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Tim Sherwood believes that Tottenham Hotspur may have their summer transfer mistakes to blame the embarrassing 4-1 defeat to Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta taught Thomas Frank a harsh lesson on Sunday, with the Dane’s ultra-defensive tactics backfiring spectacularly at the Emirates Stadium.

To make matters worse for Tottenham, it is Eberechi Eze who was the hero for Arsenal on the night, netting his first hat-trick for the Gunners since his summer move.

Eze was close to joining Tottenham before Arsenal hijacked the deal, and Sherwood claims the Lilywhites only have themselves to blame.

Tottenham were too hesitant in Eberechi Eze deal

Tim Sherwood has pointed the finger squarely at Spurs’ recruitment, claiming that they delayed the negotiations for the England international for too long.

He suggested that Tottenham should have paid up the fee Crystal Palace were demanding rather than trying to negotiate down the price.

The former Spurs midfielder told Sky Sports News: “Look at the money they’ve spent on them players. All right, Kudus has done okay. What’s Eze? 65 million? You’d rather pay an extra 10 million for a make-the-difference player. You know he’s gonna be a make-the-difference player.

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“Just get the deal done as soon as you can. Don’t give the opportunity to other clubs higher than you in the league to come in and nick your price. That’s exactly what Arsenal did. Tottenham should have done the deal. Get the deal done before Arsenal pick up the phone to Eze. It happens time and time again.”

Sherwood urges Spurs to get deal done for 25-year-old

The former Tottenham interim head coach suggested that the Lilywhites should promote academy players for squad roles instead of signing ‘average’ players.

He urged Spurs to do all they can to land Antoine Semenyo in January, suggesting that the 25-year-old, who has a £65m release clause to be the kind of signing that can elevate the team.

Sherwood added: “Save your money on average players you keep buying. Let the academy boys be the stocking fillers, and fill up your squad and make-the-difference money on make-the-difference players like him.

“Like Semenyo now, go and get him, Tottenham. Don’t wait for Man City. Don’t wait for Liverpool. Don’t wait for Man United. Go and get him before everyone else comes to the party. Don’t give him a decision then. It’s frustrating.”

Tottenham Hotspur were nowhere near good enough against Arsenal and Thomas Frank needs to make changes ahead of a Champions League tie with PSG.

Tottenham Hotspur were mauled by Arsenal in a 4-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, which saw ex-Spurs transfer target Eberechi Eze score his first ever senior hat-trick.

The result is difficult to take, but the performance itself was even more concerning, with Tottenham short on workrate and attacking intent.

Spurs must regroup and work to resolve their many issues quickly, because next up is a rematch against the Champions League winners. Here are three changes which Thomas Frank must make if his team are to have any chance of getting a result in Paris.

Tottenham must not invite pressure

The reason Spurs lost the UEFA Super Cup is because they allowed PSG to have too much time and space on the ball towards the end of the game. Tottenham stayed very deep which allowed PSG to show their quality and deliver moments of magic which were too difficult to defend against.

This idea of standing off and inviting pressure has become all too familiar and it was Frank’s plan from the get-go against Arsenal. The Gunners were allowed to play their game and there was enough attacking quality on show to tear Spurs apart.

Bravery is required against PSG and this does not mean Tottenham should go for an all-out-attacking approach. It simply means they must strike a fine balance between exercising caution and committing men forwards.

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Spurs need a midfield revamp

The midfield duo of Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur has been heavily criticised this season, so it was bizarre to see Frank start them without a third midfielder on Sunday.

Palhinha deserves to keep his place in the starting lineup for being one of very few players to actually do something against Arsenal. However, Bentancur should be dropped to allow Lucas Bergvall to make his return after he suffered a head knock against Chelsea.

Spurs should complete a centralised trio with one of either Xavi Simons or Pape Matar Sarr. The Senegal international could be a safer pick, but if Tottenham want to be creating a higher number of chances, Simons is the player who is most likely to deliver.

