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Tottenham Hotspur are already planning their first move in the January transfer window, just weeks after the summer transfer window closed.

Spurs have endured a disastrous start to the 2026/27 Premier League campaign, sitting rock bottom of the table five games into the season.

And with an extended three-week international break upon us, the Spurs supporters will have to endure weeks of torture, looking at the standings and see their side propping up the table.

After back-to-back 17th-placed finishes in the top flight and only staving off relegation last season by the skin of their teeth on the final day of the campaign, things were expected to get better under Roberto De Zerbi, particularly after splashing out more than £300million on ten new signings this summer.

However, the players have failed to gel under the Italian head coach so far, with two draws and three defeats from their opening five matches. They only scored their first goals of the campaign last time out against Aston Villa, but only when the match was already out of reach, trailing 3-0.

Spurs had appeared to shore up their defence, prior to the Villa debacle, although goals remain the biggest problem for De Zerbi. And that is something he is looking to rectify in January, GIVEMESPORT understands.

Tottenham signed Omar Marmoush from Manchester City in a late deal this summer, but allowed youngsters Will Lankshear and Dane Scarlett to leave the club permanently. And after a falling out with Richarlison, with the Brazilian left out of Spurs' 25-man Premier League squad, De Zerbi only has Marmoush and Dominic Solanke to call upon through the middle.

Speaking in his GMS newsletter, which you can sign up to receive here, senior football correspondent Ben Jacobs delivered an update on Spurs' winter transfer plans and the player they are already targeting.

He said: "Tottenham are prepared to add another striker mid-season in the winter market if goals continue to dry up.

"Richarlison doesn't appear to have a future at the football club, Roberto De Zerbi has been clear on his position there, and even though Marmoush has arrived, Igor Mantanovic and Tottenham could be one to watch, and as I exclusively revealed over the summer, Spurs and Manchester United both appreciate the player.

"He scored 15 goals for Freiburg last season, and he's got six goals in seven games already this campaign as well.

He's big, he's tall, he's a target man, he's a little bit of a different profile to the kind of striker that Tottenham have already got, and yet there's no guarantee anything is going to be possible here mid-season.

"We're going to have to understand whether Tottenham are going to be really aggressive for a particular target in the winter market, or if they're going to back what they've got and then ultimately wait until the summer.

"My information as of now is that it's not ruled out they could add another source of goals mid-season, but of course players are harder to get in the winter market than in the summer, due to the fact that there's less time and generally clubs with players they want to keep, are less willing to sell mid-season because it can be highly disruptive.

"But Igor Mantanovic and Tottenham could potentially be one to watch, and they're assessing the situation now, they've got plenty of time before the winter market opens, but don't rule out the possibility of Tottenham adding another source of goals mid-season."

Tottenham Hotspur have had a season from hell so far in 2026/27, despite Roberto De Zerbi's near £400m spend in the summer transfer window.

Andy Robertson, Martin Dubravka, Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali, Savio, Omar Marmoush, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Mykhailo Mudryk all arrived at different stages of the window, but none have been able to make a positive impact so far.

Spurs have lost three of their five Premier League games so far this season, alongside two 0-0 draws, scoring just two goals in the process, while they were also eliminated from the EFL Cup after a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool.

This past weekend the team finally scored their first goals of the Premier League season against Aston Villa, but they came with the team already 3-0 down at home and en route towards yet another defeat.

The crowd has grown frustrated at the situation and were booing the team throughout the second half, having gone into half-time 1-0 down. The players continue to struggle with the manager's instructions, with the system seemingly stifling the creativity of the attackers, while simultaneously leaving the defence open to being exposed.

Despite those issues with the system, De Zerbi is seemingly refusing to take any accountability at this stage and has now started to publicly blame the players.

Speaking after the game, the manager called out £85m man Mateus Fernandes for his performance, while also saying the team was the most 'fragile' team he'd ever coached in his 14 years as a manager.

