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Tottenham begin talks with disappointing manager target

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Tottenham begin talks with disappointing manager target - Hotspur HQ
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Tottenham Hotspur do not seem like they have any clue what they are doing with their manager situation. After his father passed away over the weekend, Igor Tudor may want to step away from managing the club, which is undoubtedly a stressful endeavor in and of itself without having to deal with a personal tragedy on top of it all.

And Spurs are desperate at this point, having lost a crucial relegation six pointer in blowout fashion to Nottingham Forest. Tudor has earned Spurs just one point out of 15 total, and while he cannot be blamed for the club's issues, Spurs are so desperate that it does not matter.

Roberto De Zerbi appears to be Tottenham's No. 1 manager target right now, much to the annoyance of their fans, but it is almost impossible to envision him taking over the club in a pinch. Tottenham Hotspur are scrambling for an emergency replacement, and the transfer rumor mill has pointed in the direction of former Eintracht Frankfurt and Monaco coach Adi Hutter.

Tottenham have started talks with Adi Hutter

According to a new report from French outlet L'Equipe, Tottenham are so far long the Hutter track that they have actually already engaged in talks with the manager about taking over. Now, nothing is advanced or imminent yet, but it is serious that Hutter and Spurs are already in touch and at the table.

That is more than can be said for any other manager candidate at this point. De Zerbi and Mauricio Pochettino are valid, credible names who have been linked frequently, but Tottenham have not engaged in active talks with either of them.

L'Equipe, who covered Hutter closely during his time in Monaco, are saying that there are talks now. Hutter is almost by default the favorite to take over for Igor Tudor, should the Italian manager and former Marseille coach receive his walking papers, which seems more likely than not to happen before the March international break ends.

Hutter is actually a decent coach, but it is doubtful he improves Tottenham in the immediate term, which is what Spurs are hoping for by making a hire right now for Tudor. He crafted some exciting attacking football in Frankfurt, and he wasn't bad in the Bundesliga after that at Borussia Monchengladbach, memorably blowing out Bayern Munich 5-0 in historic fashion. At Monaco, he made it to the Champions League and coached well before, as with his other jobs, unfairly getting fired soon.

The thing is, while Hutter has a decent track record, he's never managed a truly big club like Tottenham, he's never saved a notable club from disaster, and he's never coached in the Premier League. He is the great unknown when Spurs need a sure commodity to save them.

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Tottenham close in on unwanted Premier League record held by Derby 2008 team

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Tottenham close in on unwanted Premier League record held by Derby 2008 team - Hotspur HQ
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Are Tottenham Hotspur supporters now simply resigned to their fate? On Sunday, fans lined the streets for what many were calling the club's biggest league match in a generation. The support was fantastic but, once again, fans were let down by the team on the pitch. Igor Jesus broke the deadlock for Nottingham Forest, heading home a corner on the cusp of half time, and Spurs simply capitulated from there, ultimately ignominiously beaten 3-0.

As a result, Tottenham's wait for a first Premier League win of 2026 goes on, losing eight of 13 fixtures since their most-recent win, this coming at Selhurst Park on 28 December. Only three clubs in Premier League history have ever endured a longer start to a calendar year without winning.

Longest streaks without a Premier League win to start a year

The three clubs with longer winless sequences to commence a calendar year, unsurprisingly, were all relegated. Derby County hold the record in this regard, as they do for being the worst Premier League ever, ending up with only 11 points in total in 2007/08. Sunderland similarly did not win a single match during the second half of the 2002/03 campaign, astonishingly losing 16 of 17 outings.

Well, both the aforementioned Derby and then Middlesbrough nine years later are yet to return to the top-flight, albeit Kim Hellberg's Boro could be about to change that. Nevertheless, history suggests that, despite having been a top division outfit for 48 years, there's no guarantee that Spurs will bounce straight back up, if the worst was to happen in May.

There is though still hope. With seven fixtures remaining, Spurs aren't even actually in the bottom three, one point clear of West Ham. However, if you are an optimistic supporter, perhaps analysing their remaining matches, specifically how they fared in the corresponding fixture under Ange Postecoglou last season, might not be what you want to see.

Tottenham's remaining fixtures: scorelines from last season

Note: Southampton substituted in for Sunderland; Leicester substituted in for Leeds.

If Tottenham match last season's results, they will accumulated only six more points, losing five games in a row before beating Everton on the final day. This though is not even a fair comparison, given that Spurs' 5-0 win at Southampton, the night Russell Martin was sacked, was certainly an easier fixture than their upcoming trip to the Stadium of Light promises to be.