Pedro Porro must be reinstated to the Tottenham first-team

Frank made the decision to start Djed Spence and Destiny Udogie in the North London derby and neither player impressed in their wing-back roles.

Pedro Porro is Tottenham’s best attacking full-back and it was a mistake not to start him in such an important fixture. The Spaniard is an excellent crosser of the ball and there was a clear need for more players who could go from one end of the pitch to the other.

Porro got an assist against PSG in the Super Cup and he has to be back in the starting lineup on Wednesday, most likely replacing Spence.

Switching up the attack is another option

Spurs could also make some changes in their frontline. Randal Kolo Muani could be handed another opportunity; however, Brennan Johnson is suspended.

However, the ball only reached Tottenham’s attacking players at certain moments during the Arsenal defeat and it seems harsh to penalise them.

Richarlison actually scored a very good goal and despite his faults, he is statistically the most likely striker at the club to be finding the net against PSG.

Frank could make switches in attack if he sees this to be necessary, but it is not one of the three essential changes required on the basis of the North London derby.

Gus Poyet has told Thomas Frank that he has to get more out of one Tottenham star, as his quality is not in doubt.

As expected, there has been a huge autopsy of every single one of Tottenham’s decisions after their humiliating 4-1 defeat to Arsenal in the North London derby.

Some pundits have laid the blame on Spurs’ poor recruitment, while many others have suggested that Thomas Frank is too defensive in his tactical set-up.

The main problem that continues to plague the Lilywhites is their lack of creativity, with Tottenham registering an xG of just 0.07 at the Emirates Stadium.

Xavi Simons has not had an easy start at Tottenham

Former Tottenham midfielder and assistant coach Gus Poyet believes that Frank needs to get more out of Xavi Simons than he has done so far.

The Uruguayan insisted that the Dutchman’s quality is not in any doubt and urged the former Brentford boss to give him a run of matches in the number 10 role.

Poyet said about Xavi (via Sports Mole): “I first saw him playing for the Netherlands when I was coach of Greece. His strength is to be in between the lines, receiving the ball in between, being very direct and trying to create problems in behind.

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“In one of the Spurs games, he was in that position a few times, and I thought, ‘okay, he’s settled.’ But it’s a period of adaptation for a new player.

“But specifically him, he needs the team to play in a certain way for him to be able to do what he does best. And at the moment, with Spurs up and down, it’s difficult. So we need to give him time. I don’t think it would be a problem because he’s got plenty of quality.”

Xavi deserves a run in the Spurs team

Benching Xavi earlier in the season was understandable when Tottenham were winning, but it seems very questionable when the Lilywhites are not only losing but putting up xG figures of less than 0.1.

One would expect Frank to now give a run of matches to the Dutchman, but Lucas Bergvall’s return from injury perhaps complicates the decision a little.

Xavi certainly deserves to start against PSG on Wednesday, with the Netherlands international having a point to prove to his former side.

Alan Shearer has accused the referee and the VAR of being too scared to make the right decision for Arsenal’s second goal in their 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

The controversy was about the Gunners’ second goal and Eberechi Eze’s first on 41 minutes.

Replays showed that Bukayo Saka, Martin Zubimendi and Leandro Trossard were all in offside positions when Eze took his shot.

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has said that at least two Arsenal players were in Guglielmo Vicario’s line of sight.

However, Michael Oliver and his assistants did not blow for offside, while the VAR, Stuart Attwell, failed to intervene.

Officials were too scared to rule out Arsenal’s second goal

Shearer is in no doubt that the goal should have been ruled out, pointing out that Arsenal players were clearly in the Tottenham goalkeeper’s line of sight.

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He suggested that due to the controversy surrounding similar goals which have been chalked off in the Premier League recently, the officials were too scared to call the offside in Tottenham’s favour.

The Newcastle legend said on The Rest Is Football podcast: “I don’t know what you think, Micah. I just honestly think that the referees and the VAR have got themselves in such a pickle with this situation. I thought they were petrified to give the correct decision.