"I didn't like the performance of Mateus [Fernandes] today," he said. "Otherwise I couldn't [wouldn't] change. He knows.

"But it's normal. It's not an attack on Mateus, I love Mateus. It's not a problem. But I think for Mateus, we need more from Mateus. Because he can, even in that position.

"It's a mental aspect for sure, but they have the right mentality. They work very well, they are good players.

"It's difficult to explain because, in my career, 14 years as a coach, I've never seen one team like us. So fragile, so inconsistent.

"You're good, or you're bad. You can't be very good in the first 30, 40 minutes, and then concede like this in this way. It's tough to accept for me."

De Zerbi Risking Spurs Mutiny

When things are going well, being extremely critical of your players can be seen as the tough love that can help them go to the next level. But when the team are performing poorly, it looks like passing the blame.

De Zerbi is consistently using Fernandes out of position, and it is causing him to struggle in his new club following a big-money move. As a result of that, it's causing more scrutiny on him as a player from outside sources, but also from fans who were expecting more.

The manager needs to make changes if he wants to see results change, and if he doesn't do that and continues to pick on individuals instead of accepting that he is getting things wrong, then he is risking causing big problems behind the scenes for himself.

Tottenham would have been wise to sign a player who put them to the sword on Saturday - Nicolas Jackson. Spurs finally managed to score in the Premier League, netting twice against Aston Villa, but it was already too little, too late for Roberto De Zerbi's men, who trailed 3-0 going into the final minutes.

The result means Tottenham remain winless in the Premier League despite spending more than £300million to improve their squad during the summer. Roberto De Zerbi maintains the faith of the club for now, but there is only so much time he will get if the current form continues after the international break.

Tottenham's new signings are not performing, with the defence looking all too clumsy, while Sandro Tonali looks like he has never played Premier League football before, and Omar Marmoush is non-existent. And it is the latter who is sparking the biggest conversation, with most feeling Tottenham needed a true striker to lead the line, while Marmoush is much more of a false nine, perhaps more suited to playing off the striker or out wide, even if he does regard himself as a centre-forward.

The on-loan Manchester City star is not a reliable goalscorer, and Spurs did have options to sign a goalscorer during the summer, which included Villa striker Jackson, who scored against Spurs with a brilliantly taken strike on Saturday.

Unai Emery said after the game:

“Today, we made a clear step forward in improving. Zion (Suzuki) is maintaining the performance he showed before, and Jackson clearly improved from the previous matches. This is the way and how he played was an example.”

Villa ended up paying £65million for Jackson, but there were suggestions he would be allowed to leave on loan weeks before Villa committed significant cash to sign him, replacing Ollie Watkins.

Spurs need someone who can get in behind and be a constant threat, both inside and outside of the box, and they certainly don't have that in Solanke, while Marmoush seems to lack the instincts needed for a true striker. Jackson is not an elite striker, but he is in the bracket just below that, having been a relatively reliable source of goals for much of his career.

Nicolas Jackson's league stats by season

There was a big fuss made of Jackson before he joined Bayern Munich on loan last summer, with the media blowing up two red cards he received in the space of a few months, turning it into a debate about bad discipline, but those who see past the headlines will know the striker has not had issues with discipline through his career, and those at Bayern Munich back that up, only highlighting how hard Jackson worked on and off the pitch to remain useful for the Bundesliga champions, even with Harry Kane always going to be ahead of him.

Emery knows it, too, hence he signed Jackson on the back of working with him at Villarreal, and Tottenham should have known it.

A club must understands what it needs, and not to say Jackson was the only option they should have considered, but Saturday was a timely reminded that he was one of them.

Tottenham Hotspur ended their long wait for a Premier League goal this season by bagging two in front of a home crowd against Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon.

Unfortunately for an under-pressure Roberto De Zerbi and his side, the Villains scored three as the hosts fell to yet another league defeat. Spurs ended the day in 19th with a goal difference of -6.

