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Tottenham Hotspur had one of the worst midfields in the Premier League last season under Ange Postecoglou, but now under Thomas Frank, that group has been stabilized. The additions of Xavi Simons and Joao Palhinha this summer have been massive, as the duo looks set to be among the very best in their roles in the Premier League this season; Palhinha already is.

But there are young players coming over from last season who are set to be important under Frank. Archie Gray and Pape Matar Sarr are already making huge strides from what they were doing under Postecoglou.

The real key player to watch in midfield is Lucas Bergvall, though. He was a standout in his first season with Tottenham and has been important again this season. Bergvall needs to be a key player for Spurs going forward, just as he needs to be a key starter for his country, Sweden.

The Swedish national team just had a terrible October international break with poor result after poor result, and the teenage Tottenham star was a victim of that, including being subbed off controversially in the game against Kosovo.

Not you, Potter

That manager has now been fired, but Jon Dahl Tomasson's replacement as the Sweden national team coach may not be much of an upgrade, which will come to the chagrin of Bergvall.

According to a report from Fabrizio Romano, the Sweden national team is close to hiring Graham Potter as the manager, even though Potter was just swiftly fired by West Ham after embarrassing himself with the Hammers even more thoroughly than he did at Chelsea.

Potter has been one of the worst Premier League managers over the last three years, and he is hardly much of an upgrade on Tomasson. Bergvall having to work under Potter is not going to be a great deal for him, and he's unlikely to learn much that he can use to translate to Spurs from a guy who isn't even fit to manage the worst teams in the Premier League.

It's a blow for Spurs and Bergvall, because coaches of the ilk of Tomasson and Potter are also hard to trust when it comes to playing the best players and guiding young talent. Potter didn't even develop Brighton's players at the level of his successors, and he's looking more and more like a fraud who was simply propped up by a great scouting system that fed him the talent in Brighton.

Tottenham Hotspur are slowly but surely shaping into a contender under new manager Thomas Frank, and despite a few poor results in recent weeks, the club are quietly third in the Premier League behind only perennial contenders Liverpool and Arsenal.

And Spurs are doing it without a steady striker situation. Richarlison had a hot start to the 2025/26 season, but the disappointing transfer from Everton reverted back to his old ways and is now struggling to find the back of the net - or make a real impact at all.

Tottenham are playing short-handed at striker, as Dominic Solanke has been slow to heal from an injury that required surgery. Meanwhile, new acquisition Randal Kolo Muani, signed on loan from PSG, has yet to even debut for Tottenham due to an apparent "dead leg".

Tottenham ready for a boost

Well, Frank finally has some good news on Kolo Muani, as the former Eintracht Frankfurt star could actually be ready to start for Tottenham on Sunday in the Premier League with a match against Aston Villa. Frank said, via Spurs Global

“Kolo Muani has trained for two weeks with the team - he looks better and better - and he's in contention for the weekend.

Dom's progressed well post-surgery, he's moving forwards. Biss unfortunately had a situation with the national team and has a ligament issue in his ankle so he'll be out for a few weeks.”

Although Kolo Muani's had a torrid time in Paris, he was great on loan at Juventus last season, but Spurs were able to beat Juve to the punch for the loan deal. And before all that, Kolo Muani was one of the best and most well-rounded overall forwards in the Bundesliga for Eintracht.

Tottenham have Mathys Tel ready to break out at striker, but they need an all-around veteran who can score and assist for the team. Kolo Muani can be the solution Spurs are looking for up top, and he can prove that he's a piece of the puzzle on Sunday, even in 15-20 minutes off the bench as a tune up for a potential start in the Champions League on Wednesday against former Ligue 1 rivals Monaco.

If Spurs can solve their striker situation and get one of Wilson Odobert or Mathys Tel to break out on the left wing, they will then have no glaring weaknesses left in Frank's ideal starting XI. Let's see what Kolo Muani can do.

When it comes to reunion talk, most of the conversation has been around Bayern Munich superstar striker Harry Kane, who, to the surprise of absolutely nobody related to Tottenham Hotspur, is playing at a literal Ballon d'Or level and has been the best striker in the world since joining the Bavarian giants.