“He should have been offside. There’s no way those guys in front of him weren’t directly in the line of sight of the goalkeeper. Therefore, it was clearly offside.

“Yet because of what’s gone on, with the Forest goal, with what happened with Liverpool at Man City, they were petrified of making the decision, and they just panicked and they got the wrong decision.

“It was a good job it didn’t make that much of a difference, but, if it had, then you could imagine the backfire that would have happened. It was offside, but it was still a great strike.”

Micah Richards laments the lack of consistency in officiating

Micah Richards agreed with Shearer’s assessment and suggested that Tottenham have a right to feel aggrieved.

He questioned why Liverpool’s goal against Man City two weeks ago was ruled out while Eze’s goal against Tottenham stood.

Richards said about the incident: “We keep saying; ‘Consistency’ and all those things, but it either is (offside) or it isn’t. If someone’s in front of the goalkeeper – the one against Man City with [Virgil] van Dijk, that should have stood, shouldn’t it?

“It would be easy for them to just say, ‘That’s offside’, because then you don’t get ‘Should it’, ‘Was it’, ‘I’m not sure about it’, They’re just making it more difficult for themselves.”

Shearer replied: “I honestly think they have panicked. I think they’ve panicked and thought if we give that offside, the criticism we’re going to get again, but, really, that would have been the right decision. They’ve just made such a mess of the last couple of weeks with those decisions.”

A report has shed light on what the Lewis family and the Tottenham top brass are thinking about Thomas Frank’s future after seeing the club humiliated at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Frank is now a man under a lot of pressure, as some of the performances he has overseen of late have been as bad as any Tottenham fans have seen over the last few years.

Spurs registered an xG of just 0.07 at the Emirates Stadium, just a few weeks after posting an even worse xG in the London derby against Chelsea.

Frank did not help himself by avoiding some questions in the post-match press conference, and there is a definite sense that the fan base is now turning on him.

Tottenham are remaining loyal to their head coach

The Telegraph have now revealed that the Lewis family have been clear that they are targeting long-term sporting success under Frank.

They are thus not expected to make any knee-jerk, short-term decisions over the coming weeks or months.

The report says that the 4-1 loss to Arsenal was described as a ‘painful day’ by Tottenham insiders.

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However, it is revealed that more than one source at Hotspur Way has insisted that the Spurs hierarchy are not panicking and have their eyes firmly set on the long-term.

Spurs hierarchy may have Frank sack decision foisted on them

During his time as Arsenal chief, Vinai Venkatesham showed faith in Mikel Arteta despite the Spaniard struggling in his first two and a half seasons, and that has borne fruit for the Gunners.

One suspects that he will be inclined to do the same at Tottenham, having himself played a part in the hiring of Frank.

However, if the supporters turn on the Dane and the atmosphere becomes toxic at the stadium (which it is already on the verge of being), the Spurs top brass will have no choice but to pull the plug on this project.

Tottenham Hotspur fans will not like the latest update on Antoine Semenyo’s future ahead of the January transfer window.

Spurs’ struggles of late have increased the necessity of making significant reinforcements to their squad in January.

The player that most Tottenham fans want to see brought through the door is Antoine Semenyo, who has a £65m release clause in his contract with Bournemouth.

According to various sources, Spurs are in a three-horse race with Man City and Liverpool for Semenyo’s signature ahead of the January window.

Liverpool have held concrete talks with Tottenham target Antoine Semenyo

It has now been revealed by Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg that Liverpool have stepped up their pursuit of the Bournemouth winger ahead of the January window.

Plettenberg says that Liverpool are ‘seriously working’ to activate Semenyo’s release clause and have already held ‘concrete talks’ regarding a January deal.

While the journalist adds that the Reds face ‘heavy competition’ for the 25-year-old, and that ‘other top English sides are involved’ in the race, he does not reveal the identity of those clubs.

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Spurs are not confident of landing Semenyo in January

Last week, it was reported by TEAMtalk that Tottenham are fearful of competition from Liverpool for Semenyo’s signature.

