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While most teams' expected goal difference marries up quite closely to their actual one, it is clear that Tottenham are by far the hottest side in the league in terms of form.

Not only have they been the most ruthless side in front of goal by scoring five more goals than expected given the chances they have had, at the other end goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has had to be at the top of his game, preventing more goals than any other keeper in the league (2.9).

While this is obviously great in the short term, Thomas Frank will want to quickly improve his new club's dominance in games as the former manager of stats-savvy Brentford will likely know that significantly overperforming your xG does not last forever.

Read more on what expected goals tell us about the start to the season

None of the last 20 Premier League matches between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa have been drawn (14 Spurs wins, 6 Villa wins) since a 1-1 stalemate in May 2012. Only two fixtures in the competition’s history have ever had more successive games without a draw: Newcastle v Spurs (21 from Aug 1999 to Dec 2010) and Chelsea v Crystal Palace (26 from Sep 1997 to Feb 2024).

Aston Villa have won four of their last six Premier League games against Tottenham Hotspur (L2), as many as their previous 29 beforehand (D7 L18).

Tottenham Hotspur have won just three of their last 17 Premier League home games (D4 L10). Indeed, since the first game of this run (Nov 10th 2024 v Ipswich), no ever-present side has lost more home games (10) or picked up fewer home points (13) in the competition than Spurs.

Aston Villa have won eight of their last 10 Premier League games that have come the matchday after an international break (D2) – including a win away at Tottenham in November 2023 (2-1). They drew their first match after this September’s international break 0-0 at Everton, however.

After failing to win each of their opening five league games this season (D3 L2), Aston Villa have since won their last two. Indeed, since the beginning of March, only Manchester City have enjoyed more Premier League wins (11) than Unai Emery’s side (10).

Tottenham Hotspur have scored 13 goals from an expected goals tally of 7.5 in the Premier League this season, the biggest overperformance of any side (+5.5). Indeed, their shot conversion rate of 16.9% is second only to Manchester City (17.4%).

Tottenham Hotspur’s Thomas Frank has never beaten Unai Emery’s Aston Villa side in the Premier League in five attempts (D2 L3, all with Brentford). It’s the most he’s faced an opposing manager in the competition without ever winning.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Mohammed Kudus has completed 30 dribbles in the Premier League this season, with no other player completing 20 or more. Indeed, he has completed 246 dribbles in his 72 Premier League appearances overall; the only player to record 250+ successful dribbles within his first 73 games on Opta’s records in the competition (from 2006-07) is Allan Saint-Maximin (250 in first 58).

Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers has assisted more goals in the Premier League in 2025 (9) than any other player. Rogers has assisted in his last two league games, but has never recorded one in three successive Premier League appearances before.

One of the biggest unkept secrets in English football is finally out: Fabio Paratici's official return to Tottenham Hotspur has been confirmed.

Of course, since severing ties with Spurs because of his suspension, the Italian - renowned as one of Europe's leading sporting directors - has been working on a consultancy basis for the club.

BBC Sport has reported regularly over the year that the wheels were in motion towards Paratici returning to the club on an official basis in 2025, though there was a dalliance with AC Milan in the summer.

Given his links to Daniel Levy, the Italian's return looked unclear when the former executive chairman left Spurs last month.

So it is testament to Paratici's reputation that the club's new-look ownership team have retained their commitment to re-employing the administrator.

The attraction to Paratici is clear. He has one of the most extensive contacts book in the game - who he doesn't know probably isn't worth knowing.

It will be interesting to see how he works with joint sporting director Johan Lange, but either way, Paratici's know-how and understanding in the transfer market will continue to be invaluable for Tottenham.

