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What Randal Kolo Muani will bring to Tottenham attack and how Thomas Frank could use him

On-loan striker closing in on a return to fitness after playing in behind-closed-doors friendly

Spurs will hope Randal Kolo Muani is fit to face Aston Villa on Sunday

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Matt Verri

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A flick through the book of sporting cliches throws up one particularly pertinent quote for Tottenham.

"Availability is the best ability" is unlikely to be pinned up on the walls of the treatment room at Spurs, where injuries have been all too familiar a theme in recent seasons.

It was, though, a tick in the positive column when assessing the decision to sign Randal Kolo Muani on deadline day.

The Frenchman had been unavailable for two matches in the entirety of his club career. He missed one game with an adductor issue while at Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2022-23 season, and a year later was ruled out of a PSG match due to illness.

And then he arrived in north London and began life at Spurs. Six weeks later, Kolo Muani has been absent for five matches and featured for just 13 minutes.

Kolo Muani is back in training after a dead leg

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The 26-year-old's solitary appearance came off the bench against Villarreal and he then collided in training with Pape Matar Sarr days later, suffering a dead leg.

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His recovery has rolled on and on, with the bleeding starting again to delay his return further, but Kolo Muani is now back in training and last week played 45 minutes in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Watford.

With another week of training under his belt, Thomas Frank will hope to have Kolo Muani available for Sunday's match at home to Aston Villa.

The forward will still need more time to get up to full speed. That cameo against Villarreal aside, Kolo Muani's last competitive minutes came in the Club World Cup more than three months ago and he had no real pre-season.

Had he been fit, he could well have had a significant role in recent weeks. With Solanke out and Richarlison looking leggy, Kolo Muani would have been an ideal option to bring some fresh legs up front.

Discussing how he will use Kolo Muani, Frank said last month: “He's a good age, in the prime of his career, has good qualities that will suit both us and the Premier League, and gives us a different option in the final third being able to play out wide and through the middle."

Kolo Muani was used primarily as a striker - which he has said is his best position - last season at Juventus. He scored eight goals in 16 Serie A appearances, before netting a brace in the Club World Cup against Al-Ain.

Kolo Muani spent last season on loan at Juventus

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The best season of his career also came when playing through the middle at Eintracht Frankfurt, when he registered 15 goals and 11 assists in his first Bundesliga campaign. That clinical run in front of goal earned him a £76.4m move to PSG but it has rarely been seen since.

The potential is there, though, and Frank will believe he can unlock it.

Kolo Muani adds a different striker option to Solanke and Richarlison, with the Frenchman more comfortable running with the ball and taking on defenders.

He appears an ideal option as a second striker should Frank go back to a 3-5-2 formation, but can also lead the line by himself. Frank loves his team putting in crosses and Kolo Muani at 6ft 1in is strong in the air.

Spurs looked much more fluid in attack against Leeds before the international break, when Mathys Tel started up front and the front four interchanged.

Kolo Muani can slot into that, starting as the striker but with the freedom to roam around the final third and rotate with the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons. He is more versatile than Solanke and Richarlison and a natural fit if Frank does want a more unpredictable attack.

Kolo Muani also combines well in tight spaces and that could tempt Frank to use him out on the left wing too, even if he has started only 12 matches there in his career.

The Spurs boss has already turned to Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert, Tel and Simons on the left this season, but the search for a convincing solution goes on. The quartet have all floated in and out of games, a natural consequence of their relative inexperience.

Kolo Muani is only 26 but he has played at the very highest level. The most memorable moment of his career is the one-on-one chance he had to win the 2022 World Cup final, only to be denied by Emi Martinez in the final seconds.

The wait to make an impact at Spurs has been frustrating, but this is a chance he will hope to take and make up for lost time.

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England had a session at Tottenham's training ground before flying out to Riga later on Monday, and Scarlett was called upon to join the Three Lions' squad.

Tuchel is short of a forward after Ollie Watkins picked up an injury against Wales and been ruled out of the trip to Latvia.

In more positive news for England, Harry Kane is fit and available having been left on the bench on Thursday night due to an ankle issue.

Scarlett is one of the few first-team Spurs players to have been at Hotspur Way during the international break.

The 21-year-old featured in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Watford last week, along with Brandon Austin and Randal Kolo Muani.

Scarlett has been on the bench for five Spurs matches so far this season but is yet to play a minute under Thomas Frank.

The striker has represented England throughout the age groups from under-15 level onwards. Scarlett made 22 appearances for the U20 side, scoring 10 goals, and has scored twice in four U21 matches.

Having spent the first half of last season on loan at Oxford, Scarlett was recalled by Spurs in January.

