imagine having this version of Kane averaging around two goals per game for Bayern back in the Premier League with the likes of Mathys Tel, Xavi Simons, Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert, and more surrounding him. Frank is easily the best coach he would have at Spurs since Mauricio Pochettino.

Again, it's wistful thinking at its finest, since Kane himself has denied any desire - at least publicly - to wanting to leave Bayern any time soon. But man, when you watch how Spurs are closing out games with Frank and making strides week to week with a stronger defense and an attack with emerging young stars like Simons and Kudus, you can't help but wonder how things could have been for Kane at Tottenham if he had something more like this and less like whatever it is Frank's predecessors were doing in the Premier League.

That goal from Kane is an absolute masterpiece of ball-striking, and, if anything, the man is even better now at 32 than he was with Spurs. Kane is one of the Ballon d'Or favorites this season, and if Spurs had a striker capable of scoring goals like that instead of forcing Richarlison in there most weeks, they'd probably be the best team in the Premier League right now.