Their visits to Villa Park and Stamford Bridge in May look especially challenging, especially given that the Blues will be ultra-motivated to send Spurs down. Nevertheless, given Tottenham's current form, every game is particularly daunting.

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Tottenham are flirting with disaster now more than ever

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Tottenham are flirting with disaster now more than ever - Hotspur HQ
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Just when Tottenham Hotspur supporters were offered a glimmer of hope... well it was emphatically extinguished. On Sunday, and full credit to Spurs fans for doing this, they all wore white, lined Tottenham High Road beforehand to welcome the team bus and just generally created a cup final atmosphere. However, once again, the support in the stands was let down by the players on the pitch.

In this crucial relegation six-pointer, the Lilywhites were dismantled 3-0 by Nottingham Forest; Igor Jesus heading the Tricky Trees in front on the cusp of half time, a blow from which Spurs never recovered. Thus, as noted by Opta, 30 points from 31 league matches is Tottenham's joint-lowest in any season from the club's 143-year history, alongside the 1914/15 campaign.

Back then, Peter McWilliam's team collected six points from their final seven fixtures, when adjusting to three-points-for-a-win, and were relegated to the Second Division, having finished rock-bottom of the table. So, where could this campaign rank for Spurs when it comes to lowest points-per-game?

Tottenham's worst seasons based on points-per-game

Note: *indicated that tally has been adjusted for three-points-for-a-win.

Right now, Tottenham are on course to pick up less than a point per game for only the third time, after 1914/15 and 1934/45. Both of those campaigns, as well as 1976/77, which sits fifth in this ranking, all concluded in relegation for the Lilywhites. The other years in the top five are this season, closely following by last season under Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham's tally of 22 defeats last time round was the most any clubs has ever suffered without being relegated from the Premier League. Well, after picking up 38 points in 38 matches, this season's Spurs are on track for even worse than that, still yet to win a match in 2026.

Tottenham Hotspur's remaing fixtures

Sunday 12 April. Sunderland - Stadium of Light. Kick off 2pm.

Saturday 18 April. Brighton & Hove Albion - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Kick off 5:30pm.

Saturday 25 April. Wolverhampton Wanderers - Molineux. Kick off 3pm.

Sunday 17 May. Chelsea - Stamford Bridge. Kick off TBC.

Sunday 24 May. Everton - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Kick off 4pm.

Out of both the FA Cup and Champions League, it is now three weeks until Spurs are back in action. Whether or not Igor Tudor is still in charge by the time they visit Wearside remains to be seen. The coach did not take any post-match media responsibilities on Sunday after learning of the sad passing of his father, so we wish him all the best, but a decision is still required over his future.

When you're in Tottenham's position, every match looks tough. By the time they kick off at the Stadium of Light, they might just be doing so in the bottom three, if West Ham are able to beat Wolves in that weekend's Friday night fixture. Put succinctly, Spurs have not been this bad for over 90 years, and their 48-year stay in the top division might just be on life support.

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Tottenham’s attack may no longer be doomed after break

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Tottenham's most important player after the March international break is obvious - Hotspur HQ
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Tottenham Hotspur have a whopping three weeks to sit and recollect themselves after an emabarrassing 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in a relegation six pointer, and while they may have a new manager at the helm if Igor Tudor and the club decide to part ways, which looks increasingly likely, it does not matter who coaches the team if the players do not step up.

Everyone has to do their part for Spurs, but with Sunderland on the horizon and three more weeks of rest awaiting most of the players, one name in particular stands out as someone worth the fans circling in permanent marker as a man to watch going forward.

That player is Mohammed Kudus, who, overall, has been Spurs best player this season. It is easy to forget, but Kudus was carrying the team for months, pulling an anemic attack on his back during the worst of the Thomas Frank days.

Mohammed Kudus's return is very welcome

The fact that Kudus was statistically the best one on one dribbler in the Premier League over the first half of the season despite working under Frank in his first season with Spurs speaks volumes to his quality, and he seemed to be an even better player for Tottenham than he was for West Ham United - and he was pretty good for an abjectly poor Hammers side, too.

Kudus, thus, unsurprisingly got completely run into the ground and injured for multiple months, and the only shock is that it wasn't his back that smashed into smithereens after the carry job he was pulling for the likes of Randal Kolo Muani and Richarlison.

Having Kudus back in the saddle for the final weeks of the season is massive for Tottenham. Not only does he have experience elevating two terrible teams now in both West Ham and Tottenham, but he is also one of the best pure wingers in the Premier League. Kudus can create chances and take guys on, and the only other player who has been doing that is Mathys Tel.