Tottenham Hotspur are the latest club to express interest in signing Rangers and Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin. (TeamTalk), external

Danny Rohl wants former Rangers left-back Lee Wallace on his coaching staff if he is given the Ibrox hot seat. (Glasgow Times), external

Ex-Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday says former Ibrox forward Josh Windass has praised Rohl for his coaching abilities at Sheffield Wednesday. (Open Goal podcast via Scottish Sun), external

Alex McLeish - who signed Kevin Muscat for the Light Blues in 2002 - has backed his bid to become Rangers boss. (Scottish Sun), external

US-based chairman Andrew Cavenagh may decide Rangers cannot afford to delay naming a permanent boss and install Rohl before the weekend game against Dundee United. (Scottish Sun), external

Muscat and Neil McCann - who could fill in for the Australian while he becomes available - first thrashed out an agreement about how they would work together at Rangers two years ago. (Daily Record), external

Rangers have spoken to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Bo Svensson as candidates to replace Russell Martin, with the latter dropping out over the weekend. (Scottish Sun), external

If Rohl does end up getting the job, he will be on the back foot from day one and, as sporting director Kevin Thelwell's pick, is unlikely to be afforded trust or goodwill from Rangers fans. (Daily Record), external

Thelwell's role at Rangers is under the spotlight despite the departure of the man he appointed, Russell Martin. (The Herald), external

Former Ayr boss Lee Bullen saw plenty of Rangers target Rohl's Sheffield Wednesday side as a pundit and was impressed that "while he initially had one plan, he seemed able to adapt". (Scottish Sun), external

Tottenham fans have been putting their questions to BBC Sport's Sami Mokbel. You can read several of his responses further down this page.

David asked: How do you think the reshaped ownership and change of chairman will alter the overall running of the club? Will player purchases change significantly and will the limited wage structure change?

Sami: That's the million dollar question, David. For their part, they are certainly making the right noises.

The decision for long-serving executive chairman Daniel Levy to stand down in September came with the message that it was a move taken with a view to improving sporting success.

The Lewis family's firm insistence that the club is not for sale also lends itself to the growing sense that they new regime are fully committed to driving on the field improvements.

The proof will be in the pudding, of course, but so far the indications appear to be positive.

Our senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel has been answering your questions on Tottenham. In the third part, he discusses Spurs' potential January transfer plans.

Trevor asked: There has been some criticism of Vicario for a while now, mainly his decision making on corners and crosses. Should the club be looking at an alternative keeper in January or maybe give Antonin Kinsky more of an opportunity?

Sami: I have to disagree here Trevor. I think Vicario is an excellent modern day goalkeeper.

I get your point for sure, there have been moments when he's appeared susceptible in his own area – particularly when his area is congested. But as a shot-stopper he is very good and he is comfortable in possession, which is a key component for goalkeepers in today's game.

I don't believe a new goalkeeper will be a priority for Tottenham anytime soon. With regards to Kinsky – he made a very promising start to life at Spurs when he arrived in January. He played regularly under then manager Ange Postecoglou because Vicario was a long-term injury absentee.

But I've been told that his performances dropped off, even in training, once Vicario moved closer to fitness. That certainly raised an alarm for the previous coaching team.

Ole asked: Which positions is Frank looking to upgrade in January and how much of the £100m investment he got will he spend?

Sami: You'd imagine a new centre-back to apply genuine pressure on to Cristian Romero and Mickey van de Ven will be among Frank's priorities. Romero and Van de Ven are up there with the best partnerships in the division, but strength in depth at centre-back is an area that needs work.

Looking at the squad they may be lighter than they'd like in attacking areas – but the returns to fitness of Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani should help ease those concerns.

What Tottenham should, and I expect will, be looking to commit money towards is the permanent signing of Joao Palhinha. The Portuguese has been excellent since his initial arrival from Bayern Munich on a loan deal – his full-time signing should be a no-brainer.

Our senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel has been answering your questions on Tottenham. In the second part, he discusses Spurs' striking options.

Stuart asked: Are we going to buy a top-quality striker?

Sami: Problem with this Stuart is who could they sign?

On the face of their early season performances it is clear that one area they are lacking in is at No 9. Identifying it as an area to strengthen is one thing, but actually going out and signing someone better than what you already have is far easier said than done.

The realistic options are few and far between. We should also remember that Tottenham have been without recognised centre forward Dominic Solanke this season which has been a major blow to Frank for obvious reasons.

Richarlison has done a very good job starting the season as the team's No 9. But Solanke was signed for a lot of money in the summer of 2024 and, you'd imagine he will come straight into the team when he is fit.

Edward asked: New transfer Kolo Muani hasn't played yet. Apparently he's suffering from a dead leg. I have played rugby and had plenty of dead legs to know that a dead leg doesn't last six weeks. What is the real reason for his absence and when will he make his debut?

