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Thomas Frank has made a few questionable decisions with his starting XI choices, and they've all revolved around benching players that Tottenham fans would like to see starting.

Towards the start of the season, new signing Xavi Simons suffered that fate. It seemed like no matter what he was doing on the pitch, he resorted to cameos from the bench due to Thomas Frank's vendetta.

In recent weeks, Xavi Simons has been seeing the chances he's always deserved, and Thomas Frank is happy with him. However, his rise to the first team has come at another player's expense: Brennan Johnson.

Crystal Palace wants to make Tottenham's loss their own gain

According to a report from The Telegraph, Crystal Palace is weighing up a January swoop to sign Brennan Johnson from Tottenham Hotspur.

Brennan Johnson has been dropped to the bench in recent weeks, after a hot start to the season on the goal-scoring front. For whatever reason, he does not appear to be in Thomas Frank's plans, and it's a sad case of Johnson going back to square one.

The fast drop-off right after scoring the goal that made Tottenham champions of Europe is quite something. Under Ange Postecoglou, he pushed his way into the starting lineup, but after making one step forward, Thomas Frank has made him take two steps back.

Honestly, that might not be a bad thing. It might come across as harsh, but Tottenham's offense will certainly suffice without Johnson. He's good, but he's not world-class. Not anywhere near that. And that's exactly what Tottenham needs if they're serious about pushing the top teams.

It's obvious the Eagles would like to push for a top-four finish this season, and they're currently on pace to do that. They lost key players, such as Eberechi Eze, in the summer transfer window. However, they are arguably even more impressive this seasn than they were last time out.

Last season, Crystal Palace won the FA Cup. They began this season by winning the Community Shield. Going from a mid-table team to genuine Champions League contenders is a sign of the times, and Crystal Palace are here to stick around.

Should Brennan Johnson wish to make the switch across London, there aren't many who could blame him. He's good enough to be playing every week in the Premier League, but Tottenham and their higher objectives can't guarantee this. Besides, Crystal Palace is arguably a more attractive project than Tottenham right now.

If Johnson were to leave Tottenham, it might come to bite them in the backside. Time and time again, Spurs have recognized top talents and given them an assured place in the starting lineup. However, Frank has not done this to Brennan Johnson.

Although Tottenham Hotspur fans are split between Everton star Iliman Ndiaye and Bournemouth breakout superstar Antoine Semenyo, the transfer rumor mill and the stat sheet have been pretty clear that Semenyo, whom Spurs were after in the summer transfer window before pivoting to Mohammed Kudus, is the priority transfer target on the wings for Tottenham.

The idea that Semenyo's start to the 2025/26 season is a purple patch has been gaining traction among some subsections of the fan base, yet it is worth noting that while Ndiaye has been linked to no other top clubs, Semenyo is wanted badly by Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City with Spurs seemingly somewhere stuck behind the crowd for the second best player of the current Premier League season thus far behind only living legend Erling Haaland.

According to a new report from BBC Sport's Sami Mokbel, though, it looks like Spurs are ready to push back. to even playing with the likes of the Reds and the Gunners. Mokbel says that the Tottenham Hotspur ownership structure is, as has been reported almost ad nauseam, prepared to release considerable transfer funds this winter window.

Antoine Semenyo could pair with Mohammed Kudus

And that specifically ties into Antoine Semenyo, because Mokbel reports that Spurs are willing to offer Semenyo the best personal terms financially of any of the Big Six clubs after the Bournemouth winger. Moreover, the 65 million pound release clause in Semenyo's contract that will be active this winter transfer window will thus be no barrier to a Tottenham transfer.

Obviously, Spurs fans will believe it when they see it, but the specific concession about the salary is new. Spurs rarely ever break their wages in order to sign superstars, but after nabbing two of the biggest new up and coming stars in the Premier League this past summer in Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus, it only makes sense that they would try to pair Kudus with his Ghanaian teammate. Semenyo was already a massive breakout star in 2024/25, and now that he is even better in 2025/26, it only makes sense for Spurs to go for it.