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The biggest problem Tottenham won't realize about Roberto De Zerbi

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The biggest problem Tottenham won't realize about Roberto De Zerbi - Hotspur HQ
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Fabrizio Romano and transfer journalists in the United Kingdom are increasingly linking Tottenham Hotspur with former Marseille and Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi, who despite having not accomplished anything major in European football is one of the biggest names on the managerial market and apparently seen by Spurs as the top option to replace Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor.

Whether or not De Zerbi is open to replacing Tudor immediately remains to be seen, but you have to think that after his latest falling out with Marseille, he would be very much open to moving up in the world footballing ranks to Tottenham, one of the top 10 clubs in the world in terms of revenue last season. Spurs would need to stay up in the Premier League, but even in this dark hour, they are still an attractive option to managers like De Zerbi who are aiming to make a name for themselves.

On the surface and to the average fan, Roberto De Zerbi sounds like a great hire for Tottenham Hotspur. He is much stronger tactically than Thomas Frank or Igor Tudor, and he's had success fending for himself in multiple leagues and multiple settings, including shining in the Premier League with Brighton not too long ago.

Roberto De Zerbi is too volatile

But Tottenham fans are not average fans. Unlike a lot of the big clubs in the world, the people who support Spurs are diehard lovers of this game and very plugged in to what's happening elsewhere. They know that De Zerbi is a ticking time bomb. He does not last at clubs for very long, and Spurs fans are already sharing footage on Reddit and other social media channels of him berating players in training for no reason.

And with De Zerbi, the character concerns are entirely valid. He has signed players like Mason Greenwood and Elye Wahi with serious allegations of criminal conduct against them, and there is real reason to believe that De Zerbi clashes with the kind of culture Tottenham fans want at their club. They are already upset with the lack of effort and the egos in the locker room from some high profile players, and the last thing they want is to add actual miscreants and a manager who seems more interested in "winning" (even though he barely does that) at all costs and would turn the other way at real issues.

Tottenham Hotspur have made a lot of poor judgment calls under the current leadership. What they fail to realize is that not only will De Zerbi alienate fans further because of the people he brought to Marseille - and still failed to succeed there, getting fired pretty quickly - but he will also likely alienate the front office and locker room. He has lost teams within a few years at every spot he has been at, and if Tottenham hire him, they cannot build a long term project. They will almost 100 percent be cycling through a manager again within one or two years with De Zerbi appointed.

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The transfer everyone expects this summer may not happen after all

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The transfer everyone expects this summer may not happen after all - Hotspur HQ
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No matter what happens to Tottenham Hotspur over the next couple of months, whether they stay up or not, there's an expectation that captain Cristian Romero will leave the club this summer.

Despite penning a contract extension last year amid rife transfer speculation, the extent of Spurs' woes this season means the Lilywhites would do well to hang on to their skipper.

The newfound leadership responsibility undoubtedly aided the World Cup winner last season, who donned the armband with pride in Son Heung-min's absence and was the natural pick to succeed the South Korean icon as captain for 2025/26.

However, Romero has reverted to his old ways, contributing to Spurs' demise. Lapses in focus and an inability to rein in his aggression have led to concessions and suspensions, respectively, and he simply hasn't developed into the leader the Lilywhites require.

An outstanding centre-back on his day, one of the best, Romero will undoubtedly thrive were he to move on this summer. Given what we've endured this term, Spurs may be right to cash in and completely rebuild their backline, with Micky van de Ven also linked with a move away.

Atlético Madrid unsure whether to pursue Romero again

Romero's imperious apex means Europe's elite are bound to take a look, and Atlético Madrid have been strongly linked in the past.

The Argentine has previously talked up the possibility of playing in Spain, and playing under Diego Simeone in the Spanish football just feels absolutely right.

The Atléti boss is an admirer; he hasn't hidden that, but Sky Sports reports that other decision-makers at the Metropolitano aren't completely sold on Romero.

Thus, the transfer plenty of us expect to happen this summer seemingly isn't a foregone conclusion. Atléti have been spooked by a chaotic Romero campaign.

If the La Liga outfit opt against a pursuit, that'd leave the Argentine defender in a rather awkward position, with alternative options yet to come to the table. He'll surely have suitors, though, especially if Spurs are forced into parting ways at a discounted price.

Importantly, Romero's sole focus right now is keeping the Lilywhites in the Premier League, and having him available for the final seven games of the season will be key to boosting our chances, even if he didn't cover himself glory during Nottingham Forest's second goal sequence on Sunday.