While the goal drought may have ended, it took until the 86th minute for Tottenham to register a goal and questions over attacking output are far from answered. Luckily for De Zerbi, he may have somewhat of a forgotten ace up his sleeve in Mohammed Kudus.

Tottenham Hotspur attackers endure 'diabolical' start to season

Tottenham invested heavily in their front line this summer. A staggering £75 million was spent on Manchester City winger Savio, with teammate Omar Marmoush and Chelsea outcast Mykhailo Mudryk also arriving in North London on loan.

With around £185 million also splurged on bolstering creativity in midfield through Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, Spurs were expected to hit the ground running this season. That has not been the case.

The only players to score across all competitions so far this season have been defensive midfielder Conor Gallagher and centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke. Jamie Redknapp has labelled the Spurs attack as 'absolutely diabolical', and he certainly isn't wrong.

With the transfer window closed and January recruitment surely restricted by an investment-heavy summer, De Zerbi must find answers to the attacking crisis in-house. Step up, Kudus.

Mohammed Kudus can be like 'new signing' for Roberto De Zerbi

Spurs paid a reported £55 million to sign Kudus from West Ham in the summer of 2025, and are yet to see the best of the winger. At the London Stadium, the Ghana international had been a charismatic firecracker on the wing, and often a match winner for the Hammers.

Kudus picked up two assists in his first Premier League match for Tottenham last season but struggled to build on that with the clouds hovering over the club hardly conducive to an easy transition. A serious quad injury in January then ended the player's season prematurely.

De Zerbi has been cautious when working Kudus back into the side this season, the player's only start coming against Liverpool in midweek. The winger had some bright moments in that match and almost hit the back of the net when getting on the end of a Destiny Udogie cross.

With Spurs 1-0 down at half time against Aston Villa, De Zerbi once again turned to Kudus. The 26-year-old looked hungry and made a positive impact, working hard to be in the right place at the right time to poke in a disallowed 60th-minute equaliser.

Kudus was also the creator of the Gallagher goal, playing a one-two with Marmoush before a jinking run past Victor Lindelöf to cut the ball back. Spurs have lacked that intent and ambition.

Mohammed Kudus Premier League stats -

While all attention is on Savio, Marmoush and Mudryk, the last two appearances suggest that the man with the fire and dynamism to kickstart Spurs' season is Kudus. After a difficult 12 months, it's too easy to forget just how good the winger was during his high moments at West Ham.

When Tottenham signed the player, Premier League legend and compatriot Michael Essien was asked how highly he rated Kudus. He told talkSPORT: "Very high, very high. He's got everything to be at the top, he's a good footballer - he's got everything to be a top, top, player."

That hype may feel a long time ago but, amid the frustrations of recent weeks, Kudus' engine is beginning to rev - he could be like a new signing for Tottenham this term.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Pedro Porro limped out of action early in the 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday, and is now set for a period on the sidelines.

Roberto De Zerbi's men were still level when the Spanish international hit the deck during the opening 20 minutes. Porro could be seen hunched over with his head in the turf.

Spurs medical staff tended to the 27-year-old but could not remedy the problem, which left Porro limping off the pitch after just 19 minutes of action. De Zerbi once again turned to Archie Gray as a makeshift option at full-back but saw his side fall to yet another Premier League defeat.

Roberto De Zerbi confirms Pedro Porro hamstring injury

Speaking after the match, De Zerbi told SpursPlay that he hoped the injury would not be a 'big problem' and suggested that Porro had suffered a hamstring injury. The defender suffered from a similar problem in January and February.

De Zerbi said: “Listen, Pedro, I said after the World Cup, I said the management of Pedro should be different, because after the World Cup, many games.

"I don't know what the problem is. It's a hamstring, I think. Hopefully, it's not a big problem.”

Just hours after full time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Spanish Football Federation confirmed that Porro had been withdrawn from Luis de la Fuente's squad for the upcoming Nations League matches.