The risk of not signing a top left winger is bigger than the risk of Semenyo flopping and Spurs moving on from someone else. With their amazing fan base, money saved over the years, and an even more amazing fan base, there is more than enough revenue over time to account for the Semenyo splash.

Tottenham's successful summer transfer window is what's made them tick (at times) this season. Sure, they'd like to be in a position much higher than 11th; however, we dread to think where they'd be if they didn't spend big in the summer.

Some of Tottenham's best players so far this season include Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani, all players who were signed in the summer.

But much more is said about the player who left Tottenham, Son Heung-min. There is a feeling at Hotspur Way that Spurs never truly replaced his attacking prowess.

That said, Sonny is just one player who left Tottenham in the summer. Spurs fans just got some pretty great news about a different player in the same boat.

Fabrizio Romano reminds Tottenham fans not to forget this name

According to Fabrizio Romano, all hope is not lost with Luka Vusković. The Italian transfer guru just confirmed that Tottenham is still monitoring Vusković on his loan to Hamburg, and he's still viewed as a potential center piece for Spurs going forward.

In his own words, Romano said: "Tottenham are constantly monitoring Luka Vusković's progress at HSV Hamburg and are very happy with his performances on loan. 18-year-old centre back is seen as a key part of long-term plans. 13 games and 2 goals so far at HSV."

Vusković already got a taste of what it feels like to play for Tottenham. Despite it not being an official match, the Croatian center back scored in preseason.

So far this campaign, he has picked up an impressive 11 Bundesliga appearances, not being subbed off in any of those starts. He also played a key role for Croatia in the international break.

Tottenham has a future star on its hands with Vusković. It was evident in the transfer window when he requested a loan spell to guarantee himself some minutes. Truth be told, he probably could have stayed at Tottenham for that to happen, but he couldn't have foreshadowed Tottenham having defensive depth issues.

Vusković is comfortably one of the most promising defenders in the world right now. He is bound to be a star, and Tottenham hope they can keep him happy going forward.

For fans, this is a breath of fresh air to hear. Given how the loan system is treated these days, it doesn't fill fans with hope when they see a player loaned out. Usually, it's a surefire way to get transferred out without a club paying fees.

However, Tottenham has Vusković in mind when crafting their plans, which is positive for the fanbase to hear.

When Thomas Frank first took over as Tottenham Hotspur manager this summer, every fan was trying to connect the dots to see which current players, especially the young crop of talent, would benefit the most from the switch from Ange Postecoglou to the former Brentford boss.

And one player everyone kept circling was 2024/25 Tottenham leading scorer Brennan Johnson, who was fresh off scoring the winning goal in the Europa League Final against Manchester United in Bilbao. Johnson, after all, was pursued heavily by Brentford the same transfer window that he ended up at Tottenham, and if it were not for the fact that Spurs have a lot more money to spend than the Bees, Johnson may have ended up with the local London rivals instead under Frank back then.

Frank gave Johnson opportunities to start at the beginning of the season, and while he does throw the Wales international a bone here and there, it is pretty clear that Johnson has no real path to the starting lineup under Frank. And that is without Dejan Kulusevski back from his knee injury yet.

Mohammed Kudus has made Brennan Johnson a non factor

Mohammed Kudus immediately took over on the right wing, and Frank, like many Spurs fans, has seen just how much better the Ghanaian international is than last season's hold over. Sure, Johnson can bring the goals and is a great poacher, and, honestly, maybe Frank could be doing more to harness Johnson's scoring instincts when he does actually play him. Playing Johnson on the left wing, for example, is a ridiculous idea.

But by and large, give credit where credit is due to Thomas Frank here. He may have been smitten by Brennan Johnson back when he was a prospect at Nottingham Forest, but now that he sees him up close and personal at a real big club like Tottenham Hotspur, it appears just as evident to Frank as it does to every Spurs supporter that Johnson does not quite have the right stuff to start for a top four contender in the Premier League.