What's become evident is that Spurs should look at rebuilding their defence around teenage sensation Luka Vušković under a new manager next season. Wiping the slate clean is very much a necessity.

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Tottenham manager target may be ready for surprising move to rivals

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Tottenham manager target may be ready for surprising move to rivals - Hotspur HQ
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Tottenham Hotspur are already drafting a list of managers who can take over from Igor Tudor, and though the interim coach could leave before the season ends by a mutual parting of ways, there is no ambiguity about the fact that Spurs will be hiring a new, permanent manager when the 2025/26 Premier League season concludes.

Spurs got the hiring of Thomas Frank horribly wrong, and the inability of Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange to appropriately contingency plan forced Spurs into keeping Frank around for longer than they should have. Hence Spurs are now fighting for their lives in a relegation battle with Nottingham Forest and West Ham United.

Tottenham appear to be focused on Roberto De Zerbi with a reunion with Mauricio Pochettino also being a 1a and 1b type of option. But Spurs have also been linked to a number of mid table option in the Permier League dating back to their Frank choice last year, including Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola.

Crystal Palace may try to hire Andoni Iraola

The former Athletic Club right back is in demand already, even though he has not decided yet if he willl stay at Bournemouth for the 2026/27 season or elect not to renew. A reunion with Athletic Club and a return to La Liga coaching, where he once managed Rayo Vallecano, is on the cards, but so is another Premier League option now.

According to a report from Mike McGrath and Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph, Crystal Palace could actually swoop in and replace one potential Tottenham Hotspur managerial target, Oliver Glasner, with another. They are eyeing Andoni Iraola as an option to replace a disgruntled Glasner, who has been hokey pokeying himself in and out the door all season long with various press conference tirades, especially after high profile transfer sales out of Palace like Marc Guehi.

Glasner and Iraola have both been linked to Tottenham in the past, though the links have cooled in recent months with fans focusing on Pochettino and the transfer rumor mill itself seemingly circling increasingly around the unpopular De Zerbi.

Like De Zerbi, Glasner is a volatile coach with a temper and quick falling outs, but he is actually more successful despite a lesser reputation. He recently won the FA Cup with Crystal Palace and is a former Europa League winner with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Iraola going to Palace would take a very interesting, more grounded manager off the Tottenham list but then make Glasner a wide open candidate. Spurs would probably prefer Iraola to Glasner, but if Glasner is available and both De Zerbi and Pochettino reject them, Glasner would then be first on the list almost by default.

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Tottenham fans finally get a Dejan Kulusevski injury update

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Tottenham fans finally get a Dejan Kulusevski injury update - Hotspur HQ
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Tottenham Hotspur star winger Dejan Kuluseveski has been sorely missed over what is now nearly a year of actoin missed with a knee injury of unspecified identity and potentially grave severity. With so few updates emanating from Tottenham and Igor Tudor - let alone Thomas Frank, who never said much of anything of consequence anyway - Spurs supporters have been left to fear the worst for their beloved Swedish star.

Even though Tudor gave positive injury updates on Mohammed Kudus (back after the March international break), James Maddison (will likely play before the season ends), and Rodrigo Bentancur (making good progress) of the lingering long term absences, he did not have any real news to share about the perpetually rehabbing Kulusevski.

However, Kulu's Swedish national team manager Graham Potter did give an update, albeit a brief one, to start the March international break. He said, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, "Dejan is making progress but not as quickly as we would have liked."

Dejan Kulusevski is making slow progress

The quote was specifically in reference to the fact that Dejan Kulusevski did not make the Swedish national team squad, though that was pretty much a given. On the one hand, it is troubling that Kulu continues to make slow progress. On the other hand, at least it is a positive that Potter is saying that Kulu is making any sort of positive progress at all.

Because any small silver lining is something Spurs supporters will take. Tottenham Hotspur are the most snake bitten team in all of sports at this point, and that probably made Spurs fans even more worried about Kulu suffering a worst case scenario, career threatening knee injury with so few updates. It looks like Kulu's not dealing with anything catastrophic that we know of yet, but rather that he is just making very slow, albeit forward, progress on the knee injury he suffered at the end of the 2024/25 season.

That said, Kulusevski remains without a time table for a return. He is currently out in Spain - and Gold notes that his knee specialist is based in Barcelona - and will be meeting up with his national teammates soon. He won't be playing or practicing, but at least Potter says he will be there, out and about and socializing in some capacity.

It must be awful being in Kulu's shoes right now, not knowing when you are going to come back or what you will be capable of when you do return. Spurs supporters can only think positive thoughts and keep Kulusevski in their hearts.