Spain are due to take on England and Croatia over the upcoming extended international break, as well as playing Czechia twice. The World Cup winners will be without Porro for those matches.

Tottenham return to action against Manchester United on Saturday, October 10 and De Zerbi will be desperate to have Porro available for the trip to Old Trafford. The extended break will aid the player's recovery, ahead of meetings with Coventry City, Chelsea and Crystal Palace before the end of October.

The full-back has so far been absent from the matchday squad against Brentford and Everton this season as he struggles with fitness following his long summer exploits.

De Zerbi has hailed the player as 'one of the three best right backs in the world' but is yet to see the Spaniard at his top levels this season. Spurs have instead had to deploy Gray as a makeshift option at right back.

Tottenham options at right-back:

Pedro Porro - World Cup winner with Spain. First choice, but struggling for fitness.

Archie Gray - Central midfielder by trade, but has been regularly deployed in the back four since joining Spurs.

Destiny Udogie - Left-back who is yet to be deployed on the opposite flank, but offers attacking acumen.

Mohamed Kudus - Right-winger with little defensive experience, but could be used as an experimental wing-back.

The former Leeds United man put in a workhorse shift against Aston Villa, almost hitting the back of the net shortly after coming on, but was part of a leaky Spurs back four that conceded three goals in front of a home crowd.

Gray was, perhaps, the least suspect of the defensive line and holds the respect of De Zerbi. Speaking in May, the Spurs head coach labelled Gray as a 'future Tottenham captain'.

He said: "He is very young, [but] big potential as a player. I think he can become the future.

"I am sure he can become the future of this club and the captain of this club. He has to understand better what will be his position on the pitch."

Tottenham Hotspur have got a major goal problem in their squad right now, despite finally scoring their first goal of the season.

The Lilywhites fell to a 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa at home on Saturday afternoon after goals from Johan Manzambi, Nicolas Jackson and Emi Buendia, while Conor Gallagher tapped in a late consolation to break a spell of over 7.5 hours without a goal in the top-flight, and Jan Paul van Hecke headed home in stoppage time.

Roberto De Zerbi made the attack a priority to strengthen in the summer window, spending £86m on Savio while bringing Omar Marmoush and Mykhailo Mudryk in on season-long loan deals. But so far it hasn't helped, and the manager needs to find a new solution.

The club splashed almost £400m during the transfer window as they also brought in Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Tosin Adarabioyo, Jan Paul van Hecke, Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, and Martin Dubravka to bolster the squad.

But the team still looks desperately short of quality in certain areas of the pitch, and after a nightmare start to the season, the board and manager must be looking ahead to the January transfer window once again to see how they can do more.

With Richarlison's situation meaning that he is still at the club but unavailable for the season, they are short in attack. Marmoush has not looked like an answer in the centre-forward position, while Dominic Solanke doesn't look to be the right stylistic fit for what De Zerbi wants.

A new striker should be an absolute priority as a result of their goal problems, and there is seemingly a perfect solution to their problems in Madrid at the moment in Endrick.

The Brazilian has desperately struggled for game time under Jose Mourinho this season, managing just four minutes of action having fallen behind new signing Carlos Espi in the pecking order at the Bernabeu.

Despite a successful loan spell at Lyon in the second half of last season, where he scored 8 and assisted 8 in 21 games, and being given the number 9 shirt in the summer, it's clear that Endrick's immediate future lies away from Real Madrid, and Spurs should be looking to take advantage.

Endrick Can Transform Tottenham Attack

It's clear that De Zerbi wants a fluid attack where the forwards can all rotate and interchange with each other. It's why Solanke doesn't fit into his plan, it's why Richarlison was allowed to move on, and it's why Marmoush was signed with the idea of playing centrally.

Endrick can do that. While at Lyon, he played centrally and out on the right, and his productivity was excellent. He had raw pace, quick feet, great strength and a real killer instinct when in front of goal.