Johnson has his positive traits and moments, but he is the anti Kudus. Whereas Kudus tirelessly runs, takes on defenders, has courage on the ball, and is an amazing chance creator out wide, Johnson does pretty much nothing well that a winger should, to the point where you wonder if he is a winger at all. As Johnson continues to be discarded by the new manager, you have to wonder where his future lies if Frank does not even rate him.

Tottenham Hotspur supporters have been in love with Mathys Tel from the moment he showed up last winter transfer window from Bayern Munich as a loan signing with an option to buy. The young left winger was fully COYS from the moment he stepped foot at the N17 and developed a very special bond with the fans throughout the second half of the 2024/25 season, playing an important yet understated role in Spurs capturing a historic Europa League title.

So Spurs supporters were naturally then overjoyed to see that the club signed him to a permanent deal from the German powerhouse club in the summer transfer window. It has not been an easy 2025/26 season by any means, but typifing the resiliency of the young French forward, Tel has worked himself back into the Champions League squad, taking full advantage of Dominic Solanke's slow to heal foot injury.

Tel has been a cut above the rest of the forwards in terms of his explosiveness and dynamism, and while he does not always seem to get a fair shake from Frank when it is time for the manager to select his starting lineup, he manages to shine when he is brought in, even off the bench as we saw with his vital cameo in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United.

Antoine Semenyo is much more expensive

As Tottenham look for ways to upgrade their attack in the next winter transfer window, the 65 million pound Antoine Semenyo release clause has become by far the biggest topic for discussion. This past summer transfer window, Spurs watched club legend Son Heung-min ride off into the California sunset to join LAFC in MLS, but they did not sign a top left winger to replace him.

Instead, they thrust Tel and Wilson Odobert into the tall order of filling those shoes, and whlie that has been a struggle to this point, Tel, in particular, is starting to show fans that he merits some real opportunities to show that he can be the heir to the South Korean icon.

Semenyo has been a Premier League Player of the Season candidate, but he is also older and a lot more expensive then Tel, especially when you factor in the wages he would cost with the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City shoving themselves all out of the subway car in order to sign him from Bournemouth.

And oh by the way, Tel is 100 percent COYS. Semenyo was an Arsenal fan growing up, and there are honestly a lot of Spurs fans who are understandably against even entertaining a character like that, given what went down with Eberechi Eze this past summer. But just as Spurs were better off striking out on Eze and signing Xavi Simons instead, maybe they too will prefer the younger and cheaper Tel to a Semenyo splash.

Lucas Bergvall was the biggest Tottenham Hotspur talent of the 2024/25 season, and the club would not have won the Europa League without him, even if the Swedish international ultimately had to bow out in the end due to an injury.

With how dynamic he looked box to box and even the goal threat he began to carry at points in the campaign under Ange Postecoglou, Spurs fans were really excited to see the leap he could take forward in the 2025/26 season under Thomas Frank.

Instead, Bergvall was mostly out of the lineup to start the 2025/26 campaign, with fans frustratingly wondering why Frank did not value the midfield sensation even half as much as his predecessor Big Ange did.

Lucas Bergvall confounds

Lately, though, Bergvall is starting to get more games for Spurs. Whlie that is definitely a positive for Spurs supporters, the exact usage of the 19 year old Swede has also raised even more questions from the crowd.

Frank, throughout the 2025/26 season, has consistently utilized Bergvall in a more advanced role, whereas Postecoglou had him as a more classic, box to box No. 8. And the reason why this confounds Spurs fans is that Frank is not using Bergvall in his optimal position, because he is clearly better as an 8 than a 10.

Bergvall is a superior athlete and a Rolls Royce of a midfielder who is best when he can explode with the ball at his feet in transitions and come up from the midfield into the attack, starting moves with his robust athleticism. Bergvall is not someone with an innate playmaker feel for the game in tight spaces; he is, rather, a rock and roll kind of midfielder who just makes things happen spur of the moment and needs to carry.

His defensive work is also better in that 8 role where he can run and crash other midfielders, picking up possession and then gliding with it up the pitch, crashing from one box to another with his speed and explosiveness.