On a much better side than what Ange Postecoglou could have afforded him at Spurs, Kane is crushing it alongside Michael Olise and Luis Diaz. But with Spurs improving their own attack, they are quietly hoping that Kane sees this and is open to a 2026 return to N17.

In the meantime, Tottenham were preparing for a different kind of reunion. On this coming Wednesday, Oct. 22, Spurs are set to battle Monaco on the road in the next matchup of the 2025/26 Champions League season. None other than Eric Dier is one of the center backs for the Monegasque club, having joined them this summer after a better than expected run with the very same Bayern.

But according to a report from L'Equipe's Flavien Tressarieu, the veteran defender has suffered a muscular injury ahead of this Champions League clash. Dier is now set to miss the "homecoming" matchup against Tottenham with this injury suffered in training.

Tottenham have an easier matchup

Monaco have one of the best young squads in Europe and are an underrated darkhorse side. Dier has been resurgent lately and is actually a regular starter for Monaco alongside the even more underrated Christian Mawissa, so this is a big loss for Monaco.

It's a big gain for Tottenham, though, as Spurs still have questions to answer as far as scoring goals goes. Whoever starts at striker for Spurs in this one, which could even be former Ligue 1 No. 9 Randal Kolo Muani, they will have a significantly easier time without dealing with Dier.

Plus, on a personal level, no Tottenham fan wants to have to think of someone who played for their club and was a key contributor as an enemy. Although seeing that Dier is out with injury hurts in that respect and you never want to see anyone injured, at least Spurs won't have to "reunite" with Dier and suffer against him as an opponent. For Dier, he'd obviously want to be out there playing and not hurt, but maybe on some level it would also be bittersweet for him to see Tottenham as an enemy, too.

Tottenham Hotspur have so much more promise about them in the 2025/26 season with Thomas Frank at the helm, and that's not just because Spurs signed three great players in the summer transfer window in Xavi Simons, Joao Palhinha, and Mohammed Kudus.

The existing players are showing more hunger and potential under Frank, who is by far and away a superior tactical manager to predecessor Ange Postecoglou. The real hope is that the young footballers, especially the forwards, can become world-beaters slowly over time under Frank.

For his part, the new Tottenham manager is already intrigued by a pair of growing forwards in Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel, who came into the season with expectations but a lot of unknowns and were even criticized by some fans just weeks ago.

But after strong displays against Leeds followed by world-class performances for the prestigious French U21 team, Frank sounds highly intrigued to see what Odobert and Tel can do as a pair after the October international break.

Mathys Tel is making waves

Frank said at the press conference ahead of Sunday's fixture between Tottenham and Aston Villa, via Spurs Global:

“It was so nice to see them perform well for their country. They are both in a good rhythm.

I'm pleased with both of them in general. I think they are developing and taking steps in the right direction.”

Tel scored once and nearly twice against Leeds, and he is a player with a Bayern Munich pedigree who was a key part of the side that won the Europa League last season. Despite the inane criticisms from some Spurs fans, most people, Frank included, believe that he is a quality young player.

Odobert was another significant investment in the summer 2024 transfer window, and, together, he and Tel can be a dynamic duo for the next decade if developed properly. In view of Frank's success at developing talents at Brentford into Premier League stars like Bryan Mbeumo and Ivan Toney, you wouldn't want the U21 French duo in the hands of any other coach.

Frank's praise for Odobert and Tel is a hint that more minutes should be coming for the two as the 2025/26 Premier League season rolls on. The win over Leeds combined with this praise from Frank should be a sign of more starts, including for Tel and Odobert as a pair with Tel recently impressing at the striker position for Tottenham.

Tottenham CEO Vinai Venkatesham was among those who spoke at the annual fan forum, held at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night, and he was particularly bullish over one piece of business conducted by the club in the summer.

Vinai joined Spurs as CEO in April, having spent a long while in Arsenal's hierarchy down the road. His ties to our bitter rivals would render him easy to dislike, but Vinai has so far spoken with impressive clarity on a range of topics amid a period of significant change in N17.