He scored his first goal for the club against Elfsborg in the Europa League and made five appearances under former boss Ange Postecoglou, before undergoing groin surgery at the end of the campaign.

Spurs could be boosted by four returning players this weekend

Comebacks: Tottenham trio Randal Kolo Muani, Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski

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Alex Dakers

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Tottenham could welcome back multiple players on their return to Premier League action against Aston Villa next weekend.

Spurs returned to winning ways before the October international break, beating Leeds 2-1 at Elland Road to bounce back from frustrating draws against Bodo/Glimt and Wolves.

Despite their promising start to life under Thomas Frank, which has left them third in the Premier League as things stand, Spurs have actually been without several key attackers - and a few defensive troops - for most of the season so far.

But in a boost to Frank’s injury-hit squad, that situation could be about to change for a few first-teamers.

Here is all the latest tottenham-injury-news">Tottenham injury news and potential return dates...

Dominic Solanke

Last season’s first-choice centre-forward has hardly featured so far in 2025/26, with a persistent ankle issue having kept Dominic Solanke sidelined since Spurs’ 2-0 win at Manchester City on August 23.

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The England striker returned to training in recent weeks, creating hope that he would be back on the pitch soon. But that hope has been dashed somewhat by the club’s decision for him to undergo minor surgery in late September.

Frank said earlier this month that the procedure “went well”, but that they’d only know more about a time frame for his return to play after the current international break.

Potential return date: November

Randal Kolo Muani

Tottenham’s options up front have been further limited by summer signing Randal Kolo Muani being ruled out of five consecutive games with a dead leg.

The on-loan Frenchman has featured just once for Spurs, off the bench against Villarreal last month, but a development over the international break suggests he could be in line for his first start in the weeks ahead.

Kolo Muani’s sole appearance for Spurs so far came in mid-September

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Kolo Muani was back on the grass for a few days prior to his side’s last league outing, at Leeds, but was not included in Didier Deschamps’ squad for France’s World Cup qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Iceland.

Remaining in north London meant he was one of the few first-team players training at Hotspur Way last week, and subsequently featured in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Watford on Friday, lasting 45 minutes.

Given he has another week of training before Villa come to visit, Kolo Muani must now be in the running for a return to Frank’s matchday squad - and possibly a full debut - against Unai Emery’s men.

Potential return date: October 19, vs Aston Villa (H)

Yves Bissouma

Having not played for Tottenham since May, Yves Bissouma was left out of Frank’s squad for their clash with Paris Saint-Germain in August’s UEFA Super Cup due to disciplinary reasons.

He remained a Spurs player through the end of the summer transfer window but has since been nursing a knee injury.

Frank said in mid-September that Bissouma had only just started running outside and that a return to match action would be “further down the line”, but the 29-year-old joined up with Mali’s national team over the break,

Bissouma didn’t feature for his country in their 2-0 win over Chad on Wednesday, but did come off the bench against Madagascar on Sunday, suffering an injury just seconds after being introduced and promptly needing to be stretchered back off.

It was a worrying setback for the former Brighton star, who will now return to Spurs for assessment.

Potential return date: Unknown

Dejan Kulusevski

New signing Mohammed Kudus has impressed since moving to north London, but Tottenham have still missed the creativity of Dejan Kulusevski this season.

The Swede underwent patella surgery before the Europa League final back in May and it was later reported that he may not be available until the turn of the year.

However, Frank has since said that Kulusevski has a “good chance” of playing again before the end of 2025, adding that his return was “hopefully not too far away.”

Potential return date: Late 2025

Kota Takai

Another player yet to feature for Tottenham is Kota Takai, who arrived from J-League club Kawasaki Frontale in a £5million move in June.

The Japan international’s absence has been down to a plantar fascia injury in his foot, but Frank said at the start of October that he had been back in full team training for over a week and was getting “better and better”.

Provided he doesn’t suffer any setbacks in his recovery, the 21-year-old could therefore be involved immediately after the international break or soon after.

Potential return date: October 19, vs Aston Villa (H)

Radu Dragusin

Fellow defender Radu Dragusin, meanwhile, has been back in training since early September. However, the Romanian is recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury suffered in January, so Spurs are taking the time to ease him back in.

Frank said in late September that it would still be “a few weeks before he’s able to be involved”, which suggests Dragusin could be back in action in the next few weeks if not during his team’s next match.

Potential return date: Late October

James Maddison

Spurs’ biggest loss of the summer was that of playmaker James Maddison to a ruptured ACL, with the ex-Leicester man injuring his right knee during a pre-season friendly against Newcastle in August over in South Korea.