Sami: Painful! The good news is that Kolo Muani has played in a behind-closed-doors friendly versus Watford, completing 45 minutes as he makes his return to fitness.

His pending availability will come as a significant boost to Frank, particularly given Solanke's recent absence.

With regards to an injury more sinister than a dead leg perhaps Kolo Muani doesn't have as high a pain threshold as you, Phil!

Our senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel has been answering your questions on Tottenham. In the first part, he discusses Spurs' start under Thomas Frank.

Matt asked: A lot has been made of a good start to the season from Spurs and being top three after seven. But when you dive in you see we've have played Leeds, Burnley, West Ham and Wolves already. Do you think some are getting a bit carried away at this early stage?

Sami: I agree to a point – certainly that we should reserve judgement until we are halfway through the season at the very least. But the early signs are certainly positive.

Thomas Frank has added a solid structure to the team and clear pattern of play that wasn't necessarily apparent during certainly the latter days of Ange Postecoglou's reign. They are far harder to beat under Frank, though Postecoglou's detractors will tell you that isn't difficult.

But I'd agree, until we have a bigger body of work to analyse, we should hold off on making definitive readings of how Tottenham are progressing. But the signs look good.

The one factor that does intrigue me, however, is how supporters may react to the pragmatic style of football if they start to lose form. Fans have a history of turning on manager's who employ a defensive approach when results aren't going their way.

Will it be different with Frank?

We asked for your views on Guglielmo Vicario's season so far, and what you make of his performances, as our Tottenham fan writer Bardi (you can read his blog below) says scrutiny of the goalkeeper is intensifying.

Here are some of your comments:

Alan: Some Spurs supporters have expectations beyond what is reasonable and nowhere is this more true than when looking at goalkeepers. Stats very rarely lie and Vic is a good keeper in a good team so be grateful and support the man.

Robert: When an outfield player makes a mistake, the keeper can often get him out of trouble. But, when a keeper makes an error, it usually ends in a goal. Vicario's shot-stopping ability is not in question. However, his command of the penalty area and his ability to come for crosses is questionable, often due to a lack of communication and resulting in unnecessary collisions with his defenders. Antonin Kinsky, and even Brandon Austin, have demonstrated better ability in this area, but are they better shot-stoppers? That's the conundrum.

John: Vicario has been a good servant for the last few years but is now making shaky mistakes. Coming for crosses is poor, not being able to collect shots cleanly is worrying to his defence. Maybe now is the time to give him a rest and give Kinsky an extended run to see what he can do.

David: Not sure what all the fuss is about. Vic is a great shot stopper and while he needs to work on his strength in the air on set pieces, he has saved us much more than he's let us down. It's the most difficult position to play on the pitch and he's been a great buy!

Scrutiny of Guglielmo Vicario has increased in recent weeks, ranging from mild criticism, to some Spurs fans even calling for the goalkeeper to be dropped in favour of rookie keeper Antonin Kinsky.

At the heart of the complaints is a perception that our number one is conceding 'soft' goals.

However, Vicario's stats this season are actually very impressive.

With only Arsenal's David Raya ahead of him in the save percentage category, Vicario is leading the way in terms of prevented goals.

Last season, I wrote about Vicario often being the difference between a marginal defeat and abject humiliation.

Now, as part of a much-improved Spurs side competing under Thomas Frank, so far this term Vicario has made saves that have either secured all three points instead of one, or helped salvage one point from the brink of having none at all.

Our manager clearly has faith in the Italian – officially naming him in his five-man leadership group.

In an interview with BBC Sport earlier this week, Anthony Taylor described the pressure referees face because of VAR creating an "expectation of perfection".

As fans, we can have similarly unrealistic demands of players – particularly goalkeepers – and this is what exacerbates frustrations when errors inevitably occur.

We all know there is nowhere to hide as a goalkeeper.

Despite sometimes spending large parts of a game with very little to do, when you are called into action, the slightest mistake can lead to a goal.

As such, it takes a special mentality to play in this position, and Vicario's stats suggest he is much stronger than some may think.

While competition for places is always a healthy thing, we are in safe enough hands for now.