As a result, it was explained that the Lilywhites had identified alternatives to the Ghana international.

The Tottenham players have been spotted on the training pitches at Hotspur Way this morning as Thomas Frank prepares his side for their UEFA Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain.

Thomas Frank will be hoping his Tottenham Hotspur side can bounce back following their 4-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal in the Premier League.

But it does not get any easier for the Dane, who is now preparing for a trip to the French capital to take on Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain.

The Parisians are in good form, having won three of their opening four league phase ties, with their only defeat coming in their last encounter against Bayern Munich.

Tottenham, on the other hand, remain unbeaten in the Champions League after having drawn two and won two of their four league phase ties, including an emphatic 4-0 win over Copenhagen.

Tottenham have continued their training preparations

Thomas Frank and his backroom staff were seen putting the Tottenham first-team squad through their paces at Hotspur Way on Tuesday morning as preparations continue for their trip to the Parc des Princes to face PSG.

Among those involved in the session were:

Guglielmo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky, Ben Davies, Pedro Porro, Kota Takai, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso, Destiny Udogie, Lucas Bergvall, Jaoao Palhinha, Archie Gray, Brennan Johnson, Djed Spence and Radu Dragusin, Pape Matar Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur, Xavi Simons, Dane Scarlett, Mohammed Kudus, Richarlison, Randal Kolo Muani and Wilson Odobert.

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For those wondering how to watch PSG vs Tottenham, the match is scheduled for Wednesday, November 26, with kick-off set for 8:00pm BST.

The match will be broadcast live in the United Kingdom on TNT Sports 3.

Jamie O’Hara has not held back in his criticism of Thomas Frank’s tactics after Tottenham Hotspur were drubbed by Arsenal at the Emirates.

Many predicted that the North London derby would be a cagey affair, and it was clear that Tottenham were always going to sit back and play on the counter-attack.

However, not many would have forseen just how unadventurous and negative the Lilywhites were, with the away side content to defend the edge of their box and lob aimless balls forwards for their forwards to chase.

The tactics did not work as Arsenal managed to break down Tottenham and do so emphatically, managing to put four past their North London rivals.

Jamie O’Hara questions Tottenham’s negative mentality

O’Hara conceded that the Lilywhites do not have enough quality to go toe-to-toe with their fierce rivals.

However, the former Spurs midfielder was alarmed by the negative mentality that Frank’s men showed and suggested that they should have at least had a go.

O’Hara wrote on social media platform, X: “Shocking display, negative mentality went to try and draw the game because the manager knows we don’t have enough quality, alarming, serious eye brows raised with that, would you rather just try and have a go? Regardless we ain’t good enough and Arsenal are million miles ahead.”

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Eberechi Eze makes Spurs pay

What will irk Spurs fans is that Arsenal’s hero on the night was Eberechi Eze, who the Lilywhites were close to landing in the summer.

Eze famously turned down Tottenham in favour of a move to Arsenal after Frank’s men appeared to have clinched a deal for the England international at one stage.

In stark contrast, the attacking midfielder whom Spurs signed instead, Xavi Simons, did not get into their starting line-up and struggled to have much say on the game when he was introduced at half-time.

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to settle an old score in Paris as Thomas Frank prepares his side for a pivotal Champions League night.

Revenge has to be on the mind of Tottenham Hotspur when they travel to take on Paris Saint-Germain in matchday five of the Champions League.

The Parisians prevented Tottenham from getting their hands on another European trophy when the two sides met in the UEFA Super Cup back in August.

Spurs led for most of the tie, but a sleeping giant woke up in the dying moments, turning the contest on its head with PSG coming from two goals down to win on penalties.

Wednesday’s encounter offers Tottenham a chance to get one over the French champions, and a victory will do Thomas Frank’s side a load of good given their recent defeat at the hands of Arsenal.

We have now attempted to predict Tottenham’s starting XI for their clash with PSG.