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Tottenham's saviour from relegation is looking increasingly obvious

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Tottenham's saviour from relegation is looking increasingly obvious - Hotspur HQ
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When Mohammed Kudus made the blasphemous switch from West Ham United last summer, the Ghanaian believed himself to be taking the next step in his relatively young career.

However, by the time he returns from a hamstring injury in April, Tottenham will sit just a point above his former club and merely a position clear of the relegation zone. I suppose that is progress.

When Kudus succumbed against Sunderland on 4 January, Spurs were harmlessly meandering under Thomas Frank. The Dane was on the hot seat, no doubt, but there wasn't yet a sense that the Lilywhites were spiralling towards the drop zone. After that 1-1 draw, we were 13th and 13 points clear of the Hammers in 18th.

Since then, though, Tottenham haven't won a game of Premier League football. A historically bad run leaves us in a perilous position, and there's a good chance Kudus won't have had the chance to boost Igor Tudor's attacking option by the time he returns to full fitness amid rumours of the Croat's swift departure.

Mohammed Kudus is the man to save Tottenham from relegation

For me, Sunday's harrowing 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest was not an effort, attitude or motivation issue. A physical and compact Forest team merely exposed the technical limitations within this Tottenham team, especially when we were chasing the game in the second half.

Tudor, after a positive week, shot himself in the foot by not allowing Xavi Simons to build on his excellent showing against Atlético Madrid. The Croat had the deepest squad available to him by some distance since taking the job on, yet he was still fitting square pegs into round holes.

These players were unable to deliver in front of a unified and raucous home crowd in what was billed as the biggest domestic outing in a generation, and it's clear that only another injection of quality will get Spurs out of this mess.

Fortunately, Kudus is back working with the ball and is poised for a long-awaited comeback after the upcoming internationals. The three-week break following Sunday's defeat certainly works in our favour.

It shouldn't be forgotten just how reliant Frank was on Kudus for any source of attacking inspiration. Pedro Porro's direct combination with the Ghanaian was crucial to our early success under the Dane, but teams quickly caught onto Frank's over-reliance on the summer arrival, who was expected to do so much with very little.

Still, Kudus notched six assists and scored twice in his first 19 Premier League appearances. However, it wasn't his output that rendered the winger's start impressive, but rather his ability to ride physical contact, escape tight pockets to break the game open, and outmanoeuvre opponents one-on-one.

In a coherent, balanced framework, Kudus will shine, there's no doubt about that. With Xavi Simons yet to put together a string of dominant Premier League performances and Mathys Tel only now coming to the fore, Kudus is the leading man of our attack boasting the requisite talent to tilt matches in our favour.

It's he who will keep us up this season.

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Another crucial Tottenham player goes down with injury

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Another crucial Tottenham player goes down with injury - Hotspur HQ
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There cannot possible be a single franchise in professional sports that has had worse luck with injuries over the past two seasons, and it feels like every other week, Tottenham Hotspur are suffering another major injury.

Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus, James Maddison, and Rodrigo Bentancur have all been out for months, and Lucas Bergvall only just returned from an injury of his own. Spurs continue to reel with some of their biggest stars missing significant chunks of time, and many of them just don't quite look right for several games after coming back, including Bergvall and Destiny Udogie this past week.

Now, Tottenham have to worry about an injury to their biggest current attacking player and one of the only two players consistently showing up at a high level this past few weeks, Mathys Tel (the other is Archie Gray, in case you were wondering).

Mathys Tel is hurt

Tel, as relayed by Football.London's Alasdair Gold, was forced to withdraw from international duty with the French national team this week just days after starting the break due to a thigh injury. It appeared he initially tweaked his thigh over the weekend in the loss to Nottingham Forest, as he was hooked off in the 3-0 draw with an apparent injury. At least, that can be the only real explanation for him coming off, as he was the only real bright spot in a horrendous attack, especially with how badly striker Dominic Solanke was playing.

The injury to Tel does not seem to be a serious one, and since he was already questionably hurt against Nottingham Forest, it would have been akin to malpractice for the French national team to let a young man in the middle of a relegation crisis potentially get reps in with an injured muscle in his thigh.

Tottenham Hotspur can only hope Mathys Tel is back and at 100 percent after the March international break concludes, because they cannot afford to have him missing a single second of time. He is the one guy in this attack who is reliably creating chances, beating defenders, and showing real effort every week, because Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani sure as heck are not doing that - and Xavi Simons and Richarlison aren't even playing every minute. Tel's injury is the latest potential blow for Spurs to worry about at the worst possible time they even want to think about any new injuries.

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