Those who attended the forum were once again impressed with the CEO's ability to communicate with precision at Thursday's forum. Thomas Frank, Ben Davies, Johan Lange and Bethany England were also on stage, as was Cristian Romero.

Having been linked with a move away following Ange Postecoglou's exit amid interest from Atlético Madrid, Romero's subsequent contract extension was a major coup for the Lilywhites. Frank named him his captain ahead of the UEFA Super Cup, and the Dane has benefited from his availability at the start of the new season.

New Cristian Romero contract was 'best deal' of the summer window

Vinai reportedly played a key role in ensuring Romero comitted his future to the club, with the defender now tied down until 2029.

While I wasn't at the forum and don't have the context in which the CEO brought this up, Vinai was quoted by several aggregator accounts on X, including Last Word On Spurs, as saying that Romero's new contract was the "best deal in world football this summer."

Son Heung-min's departure means the Argentine international is now the club's highest-paid player, and his newfound responsibility, which started when Ange named him one of his vice-captains two years ago, have helped Romero harness the aggression that once proved a source of frustration.

He's continued to prove at the start of 2025/26 that he's one of Europe's premier centre-backs, even if rival supporters remain adamant that he's a "hot head" who lacks discipline.

His partnership with Micky van de Ven proved key in our Europa League success last season, and the pair have started together in every Premier League match so far this term. As a result, Frank's resilient Lilywhites have the joint-second best defensive record in the division.

Retaining Romero's fitness could decide how far Spurs go this season, although Van de Ven is equally important to the club's success. Both have been ravaged by injuries over the past two years, but there's hope that under the new regime, the pair will be better protected.

The October international break has been navigated without too much fuss, despite the abundance of Spurs stars who were in action for their respective countries.

There were certainly highs and lows, While our French U21 starlets impressing again and Mohammed Kudus helping Ghana qualify for next summer's World Cup, Lucas Bergavll endured a miserable time, Sweden will be relying on the playoffs to earn their place at the big show. Fortunately, Dejan Kulusevski should be available when March rolls around.

Anyway, that's enough international talk. Tottenham are back in action on home soil on Sunday afternoon, with Aston Villa, the early crisis team of 2025/26, travelling to N17. The Villans steadied the ship before the break, and a hotly contested contest is in store this weekend, with Spurs aiming for a repeat of last season's home outing against Unai Emery's men.

Here's how Thomas Frank could set his side up this weekend.

Tottenham predicted lineup vs Aston Villa (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper & Defenders

Guglielmo Vicario (GK) – Vicario made up for his role in Leeds United's goal two weeks ago by making a pair of excellent second-half saves to preserve our victory. Still, the Italian has something to prove after the break.

Pedro Porro (RB) – Porro's importance to the Spanish national team is starting to be realised, and he remains an imperative figure in Frank's Lilywhites.

Cristian Romero (CB) – Romero was at the fan forum on Thursday and sat as CEO Vinai Venkatesham sang his praises. He didn't have all that much to do on international duty, it would seem.

Micky van de Ven (CB) – Van de Ven lined up at left-back for the Netherlands over the recent break, but will return to his familiar role on Sunday. There are rumours of a new contract emerging.

Destiny Udogie (LB) – Djed Spence had an excellent break, but Udogie is needed in this Tottenham team.

Midfielders

João Palhinha (CM) – I think Frank opts for Palhinha at the base of his midfield to combat Aston Villa's threat between the lines. Given how Villa play, this has the makings of a huge game for the Portuguese international. Duels aplenty.

Lucas Bergvall (CM) – This might not be the worst game for a fresh Rodrigo Bentancur to start in, but I think we'd all prefer a more dynamic option alongside Palhinha. Bergvall or Pape Matar Sarr.

Xavi Simons (AM) – Xavi didn't play all that much for the Dutch, so he should be pretty fresh here. He's certainly growing in Spurs colours, but we're waiting for his "he's arrived!" game to surface.