So Spurs fans have to wonder how, then, Thomas Frank envisions Lucas Bergvall in his ideal starting lineup and how he sees him as a tactical piece. Frank is utilizing Bergvall much differently than Postecoglou was, and it honestly is not helping the young man settle in and play his best football. It is confusing for Tottenham fans to see what is being done with Bergvall this season.

Tottenham Hotspur made a few moves to upgrade their squad this past summer transfer window both to help new manager Thomas Frank get off to the right start and to fortify a squad headed for Champions League football despite finishing a historically poor 17th in the Premier League.

Stars of the future Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons have obviously soaked up the most attention, but there is no question that in recent weeks, 27 year old striker Randal Kolo Muani has established himself as a real bright spot and a player who could be a key part of the future for Spurs.

Obviously, Kolo Muani's biggest performance was the three goal contributions on a Champions League night against his parent club PSG, who are the reigning winners of the competition and had previously stifled the actual Spurs forwards earlier this season in the UEFA Super Cup Final.

Randal Kolo Muani has different quality

But even in games like the most recent Champions League outing against Slavia Praha in which Kolo Muani did not start (in order to spare him after a recent injury scare), Kolo Muani does enough in meager minutes to show that he is a different class from the rest of the players aiming to start at striker for Tottenham Hotspur in 2025.

His vision, footballing intelligence, athleticism, first touch, smoothness, and skill on the ball are all separators to the others. Kolo Muani is so much more consistent and better all around than Richarlison, and with Dominic Solanke still nowhere near an actual return date, RKM is gaining even more appreciation among the Tottenham faithful going into 2026.

Kolo Muani is just a one year rental, and while it is a cardinal sin to fall in love with a loan player, Kolo Muani is on his second successful loan back to back after playing well for Juventus in 2024/25. And Juve wanted to keep him for longer; it's just that their former executive Fabio Paratici essentially stole him for Spurs on transfer deadline day this summer.

Although Kolo Muani was a star for Eintracht Frankfurt, Juventus, and now Tottenham in three different leagues, the 90 million euro striker could not cut the mustard in the crowded PSG front line, which went on to win the Champions League without him. So it is not impossible for Spurs to sign him permanently at the end of the season, and while he won't be too cheap after that initial price tag from Eintracht to Paris, Spurs fans are starting to see enough from him that they are smitten with RKM as the striker solution.

Tottenham Hotspur spent a whopping 65 million pounds on striker Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth in the summer 2024 transfer window to set a new franchise record for the highest fee paid for a player, and while the big man proved to be useful in the crunch time of the Europa League knockouts en route to bringing home the trophy for the first time in over 40 years, it is hard to say that he has provided an adequate return on investment.

Because whereas loan signing Randal Kolo Muani is lighting it up, including three goal contributions against his parent club who just won the Champions League last season, Solanke has literally only appeared in three games off the bench for meager minutes.

Meanwhile, Tottenham fans are totally in the dark as to when the England international will be able to play again, as lingering foot issues led to a delayed surgery in the Fall that the star striker has yet to recover from. And while Frank keeps hinting that Solanke will be back soon, each promise of a near return has been met with radio silence.

Dominic Solanke setback?

In his latest update, Frank told reporters after the 3-0 Tottenham win over Slavia Praha in the Champions League that there has been no injury setback to Dominic Solanke, via the Lilywhite Rose. Now while that is a hugely positive update because all the silence around Solanke has led concerned Spurs fans to speculate that Solanke quietly suffered an injury setback from his procedure, it honestly says a whole lot of nothing.

Because at this point, there has been such a lack of transparency about the nature of Solanke's injury - or even his absence as a whole, given the plodding and almost secretive process of his recovery - that Tottenham fans are not going to buy anything on Solanke until they actually see him on the pitch again. And him not having a setback, again, says nothing about the nature of the injury, the progression of his recovery, or let alone anything resembling a time table for his return.