Predicted Tottenham XI for PSG clash

Goalkeeper – Guglielmo Vicario: The Italian was between the sticks in the league fixture against Arsenal, where he conceded four and he will be hoping for a different outcome against PSG.

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Right-back – Pedro Porro: The full-back sat out Spurs’ last game as Frank opted for Djed Spence instead, but we expect Porro to return to the starting XI on Wednesday.

Centre-back – Cristian Romero: It was a poor defensive display against Arsenal, and Romero was just as bad as anyone else on the pitch, but he should feature here before missing out at the weekend because of his suspension in the league.

Centre-back – Micky van de Ven: We expect Frank to ditch his back three and so we could see van de Ven be Romero’s centre-back partner.

Left-back – Destiny Udogie: The Italian did keep Saka quiet for most of the game against the Gunners last time out. He offers some attacking threat down the left, and we expect Frank to be more attacking here, and as such, Udogie should feature.

Pivot midfielder – Joao Palhinha: One of the few players to have performed well against Arsenal, although it was a little too late, as it was in the second half, he looked to play with some fight. He should continue in that holding midfield role.

Pivot midfielder – Pape Matar Sarr: Rodrigo Bentancur was poor against Arsenal, often struggling to deal with Eze and Merino. Frank could freshen things up in the middle of the park, and Sarr could come in.

Centre midfielder – Xavi Simons: The Dutchman missed out as Frank opted for a 3-4-3 formation, but we expect Simons to feature against his former side on Wednesday in that number ten role.

Right winger – Mohammed Kudus: Remains a bright spark for Tottenham and should continue out on the right in this encounter.

Striker – Randal Kolo Muani: Got a few minutes under his belt after speculation that he was set for an extended period on the sidelines. He should return to the starting XI with his protective gear on, of course.

Tottenham Hotspur now turn their attention back to Europe after their bruising derby defeat, with a crucial Champions League trip to Paris looming and plenty riding on how Thomas Frank manages his side under pressure. Here’s how to watch the clash against PSG.

Tottenham Hotspur’s focus shifts to continental matters following their 4-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal, a result that has only intensified the scrutiny on Thomas Frank heading into a demanding midweek fixture.

Paris Saint-Germain will be looking to compound Frank’s problems, while the Tottenham boss will be desperate to avoid another heavy setback as the schedule tightens and performances continue to be questioned.

Spurs currently sit tenth in the league phase table, with one point separating them from defending champions PSG, who occupy fifth place going into this round of fixtures.

When and where PSG vs Tottenham takes place

Tottenham will be visiting the Parc des Princes on Wednesday, 26 November 2025, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm (UK time).

How to watch PSG vs Tottenham in the Champions League

Supporters in the United Kingdom can watch PSG vs Tottenham live on TNT Sports 3.

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Team news for PSG and Tottenham

Given that it is a Champions League tie, Thomas Frank is currently only without Dominic Solanke and Ben Davies, who are the only injured players registered for the competition. while Brennan Johnson sits out the match as a result of a one-match suspension following his red card against FC Copenhagen.

The other absentees have not been registered for the Champions League, so their absence changes little for Wednesday’s matchday squad.

PSG will be without Achraf Hakimi, who is sidelined with an ankle issue, while Desire Doue is out with a thigh injury, and Ousmane Dembele is a doubt for the clash with a thigh problem that has left him racing to prove his fitness for the meeting with Spurs.

Spurs Web prediction for PSG vs Tottenham

These two sides are locking horns for the second time this season. Tottenham faced PSG earlier in the campaign in the UEFA Super Cup, and it was the Parisians who edged it on penalties following a 2-2 draw after ninety minutes.

PSG are the stronger side on paper and come into this tie having won three of their four Champions League matches this season, although they suffered a setback against Bayern in their most recent outing.

Spurs arrive unbeaten with two draws and two wins, and their last European match was a victory against Copenhagen, yet given their dismal display against Arsenal, it is hard to see how they come out on top here, which is why we will be backing PSG to win.