Forwards

Mohammed Kudus (RW) – The Ghanaian must be flying high knowing that he'll be going to the World Cup next year, especially after Ghana failed to qualify for the upcoming African Cup of Nations. Kudus has been Spurs' star performer this season.

Mathys Tel (ST) – Richarlison has flown to the Far East and back ahead of this fixture. We don't need a sluggish Richy leading the line here. I hope Frank trusts Tel again.

Under the coaching of new manager Thomas Frank, Tottenham Hotspur find themselves in the top three of the Premier League after seven games.Â

At the core of the improvement from last season has been an improved defensive structure, giving the team a high floor. A season after finishing 17th in the league largely due to a porous defense that conceded the fifth-most goals, Spurs currently rank second-best in the category, going from conceding 1.71 goals per game last season to 0.71 goals per game this season.Â

This season’s defense has restricted the number of fastbreaks conceded to the opposition due to the deeper defensive line. This can be seen in the data from Opta, with Spurs conceding the joint-fourth lowest fastbreaks with 0.43 per game, and they are yet to concede from such a situation. Contrast this with last season, where the high-line and the defensive structure often caused vicious counter-attacks, with Spurs conceding the fourth-most fast-breaks with 1.13 per game and conceding the second-most goals in the league.Â

When the defense has been breached, Vicario’s shot-stopping has prevented multiple goals. According to Opta, Vicario has prevented the highest number of goals in the Premier League this season, with 2.9 goals prevented, and has the second-highest save percentage with 82.8%.

Tottenham are more direct under Thomas Frank

The attack has also seen a change of philosophy, and while the results have been positive, it’s fair to say it’s a work in process. Spurs have gone to a more direct and pragmatic approach, relying on crossing and set pieces as a major source of attack. However, Spurs have become stagnant with a lack of central midfield progression at times, with the systematic reliance on wider overloads combined with not having progressive players in the middle.

Although it’s partially down to Spurs finding themselves in positive game-states by taking early leads in a few games, one could argue that Spurs are quite fortunate to score 13 goals from a combined 7.53 expected goals (Opta) this season.

The biggest positive for Spurs has been new signing Mohmmad Kudus, who has seemingly made things happen out of nothing all season long. The assist-leader of the league this season ranks 1st among Premier League wingers in expected assists, successful dribbles, offensive duels won, accurate crosses, successful attacking actions, and duels won according to DataMB.

The likes of Pedro Porro with his progressive passing and crossing, and Cristian Romero’s deep progressions and carrying, along with his astute defending, have been some of the other big positives from the season so far

The Left-hand side has found a semblance of stability with the likes of Destiny Udogie and Wilson Odobert after notable struggles in attack earlier in the season.Â

The return from injuries could also provide major boosts for the team moving forward. Dominic Solanke’s hold-up play would give an outlet for build-up that has felt missing at times this season. Dejan Kulusevski will be a welcome addition when he recovers from his injury as a versatile player in the attack. Long-term, James Maddison is one of the finest playmakers in the league, and Spurs would be hoping for him to return to his best after his cruciate ligament.

Recently integrated and signed players like Mathys Tel, Xavi Simons, and Randall Kolo Muani provide further upside for Spurs moving forward.

Under Thomas Frank, Spurs have completely changed styles and have shown the ability to get the results. With the Foundations set, it’s time for the team to find its ceiling.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has asserted himself as one of the best managers in the world, and if he weren't already in the conversation among diehard fans after his results in turning Brentford from a promoted side to a European football contender, then his hot start at the N17 is entrenching his status as being among the very best.

Frank is known for being something of a forward whisperer. At Brentford, he turned Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa, and still others from relative unknowns into players who became among the most productive attackers in the Premier League, particularly from a goal-scoring perspective.

Already at Spurs, Frank is having a positive impact on the forwards. He's turned new signing Mohammed Kudus into a legitimate world-class winger, but what Tottenham fans really want to see is what he can do with the prospects.