The 28-year-old subsequently underwent surgery and is still expected to miss most if not all of the 2025/26 campaign.

However, his time on the sidelines has at least given Maddison a chance to compile a candid, hour-long YouTube video documenting his recovery journey so far.

Potential return date: Summer 2026

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Tottenham's owners have injected £100million into the club in a bid to help deliver "long-term sporting success".

Following Daniel Levy's shock departure last month after almost 25 years as executive chairman, there were suggestions that the Lewis family, the club's majority shareholders, were plotting a potential sale of Spurs.

However, sources close to the family have insisted they remain committed to the club and are determined to oversee a more successful era on the pitch.

In recent weeks, three groups have had expressions of interest in a takeover of Spurs rejected and have subsequently confirmed that they will not be making bids.

In a further signal of the Lewis family's intent, a fresh cash injection of £100m has now been made.

Spurs said in a statement: "This equity injection will further strengthen the club’s financial position and equip the club’s leadership team with additional resources to continue the focus on driving long-term sporting success.

"This additional capital is part of the Lewis family’s ongoing commitment to the club and its future."

Joe Lewis' children Vivienne and Charles have become increasingly visible figures at Tottenham, along with Nick Beucher, the husband of Vivienne's daughter.

The family made the decision to remove Levy and have handed control of the day-to-day running of the club to chief executive Vinai Venkatesham.

Peter Charrington has also come in as non-executive chairman and he praised the Lewis family for injecting new capital into the club.

“As I stated a few weeks ago, our focus is on stability and empowering the management team to deliver on the club’s ambitions," Charrington said.

"I know the Lewis family are also ambitious for the future. Today’s capital commitment reflects that ambition and I would like to thank them for their ongoing support.

"We will continue to do all we can to ensure that Vinai and his team are supported in the best way possible to take this club forward.”

A source close to the Lewis family told Standard Sport: "This is additional funding. As the club's management decides what's needed to deliver success, more money will be available. The Lewis family is committed to backing the club to be successful."

Joao Palhinha said he was grateful for the chance to join Tottenham after enduring a challenging 2024-25 season at Bayern Munich.

The Portuguese midfielder has made an impression at Spurs in the early stages of his loan spell, but was limited to just 17 Bundesliga appearances last season as he struggled with injuries.

He has now admitted, however, that he was frustrated by the lack of playing time he was given by Vincent Kompany when he returned to fitness.

Speaking ahead of Portugal’s World Cup qualifiers against Ireland and Hungary, Palhinha said: “[Last season] was a difficult season for me. I was injured and was out for longer than I'd expected.

"After that, I didn't get the chances I think I deserved [at Bayern], which also had an impact on my playing time with the national team.

“But these are phases. Our careers thrive on phases. Now, I'm going through a happy phase. A new club, a new project, in a league that's not new to me and that I'm enjoying again.”

He continued, explaining that Thomas Frank’s appointment at Tottenham made his decision to join the club particularly easy, and hinted he hoped the club would trigger its buy option come the end of the season.

"At Tottenham, I've had chances I didn't have before. I feel complete confidence in the people who wanted me to join the club. In this case, the manager.

"When we feel this confidence and that we're wanted somewhere, I think that's where we should be. I made this decision very easily.

“These chances are making me once again show what I'm capable of. I'm very happy with this new challenge and just want to enjoy the Premier League to the fullest.”

Spurs’ owners have made it clear that they have no desire to sell

Withdrawal: Brooklyn Earick

London Standard

Matt Verri

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Brooklyn Earick has confirmed he and his consortium will not make a bid to buy Tottenham.

It emerged last month that Spurs had "unequivocally rejected" an informal expression of interest from the American tech entrepreneur's group.

Earick was believed to be fronting a £3.3billion takeover move, with a further £1.2bn made available for investment in the squad.

Spurs' rejection of an initial approach made October 24 a firm deadline for the consortium to either make an offer or announce they had no intention to do so.

In a statement released on Monday, it was confirmed that Earick has informed the London Stock Exchange he has decided to not make a firm offer for the club.

It read: "Further to the announcement made by the Board of Tottenham Hotspur Limited on 26 September 2025 regarding an informal expression of interest in relation to a proposal to acquire the entire issued, and to be issued, share capital of the company, Mr Brooklyn Earick confirms that he does not intend to make a firm offer for the company."

Tottenham's owners have been clear that they have no intention of selling the club, whether that be a full sale or bringing in investment for a minority stake.

Sources close to the Lewis family confirmed to Standard Sport on Monday that the stance of Spurs' majority shareholders has not changed and they remain committed to the club long-term.