According to TEAMtalk, Endrick's representatives and Real Madrid are set to hold talks over his future with the prospect of another temporary move in January to be discussed. Spurs have a historic interest in the 20-year-old, and he would solve a lot of their problems.

It's a deal that would clearly suit everyone, and while there is a long time before the window opens, it's something that they should both be considering.

Roberto De Zerbi is living a Tottenham nightmare, and his excuses are running out. Spurs finally got their first Premier League goal of the season on Saturday, but that was the only positive in a 3-1 home defeat against another out of form team in Aston Villa.

Tottenham fans need no reminding that the club spent more than £300million on new signings this summer, digging deep into their pockets in a bid to take the team from back-to-back bottom-half finishes to returning to Europe. In De Zerbi, they thought they had a coach who would do anything to win now, and one who would not compromise on intensity.

But that intensity is completely absent from this Spurs side, and it's getting difficult to see what Spurs are really getting from De Zerbi. The Italian brings risk because of the way he approaches coaching, like many intense head coaches, but that risk must be worth it, and it's currently not.

But where has it gone wrong? Spurs have injuries, but not like the last couple of seasons, and they have plenty of talent available to them, so there really are no excuses. But De Zerbi already knew what this Tottenham team needed at the end of last season, but the promise of big-money signings saw him veer away from what he knew would work.

Spurs had very few positive performers from last season. So many of the squad played a part in a campaign that saw Tottenham battle relegation until the very end of the season. But if there was one player you could hang your hat on for consistency, toughness and desire, it was Joao Palhina, and De Zerbi knew it himself.

He said at the time: “100 per cent [I want to keep him next season].

"We have to start with [those] types of people. More than players, we need reliable people, reliable players. Palhinha is one of the best, as a player for sure, but as a guy."

"I want to see the player with the same passion, the same attitude, the same spirit, the same personality, and we are lucky to have with us Palhinha."

Spurs had the option to buy Palhinha for just £26million, and he is exactly what this team needed. He is a professional, experienced player who takes pride, and specialises in, breaking up transitions in midfield. Palhinha is 31 years of age, yes, and he is not going to offer you the type of hybrid play Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali can on their best days, but he is also far better at playing the defensive midfield role than both of those players.

Tonali stats so far this season (excluding Villa game)

Key passes: 0

Defensive actions: 20

Progressive passes: 28

Interceptions: 13

Clearances: 4

Aerial duels won: 1

Stats by Xgstat.com

He has the discipline to sit in the midfield and take on all the dirty work, and he shows leadership on and off the pitch.

But De Zerbi already knew all that, he just got carried away when big money was flashed in front of his eyes. Spurs ended up spending £185million on their midfield, and neither Tonali or Fernandes can offer the consistency that Palhinha has.

Modern football has an obsession with hybrid midfielders who can do both the dirty work and get forward, but only a handful of players can do that job at the highest level and on a consistent basis. The vast majority of the time, clubs are better off having players who specialise in specific jobs, as the best pivot in the world, Rodri, has done for Spain, Manchester City and now Barcelona.

Palhinha is the type of player who helps set a culture at a club. He sets standards on and off the pitch, and he leads by example because he tends to have one job and masters it. Not signing him is a mistake De Zerbi is going to bitterly regret, and if he is to look back at the planning that went into building this squad, he is going to know it.

Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara has ripped into his former side after they made it five Premier League games without a win to start the season on Saturday. Spurs lost 3-2 to an Aston Villa side that had also started the season poorly, and they were 3-0 down until late in the game, when Roberto De Zerbi's men finally scored their first two goals of the league season.

De Zerbi was given more than £300million worth of players, but Spurs look as bad as they did last season, and the new signings are not looking good. That could change, of course, but Sandro Tonali is very poor form, as is Omar Marmoush, who is struggling to have any sort of impact, and a highly-addressed defence looks as though it has never played Premier League football before, and the first Villa goal was a perfect example.