Mathys Tel drew the start at striker for Tottenham before the break and was excellent in the position, scoring a nice solo goal and nearly grabbing another with a header that smacked the bar. Although he normally starts as a left winger, the former Bayern Munich man looked far more lively in the middle, and with Richarlison struggling and the other veteran strikers slow to return from injuries, Tel looks set to get at least one more start up top.

Thomas Frank creates attacking monsters

After impressing over the international break alongside fellow French youth left winger Wilson Odobert, Tottenham fans are optimistic that Tel and Odobert can shine again as a 1-2 punch with Odobert on the wing and Tel at the 9.

Frank has turned less talented footballers into stars in the Premier League, so you can only imagine what he can do with a player like Tel. With months of working under Frank and finding his best form at striker, perhaps Tel can become a Premier League star as a U21 talent and solve the No. 9 position once and for all.

Tottenham continue to be linked with strikers on the transfer market despite investing heavily in both Dominic Solanke and Richarlison in past windows, as well as signing Randal Kolo Muani on loan from PSG this past summer.

Nobody has distinguished himself yet, but Tel is the one with the most long-term value and intriguing traits. Frank loves to turn special athletes into productive strikers, and Tel is his most prolific project yet. Tottenham fans should keep a close eye on Tel's development at striker.

Tottenham Hotspur have very few glaring weaknesses in their squad right now after a highly productive summer transfer window in which they landed a legitimate world-class right winger in Mohammed Kudus and solved their midfield issues with a double-swoop for No. 10 Xavi Simons and No. 6 Joao Palhinha.

While Tottenham still have to work on signing Palhinha permanently from Bayern Munich, their ability to snag Mathys Tel at a discount from the Bavarians this past summer speaks to the optimism of a similar deal for the Portuguese midfielder getting done in 2026 if he continues at this pace.

Speaking of Tel, Tottenham landed him and Randal Kolo Muani on loan this past summer, and while they could yet prove to be the solution at the No. 9 position, striker is one of the two remaining major needs in the Tottenham starting lineup. The other is the left wing, which Tel could also be a solution at.

Tottenham fans have been craving a new star striker ever since Harry Kane's big move to Bayern, and since the England international has a release clause active next summer, Spurs supporters are holding out hopes for a dream reunion with arguably the greatest striker in Premier League history.

Thomas Frank can imagine Harry Kane back at Tottenham

At a recent fan forum event, Tottenham manager Thomas Frank teased the Kane reunion, stating that he would "welcome" the legendary forward back at N17, but he also teased a personal reunion with former Brentford star Ivan Toney, who is currently plying his trade in Saudi Arabia.

Frank said, via The Spurs Watch, "Let’s put it this way, they’re two very very good players, both of them. Harry Kane is a legend. I said in the press conference the other day, if he wants to come back he’s more than welcome. Of course Ivan Toney I coached for a few years, top player, top guy, very good striker so let’s see what happens in the future."

Between the two of them, Kane is the one Tottenham fans would want more, but Toney was a great striker in the Premier League and a real demon under Frank, tearing elite teams like Manchester City to shreds with his athleticism and ruthless finishing on the counterattack.

Kane is option No. 1, but he's also on the wrong age of 30. Toney is less appealing and may even be as expensive at around 60 million euros or so, given Saudi Arabia generally don't sell big names back to the Premier League.

Tottenham could use either of them, though, as both are proven stars in the Premier League and clearly better than Richarlison. But if Tel can break out at striker or Kolo Muani or Dominic Solanke can blossom under Frank once healthy, maybe Spurs don't need Toney. As for Kane, I doubt anyone has the gumption to turn down a Ballon d'Or candidate and a Spurs icon rolled up in one.

The land that produced Pelé, Ronaldo Nazário, Ronaldinho and Neymar hasn't exactly done all that much for Tottenham Hotspur.

Brazilians were not the inventors of football, but they were perhaps responsible for evolving the popular past-time into an art form. The sport has long been treated as a religion in the homeland of samba, with its finest exponents worshipped as figures who bridge the gap between mere mortals and the Almighty.

However, as I've quickly alluded to, I don't think many Spurs fans would hold the club's Brazilian alumni in such a lofty regard. Well, I'm sure we all did for one man on a particular night in 2019.

