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It has been reported that events over recent days may have caused one Tottenham Hotspur star to seriously evaluate his future at N17.

The relationship between Spurs fans and the players has been worsening this season, mainly due to the team’s struggles at home.

Some players, such as Pedro Porro, have gotten into arguments with Tottenham fans on social media.

However, the man who has borne the brunt is Guglielmo Vicario, who was booed and mocked by Spurs fans after his mistake against Fulham last week.

Booing may be the last straw for Guglielmo Vicario at Tottenham

It has emerged over recent days that Inter Milan are plotting a move for the Spurs number one next summer.

In fact, some reports from Italy have even claimed that Vicario is open to joining Inter and that his agent has opened dialogue with the Serie A club.

A new report from Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness) has now suggested that the jeers from the Tottenham Hotspur fans may have been the reason why the 29-year-old is now considering an exit from North London.

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Gazzetta state: “Those jeers, however, risk becoming the last straw in a cup that has gradually filled up for the national team goalkeeper, one that is now making him seriously consider whether his future is better away from London, perhaps in Serie A and perhaps at Inter, who are starting to wink at him.

“However, the newspaper adds: ‘…in the eyes of Tottenham fans, Vicario is no longer a pillar. He has three years left on his contract with Tottenham, but it’s impossible not to wonder whether Spurs is still the best place for him, for his development. Especially if, from being an idol, you suddenly find yourself booed by your own fans.”

Thomas Frank has dismissed Vicario transfer rumours

There have been rumours that Tottenham could replace Vicario with Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen, having been impressed by the Dutchman’s performances this season.

However, despite his mistake against Fulham, Frank has dismissed the idea of Tottenham signing a new number one, making it clear that he has full faith in the Italian.

Tottenham Hotspur are outperforming all their Premier League rivals in a key attacking metric, but that may not exactly be good news for Spurs.

The biggest worry among Tottenham Hotspur fans this season has been the team’s inability to create chances consistently.

Spurs have posted several of the worst xG scores of any Premier League side this season, including their lowest ever record of just 0.05 in their 1-0 loss at home to Chelsea last month.

Tottenham are not performing well in the expected points table, which suggests that the club’s current league position of 11th actually flatters them.

Tottenham are the biggest xG overperformers in the Premier League

Despite struggling to create chances on a regular basis, Spurs have had no problem scoring goals, having found the back of the net 23 times in their 14 matches this season.

Only Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea and Brighton have scored more goals than the Lilywhites this season.

WhoScored have now revealed that Tottenham have outperformed their xG by +6.46 this season, which is the largest margin of any club across the Premier League.

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Should Spurs be concerned about their low xG?

Some people would see Tottenham’s outperformance of xG as a concern, as they would expect it to revert to the mean and for the goals to dry up.

However, outperforming xG may actually be a feature, not a bug, of Thomas Frank’s system. Sky Sports’ Lyall Thomas has pointed out that Brentford also outperformed their xG under the Danish coach.

Tottenham Hotspur now know the latest date by which they will have to release two of their players who will be involved in the African Cup of Nations.

Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr will soon link up with their national teams for the African Cup of Nations, which gets underway on December 21.

Bissouma and Sarr will both miss a minimum of three matches, but could miss as many as seven if either Mali or Senegal go all the way until the final on January 18.

It has now been confirmed when the two players will be jetting off to Morocco for the biggest tournament in the African footballing calendar.

Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma will be released by Tottenham soon

Although Mali’s first fixture is only on 22nd December and Senegal’s is on the 23rd of this month, the duo would have to be released much earlier.

This is according to Fabrizio Romano, who has shared what FIFA have decided about the release date of the players competing in AFCON.

World football’s governing body has confirmed that clubs need to release players by Monday, 15 December, at the latest, and that they would mediate any disputes between club and country regarding the release date.

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What games will Sarr and Bissouma miss for Spurs?

Bissouma is still on the mend from his knee injury, and it is currently unknown whether the midfielder will be fit to take part in the AFCON.

Sarr will undoubtedly be a big loss for Spurs, and should he leave on the latest possible date of 15 December, he will play no part in the following three fixtures:

The 23-year-old could also miss Tottenham’s away clashes against Sunderland and Bournemouth, and their home against West Ham and Borussia Dortmund if Senegal make it to the final.

Ian Wright disagrees with Gary Neville’s confident prediction for Tottenham’s clash against Brentford.

Thomas Frank, who spent seven years at Brentford, will take on his former side for the first time since swapping the Gtech Community Stadium for North London in the summer.

He is going through a tough spell at Spurs, with the atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium turning toxic of late, which is why he will be desperate for three points tomorrow.

While one pundit believes that Spurs will finally get their first home win since the opening day of the season, Wright disagrees for an interesting reason.

Gary Neville and Ian Wright disagree on Tottenham v Brentford

In the latest episode of The Overlap, Neville was very confident that we would see Spurs finally get three points in front of their own fans. He said: “2-1 Tottenham. Tottenham are winning that. I’m confident.”

However, Wright pointed out that some Brentford players will be especially motivated to prove a point to Frank, given that he did not take many of them with him to Spurs.