De Zerbi is expected to remain in place for now, but pressure will be building amid the money spent and the awful start, and former midfielder O'Hara has torn into his former team.

"I can't believe how bad we are, genuinely, I can't believe how bad we are," his rant on TalkSPORT began. "Seriously, what has happened to this football club?

"What has happened to Spurs? (Sandro) Tonali £100million, turning his back, Savio looks like he's playing kids' football, [Omar] Marmoush, who's he? Have we signed his brother? He is absolute guff.

"We haven't got a midfield, there's no fight in the team. None. No fight whatsoever, they're strolling about."

Although still very early in the season, some Spurs fans will be concerned about potential relegation, given how close the club came last season. Speaking about that possibility, O'Hara added: "We are so soft...it's the softest team in the Premier League, we're going to go down.

Tottenham's worst five Premier League starts

-1. 2008/09 - 2 points

-4. 2006.07 - 4 points

-4. 2007/08 - 4 points

"I'm looking at the teams and it's like, everyone is better than us, right now, I'm looking at the bottom three and yeah, that is the bottom three right now, it looks like the bottom three. We've spent £400m to get away from the plughole and we're still in it! We're like that bit of food that gets stuck in the plug and you can't get rid of it... We're just in there, around the plughole and then eventually, you're going to go through it."

While it is far too early for relegation fears, Tottenham do need to get their act together before another season is spoiled before it has even begun, and if that happens, De Zerbi knows he may be the first to pay the price.

Fabrizio Romano believes Tottenham remain confident Roberto De Zerbi can turn things around amid a nightmare start to the season. Spurs lost again on Saturday, losing 3-2 at home to Aston Villa, who also had a disappointing start to the season, and it was 3-0 until late in the game.

The two goals were Tottenham's first of the season, but they were not enough to prevent it becoming five straight league games without a win to start the season, with Spurs picking up only two points. The major context is that Spurs spent more than £300million to strengthen their squad this summer, and that was always going to put pressure on De Zerbi if things didn't go well.

De Zerbi is expected to lead Tottenham to a challenge for the European places, and they do not look close of being in that realm at the moment. Even new signings are struggling to make any sort of impact, with Sandro Tonali in awful form after arriving on a deal worth up to £100million, and the defence looks awful despite a number of new recruits. The first Villa goal was a calamity, only summing up how poor Spurs currently are, and how they are failing to improve from game-to-game, which is the concerning part.

A tough start to the season is one thing, especially with big squad turnover, but Spurs are not trending in the right direction and not improving.

Tottenham's Premier League results so far

Brentford 3-0 Spurs

Spurs 0-2 Newcastle

Fores 0-0 Spurs

Spurs 0-0 Everton

Spurs 2-3 Aston Villa

Still, according to transfer guru Romano, Tottenham will remain patient with De Zerbi. He said on YouTube: "Tottenham decided to back Roberto De Zerbi in the summer by trusting his ideas. Obviously everything was not possible, but it was still a very ambitious market, a very expensive market.

“When I say not everything, for example, Cody Gakpo, top target, but was no longer available. And then more things they wanted to do, but it’s normal. At no club do they complete the perfect market. But still, big investments and top players signed.

“So, the message from Tottenham, as of today, remains a message of confidence in Roberto De Zerbi. So at the moment I don’t have any indication of Tottenham exploring different ways.

“I’m told that Tottenham still believe in the manager. I’m told Tottenham knew it was going to take time.

“It’s not a switch you make from 17th in the league, saving from relegation in the final game of the season, to Champions League spots just because you spend big money.

“Tottenham knew it was going to be a process and it can not always be fast. Obviously, they all, including De Zerbi, had different expectations. The club, the coach, everyone had different expectations, not two points from five games. But at the same time they maintain confidence in the process.”

Who would Spurs turn to if they sacked De Zerbi?

This is the biggest question that would need to be answered if Tottenham were to consider sacking De Zerbi. Eddie Howe will be the obvious name thrown out, but it looks as though he wants a break after spending years in a demanding Newcastle United role.