In the meantime, Spurs fans are already locking in on Kolo Muani and Mathys Tel as the top two striker options, with Richarlison and his goal poaching occasionally mixed in. Solanke is falling further and further out of the equation, and while it is a positive that Solanke is not out for longer with a setback, it isn't really a positive Spurs fans can buy when there's nothing else to go off of.

No team in European football has had as awful luck with injuries as Tottenham Hotspur over the past couple of seasons, and now in 2025/26, Spurs can't even blame the continued injury woes on an Ange Postecoglou system that had players run into the ground.

Now, Spurs did come into the 2025/26 campaign with several key injuries lingering from the 2024/25 campaign. Dominic Solanke remains mostly out of commission after an injury aggravation and surgery. Dejan Kulusevski is nowhere close to returning either. And James Maddison may never return for the 2025/26 season after tearing his ACL.

Along the way, several more key players have been out of the lineup. Randal Kolo Muani took ages to get settled with a dead leg and then suffered a jaw injury, Destiny Udogie has been in and out of commission, and even Cristian Romero and Mohammed Kudus have been all important players who picked up knocks.

Destiny Udogie is out

Udogie is the latest significant injury, as the vital starting left back has gone down again. He was a late scratch against Brentford after picking up a slight injury against Newcastle last Tuesday night that was not talked about much. The injury was not even revealed by Thomas Frank until Spurs had already beaten the Bees, too.

Now, according to Frank ahead of Spurs Champions League matchup against Slavia Praha, via the official web site, Destiny Udogie is going to be out for another month with a hamstring injury. He will not be able to return for Spurs until the New Year.

Although Spurs won without Udogie against Brentford, Djed Spence has shown time after time that he is not a true left back, and Spurs are awful against any sort of decent opponent whenever Udogie is not available to stretch the defense and lend some attacking quality and support from the fullback position to the left wingers and striker.

So while Udogie is a defender, the blow is most massive to the Spurs attack. Udogie overlaps and helps orchestrate things with his solid ability on the ball, and he is just about as good as Spence defensively, even if Spence gets more credit for both the memes he makes and for the fact that his defending looks disproportionately great in the face of his horrendous attacking output. Spurs are 100 percent going to miss Udogie over this month of December, but an aggravation of a hamstring injury would be even worse for their chances this season.

Tottenham Hotspur youngster Mathys Tel has as much potential as any current Spurs first team player rising through the ranks, and although he has shown his potential with game changing goals in games against Leeds United and Manchester United this season, he has mostly been eschewed by manager Thomas Frank.

For the most part, Frank has been undervaluing his young players in his first season at the helm. Recently, he has shown signs of giving the young stars he has discarded a chance, with the likes of Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall finally becoming important starters over the last few games.

Tel, though, remains mostly on the periphery, but, quietly, it appears Frank is realizing the error of his ways of undervaluing the Bayern Munich signing. Because right at the very beginning of the season, Frank already made it clear that he didn't value Tel as highly as the more important people above him in the club did. You know, the same people who signed him permanently from Bayern.

The Mathys Tel mistake

That's because Frank didn't even have Tel on the final squad for the Champions League season, meaning Tel cannot help them in European football's premier competition this campaign. It's a decision that Frank has now admitted he regrets.

The Danish coach said of Mathys Tel, prior to Tottenham's Champions League match against Slavia Praha on Tuesday night, via The Spurs Express, “If I knew then what I know now, I would have changed my decision, no doubt about it.”

Wow, he came right out and admitted it. Although Thomas Frank is a quiet man, he has a certain understated sense of pride about him and does not often admit he is in the wrong. He never did, for example, with Bergvall, Gray, or, most recently, attacking midfielder Xavi Simons.

But he is admitting that he was wrong to cut Tel out of the Champions League squad. The thing is, while that may be seen as a positive to the Spurs fans who want to see more reps for Tel on the left wing and at striker, the words feel a bit empty since Frank still has not been playing the French forward much, even after he proved his utility with those displays against Leeds and Manchester United. But the season is young yet - and Tel younger still. The former Ligue 1 prospect will get more opportunities to show his stuff in 2025/26, rest assured.