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A statement from the Lewis family said: "The board of Tottenham Hotspur Limited notes the recent announcements from the Firehawk and Mr Earick's consortiums that they do not intend to make an offer for the club.

"The board thanks them for the constructive approach taken in the discussions with the club's and the Lewis family's representatives and respecting the clear position of the Lewis family that the club is not for sale.

"Following the announcements made by the consortiums, the club is no longer in an offer period under the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers."

Tottenham owner Vivienne Lewis (C) next to club CEO Vinai Venkatesham (R)

AFP via Getty Images

There had been doubts over the likelihood of Earick's consortium tabling a serious bid for a takeover of Spurs.

The former DJ played up to the speculation on social media, posting a countdown to the October 24 deadline as well as what appeared to be a picture inside the Spurs dressing room.

However, in discussions with the Lewis family's legal counsel Douglas Armstrong, it was made clear to Earick and his consortium that the club was not for sale and that any interest would not be entertained. Earick subsequently decided to end considerations of a firm bid.

It follows a familiar pattern, with PCP International Finance Limited and an Asia-based consortium of investors led by Firehawk Holdings Limited having done likewise in recent weeks.

Talk of a potential takeover at Spurs picked up last month following Daniel Levy's departure after almost 25 years as executive chairman.

That led to suggestions the Lewis family made the decision to leave Spurs as a more appealing investment opportunity.

However, the noise from the club publicly and privately is that the younger members of the family are determined to lead Spurs into a more successful era.

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You had to look fairly hard to find Tottenham top of the table for anything Premier League related last season.

Spurs, though, did lead the way in particularly metric - points dropped from winning positions. In the 22 Premier League matches in which they held a lead, Spurs won only half of them. The tally of 29 points given up from those winning positions was more than any other side.

This season under Thomas Frank, it is comebacks that have garnered the most attention. Spurs have come from behind against Brighton, Wolves and Bodo/Glimt to grab a point and ensure Bournemouth remain the only side to have beaten them.

What has gone more under the radar is how good Spurs have become at front-running. That is unsurprising, with the eye less drawn to things that don't happen, but Frank's side have swiftly and quietly become adept at not surrendering the initiative when they have it.

Spurs have won every game this season across all competitions in which they have scored the first goal. By contrast, when the opposition have opened the scoring, Spurs have not won once.

There is a calmness to the team when they lead, even late in matches when pressure is inevitably being put on the defence.

Against Leeds on Saturday, Guglielmo Vicario made a superb stoppage-time save to keep Spurs in front, but it did not have the feel of a match in which the visitors were hanging on for dear life at Elland Road after Mohammed Kudus put them ahead on 57 minutes.

Pedro Porro took his time at set-pieces, Kevin Danso spent an age wiping the ball with a towel for one throw-in in his own half in the closing stages, and Cristian Romero squared up to Noah Okafor for seemingly no other reason than to eat up time.

It was a similar scene at the Etihad Stadium earlier in the season, when Spurs had little issue in seeing out a statement win over Manchester City.

Spurs now look a far more professional and mature outfit, capable of doing what is needed to get over the line. Unlike last season, there is no insistence that they must stick to attacking principles and keep pushing for more goals, nor a desperation in defence characterised by a brittle mentality.

Frank's pragmatism is naturally better suited to his side scoring the first goal, rather than falling behind and having to find a way to unlock a defence. That is why it has been frustrating at times to see Spurs so passive in their approach earlier in games, particularly away to Bodo/Glimt.

The comebacks are unsustainable, with the equalisers against Wolves and Bodo/Glimt both coming very late and largely out of nothing. The draw at Brighton is perhaps the only match this season where it could be said Spurs ever looked like winning after falling behind.

Spurs boss Thomas Frank will hope for some key returns following the October international break

Comeback trail: Tottenham trio Dominic Solanke, Randal Kolo Muani and Dejan Kulusevski

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George Flood

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Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Matt Verri

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Tottenham have a number of injury issues persisting as we head into the October international break.

Spurs continued their fine start to life under Thomas Frank by ending newly-promoted Leeds’ remarkable home run on Saturday lunchtime, Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus netting either side of a Noah Okafor effort to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Elland Road.

It was the perfect response from Tottenham to a run of below-par draws against the likes of Brighton, Wolves and Bodo/Glimt, temporarily taking them up to second in the Premier League table before Arsenal’s subsequent win over West Ham that took them top and pushed their north London rivals down to third, behind Liverpool.

Frank will no doubt be pleased with the breather of another international break with several players still sidelined, with a busy fixture run coming up including games against the likes of Aston Villa, Monaco, Everton, Newcastle, Chelsea, FC Copenhagen, Manchester United, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.