In total, there have been eight who promised to be Spurs' answer to Cafu, Zico and Rivaldo, but even picking the five 'best' has proven a difficult challenge. Nevertheless, we've given it a go. Enjoy!

Yes, it really is that underwhelming. Unfortunately, I simply couldn't make a case for Gilberto or Paulinho, while much of Carlos Vinícius’ success in Lilywhite came against Scouse carpenters and plumbers.

So, here we are: Emerson Royal.

A Brazilian with Barcelona ties typically screams "brilliant at football", but the right-back functioned in contrast to that ideal. Sure, he wasn't a bad one-on-one defender and he's produced some all-timer social media content, as well as that no-look pass, but Emerson operated as a figure of comedy during his time at Spurs. Did anyone take him seriously?

I'd argue he wasn't as bad as some made him out to be, and he did generally produce some stubborn defensive performances, but Emerson was often an eye-sore with the ball at his feet.

Gomes spent six years at Tottenham, but his love for a blunder meant Carlo Cudicini and Brad Friedel shared the Brazilian's No. 1 status.

The goalkeeper was revered for his mammoth throw, and his heroics against Spurs in a UEFA Cup victory for PSV Eindhoven convinced the club to sign him in 2008, as Paul Robinson joined Blackburn Rovers.

His first few months were pretty disastrous, and any impressive runs of form were rapidly undermined by a horrible mistake. There's a long list of Gomes gaffs, and Hugo Lloris' arrival in 2012 meant he sank as low as fourth in the goalkeeper depth chart.

Nevertheless, the role he played in helping the club qualify for the Champions League for the first time ever in 2010 means he makes this list.

Daniel Levy took advantage of Everton's need to sell in 2022, paying close to £60m for their star man, Richarlison.

The forward joined the club amid an exciting period, with Antonio Conte overseeing a stellar end to the previous campaign and ensuring Champions League football was on the horizon in N17. A cash injection sparked hope of a prosperous dawn in our swanky new home, and Richarlison arrived during peak fervency.

The Brazilian signed as a Premier League-proven talent, but injuries have prevented that perk from manifesting for a sustained period in north London. Outside of one purple patch midway through Ange Postecoglou's debut season, Richarlison has struggled for rhythm and form. He can be such a nuisance on his day and his nose for goal is undeniable, but we haven't seen it enough.

You're not going to encounter too many people like Sandro, let me tell you. An immense character, the Brazilian midfielder is nothing short of a madman, but the good kind of madman.

An occasional gum shield wearer who was as prone to throwing up on the pitch as he was scoring from 30 yards, Sandro earned the nickname "beast" and was a legitmately good holding midfielder.

He was no technical master of the football, but he was aware of his limitations, especially after he suffered a devastating knee injury in early 2013. Sandro's deployment as an imposing destroyer in front of Spurs' backline was often effective, and he was particularly brilliant during our memorable Champions League campaign of 2010/11.

The club eventually moved past the lovable midfielder, who joined Harry Redknapp at Queen's Park Rangers in 2014. Despite his strong relationship with Redknapp, Sandro later said the move was the "biggest regret" of his career.

No Brazilian has played more (221 games) and scored more (39 goals) for Tottenham than Lucas Moura, who delivered what now has to be regarded as the second-greatest night in the club's modern history.

There are plenty of supporters who can't bear to remember his heroics in Amsterdam, solely because of the disappointment that ensued in Madrid. Now that a piece of European silverware has arrived in the form of the Europa League, perhaps more will be open to reconciling with Moura's hat-trick against Ajax.

That was the definitive night of his career, but Moura gave a whole lot more to this club than that night alone. Many of Spurs' samba alumni have been distinctly un-Brazilian, but that cannot be said about Moura, who was a supreme bobber and weaver with the ball at his feet. While not as refined as some of his contemporaries, the winger thrived in chaos and was able to conjure magic out of very little.

He was far from perfect, and a model of inconsistency, but he's certainly the best Brazilian we've had on our books.