Ruling out some of the unrealistic options like Pep Guardiola, there are the likes of Roberto Martinez, Julian Nagelsman, Ronald Koeman and Arne Slot available, but are any of those really a safer bet than De Zerbi? And Spurs are not likely to want to pay to appoint a working boss at this early stage.

It's likely they will play the waiting game for now, hoping improvements can be made during the extended international break, even with many players away with their national teams.

Tottenham and Aston Villa go head-to-head on Saturday lunch time in the Premier League, with both sides looking to secure their first victory of the season.

Spurs are still searching for their first goal in the league, while Aston Villa have lost three out of four matches.

It's the ideal time for both clubs to kickstart their season, as it's going to be a long international break if either of them is still without a win.

Tottenham did find the back of the net against Premier League opposition earlier this week, but they succumbed to a 3-1 defeat away at Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.

Tottenham team news

Pedro Porro has missed Tottenham's last two games for Spurs, while Sandro Tonali was unavailable against Liverpool.

Porro and Tonali have been past fit to face Villa, but whether they can start remains to be seen. James Maddison has also been suffering with injury problems in the early stages of the campaign, but he came on in the last 15 minutes against Liverpool.

Spurs will be without Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevski, Mykhailo Mudryk and Wilson Odobert as they continue their recoveries from injury.

Speaking to the media, De Zerbi shared an update on Tottenham's injury situation.

"Porro, Tonali, Maddison are all available to play. Normally, we have to understand the situation in terms of physical condition, but all of them are ready. James is working with the team the last 10, 15 days, maybe less than 15 days. Even if he is a technical player, he needs to be fit, to stay in a good condition. When he arrives to the best condition, it is very important for us, as a personality, as a characteristic, as a quality, as an experience, the quality of his passes are different than the others."

Tottenham predicted XI

Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Kinsky; Gray, van Hecke, Van de Ven, Robertson; Tonali, Bentancur; Savio, Fernandes, Marmoush; Solanke.

Tottenham subs: Dubravka, Senesi, Udogie, Porro, Bergvall, Gallagher, Tel, Kudus, Maddison.

With Porro unavailable of late, it would be unlikely that he comes straight back into the starting 11.

Tonali only missed the Liverpool game with a knock, and considering how crucial he is, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him back in the starting team.

Dominic Solanke is likely to lead the line, given the lack of options, although there is a chance that Omar Marmoush comes in centrally.

Aston Villa team news

Ian Maatsen was recently ruled out for an extended period due to an ankle injury, meaning Matteo Ruggeri should start at left-back.

Joao Gomes will be available again following his suspension and recent injury, but Brian Madjo, Pau Torres, Leon Goretzka, and Amadou Onana remain out injured.

Marco Bizot also suffered an injury against Coventry City this week, but Zion Suzuki is likely to play between the sticks regardless.

Speaking to the media ahead of their game against Spurs, Emery provided an update on Aston Villa's injury situation.

"Joao Gomes and (Matty) Cash at the beginning, yes (will be available). But we will see - they are more or less with the group but I must be sure they are 100% for tomorrow.

"We have so many players injured, it’s difficult to mention everyone. Marco (Bizot) is out, Onana out, Cisse out, Maatsen out, Goretzka out, Madjo out."

Aston Villa predicted XI

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Suzuki; Cash, Lindelof, Mings, Ruggeri; Kamara, Barkley; Mbaye, McGinn, Hemmings; Jackson.

Aston Villa subs: Wright, Mings, Harwood-Bellis, Wan-Bissaka, Gomes, Manzambi, Garnacho, Abraham, Buendia.

Nicolas Jackson could come back into the starting XI after being on the bench against Coventry, despite Tammy Abraham bagging a brace.

Ross Barkley could keep his place in the side with Gomes getting back to full fitness, while Matty Cash could start at right-back.

Emery has some difficult decisions to make with plenty of talent likely remaining on the bench.