With that in mind, here is all the latest Tottenham injury news and potential return dates.

Dominic Solanke

Dominic Solanke has been bothered by a persistent ankle injury over recent months and last played for Tottenham in the 2-0 win at Manchester City on August 23.

A recent return to training led to hope that the England striker would be back in action very soon, but unfortunately the issue continued to linger and the decision was eventually made for him to undergo minor surgery.

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Frank was unable to give a timeframe for Solanke’s return, insisting Tottenham would discover more after the international break.

Potential return date: Unknown

Randal Kolo Muani

In addition to no Solanke, Tottenham’s attacking options have been further weakened by the absence of Randal Kolo Muani.

Their Deadline Day loan signing from PSG has only featured once for his new club so far, making a late cameo appearance off the bench in last month’s Champions League win over Villarreal.

Kolo Muani has since been sidelined with a troublesome dead leg that has taken a while to heal, ruling him out of five consecutive games.

He was back on the grass for a few days before the win over Leeds and is not in the France squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Iceland, so should be in contention to play against Aston Villa after the international break.

Potential return date: Sunday October 19, vs Aston Villa (H)

Yves Bissouma

Yves Bissouma last played for Tottenham in May, left out of their squad for the UEFA Super Cup clash with PSG in Udine in August due to disciplinary reasons.

He has since been nursing a knee injury, with Frank commenting in the middle of last month that he had only recently started running outside and was yet to return to any group activities.

Frank said he did not know when Bissouma would be back in training, with a potential return to match action “further down the line”.

Potential return date: Unknown

Dejan Kulusevski

Dejan Kulusevski has been a big miss for Tottenham so far this season, yet to play as the result of a kneecap injury.

He underwent patella surgery before the Europa League final in May and it was later reported that he would likely be unavailable until the turn of the year.

However, Frank said most recently that the Swede had a “good chance” of playing again before the end of 2025.

“It’s not tomorrow but hopefully not too far away,” the manager said.

Potential return date: November/December

Kota Takai

Kota Takai has yet to play for Tottenham since his £5million move from J-League club Kawasaki Frontale in June.

The Japanese defender was dealing with a plantar fascia injury in his foot, but Frank said last week that he had been back training with the team for a week to 10 days and was getting “better and better”.

He could be pushing for involvement straight after the international break, provided there are no further setbacks between now and then.

Potential return date: Sunday October 19, vs Aston Villa (H)

Radu Dragusin

Radu Dragusin returned to Tottenham training in early September as he stepped up his return from an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered in the Europa League win over Elfsborg back in January.

Frank said then it would be a little while yet until he was ready to be considered for selection, though with two more weeks of training under his belt, we could potentially see the Romanian defender back in the squad after the international break.

Potential return date: Sunday October 19, vs Aston Villa (H)

James Maddison

James Maddison suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during Tottenham’s pre-season friendly against Newcastle in South Korea back in early August.

The England midfielder underwent surgery and is expected to miss the majority of the 2025/26 campaign.

Potential return date: Unknown, potentially summer 2026

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The Frenchman opened the scoring with a deflected strike at Elland Road, as Spurs went on to beat Leeds 2-1 and end their two-year wait for victory in a match before an international break.

Tel led the line in only his second Premier League start of the season and produced his best performance to date. A looping header hit the bar just before half-time, while he played Xavi Simons in behind with a lovely pass after the break.

It has been a largely frustrating couple of months for Tel, who was left out of Spurs’ squad for the league phase of the Champions League.

However, after Tel broke his goalscoring duck, Frank was full of praise for the 20-year-old, having pulled him in front of the away fans to soak in the ovation on the pitch.

“So happy for him. I think the character he's shown from a young man just really impressed me from day one. But of course after a setback, not coming in the Champions League squad, not being an established player.

“Maybe playing a good position where I really can see him play and I think he's taking steps. Also been picked a little bit for the left. So just keep training well, which he does. He trains well every day.

Tel has showed glimpses of his potential this season without producing his best form. He got into several good positions against Doncaster in the Carabao Cup, but on more than one occasion swung at thin air in the box.

Frank revealed that his assistant Justin Cochrane and Spurs’ individual development coach Cameron Campbell have been working closely with Tel to make him more effective in front of goal.

“And the way we worked with him from a fine game against West Ham as a striker to a better game against Doncaster, where he arrives more in the right areas. I know he could have scored two goals but as I say he arrives there, because we trained and we showed clips.

“To the next level today, where I think he worked hard, he scored a good goal. I know there was a little deflection, but the connection was good. He has a header, other good situations. So very, very pleased."