The former Arsenal forward responded: “I think Brentford gets something simply because of who it is. You’ve got to factor that in.

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“It’s their old manager. He didn’t take a couple of the players whom he promised that ‘I’m going to take you if I get to Tottenham. I’ll take you’. He didn’t take them. I’m going 2-1 Brentford.”

Frank will know Brentford’s strengths and weaknesses inside out

While Wright’s point about the Brentford players wanting to prove a point to Frank is fair, the Tottenham head coach will also know all the strengths and weaknesses of the Bees players.

He is thus very well equipped to come up with a tactical plan that could hurt the West London side.

However, the 52-year-old and his players will know that Tottenham have to start the game on the front foot or they risk the fans turning against them.

Opta’s Supercomputer has revised its prediction on where Tottenham Hotspur will finish this season following the club’s 2-2 draw against Newcastle.

Spurs showed great character to fight back twice from behind to salvage a point at St James’ Park.

This is despite the turmoil surrounding the club over recent weeks and the extremely contentious penalty that Newcastle were awarded in the 86th minute.

Thomas Frank lavished praise on Cristian Romero for a captain’s performance against the Magpies, and he will be hoping that the result is the start of a turnaround in form for the North London side.

Opta predicts where Tottenham will finish this season

Ahead of their trip to the North East, Opta’s algorithm had Spurs finishing in 12th place this season.

However, Opta’s supercomputer has now revised its prediction, with the Lilywhites moving up one place to 11th in their predicted table, with an expected 51.55 points.

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What would be considered a successful season for Spurs?

Even though Tottenham finished 17th last season, there was a specific set of circumstances, including injuries and the Europa League focus, that led to that artificial position.

It is unlikely that finishing 11th will be deemed acceptable at the North London club this season.

Thomas Frank has made an interesting admission about what Tottenham Hotspur need from a leadership perspective without Heung-min Son.

Cristian Romero delivered a real captain’s performance at Newcastle, being flawless defensively and stepping up with two crucial goals to help Spurs salvage a point.

After the game, Thomas Frank lavished praise on Romero for inspiring his teammates to a well-deserved draw.

The Tottenham boss suggested that irrespective of the tactics or principles, it is sometimes about individuals stepping up in key moments as the Argentine did at St James’ Park.

Thomas Frank wants new Tottenham leaders to emerge

The Spurs boss has confessed that the Lilywhites lost a big leader when Son departed for LAFC in the summer.

However, he expects other senior members of his squad to step up and fill that vacuum.

When asked if Tottenham are missing Son’s quiet leadership, the Dane said (via The Standard): “Yeah, I don’t know. I would say he’s not here, so others need to step up.

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“It’s like when you miss a player for whatever reason, because leadership qualities are part of Sonny, bringing people together, also part of Sonny, whatever.

“The level they had, others will step up, others will shine a little bit more, because some of the players that were there before took the shine, if that makes sense.”

Frank is delighted that Heung-min Son is returning to Spurs next week

Tottenham have confirmed that Son will be a guest for their home match against Slavia Prague next Tuesday, which is the first time the former Spurs captain will return to North London since his summer departure.

Frank is pleased the 33-year-old is returning to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to celebrate his superb career at N17.

When asked if it would be fitting if Spurs could pick up a rare home win with Son in attendance next Tuesday, the Tottenham boss said: “That would be nice. No doubt about that.

“I’m so pleased for Sonny that he comes back and then really hopefully gets the well-deserved celebration for everything he’s done for this club. He was a character who was really good at bringing people together at this club.”

Tottenham Hotspur have the option to sign Joao Palhinha on a permanent basis at the end of the season, but ex-Portugal star Pedro Mendes has suggested he could join a different Premier League club.

Tottenham Hotspur supporters have been delighted with Joao Palhinha for much of this season, as the midfielder has impressed with his defensive contributions. He has also shown himself to be useful in other areas, registering four goals and three assists in all competitions.

However, Palhinha has faced some criticism due to how much of his game is based around winning the ball, rather than carrying it forward and starting attacking moves.

The 30 year old’s partnership with Rodrigo Bentancur has also been under scrutiny, with pundits and fans alike suggesting they do not work well together due to their attacking limitations.

Nuno Mendes backs Manchester United to sign Joao Palhinha

Palhinha has been benched twice since the international break in November and former Tottenham midfielder Nuno Mendes has indicated that Manchester United should attempt to sign him.

Speaking to Boyle Sports, as quoted by Metro, he said: “Palhinha at Man Utd? Well, why not?

“To be fair, I think Manuel Ugarte is more or less the same type of player as Palhinha, [but] Palhinha is an option if they want to replace him.

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“We are not sure what is going to happen to Casemiro, so I think it [Manchester United signing Palhinha] could work.

“Joao Palhinha is the typical Premier League number six, that defensive midfielder who just sweeps up everything in front of the defenders.”

Mendes has claimed Palhinha is struggling at Spurs, despite the many positive comments he has received. According to the former Premier League player, this is because of the club’s style of football.

“If you have a team that has a lot of possession, he’s a little bit out of his game, from my point of view,” Mendes continued.

“The players around him will shine more than him because, as you said, he just wins the ball, passes it away, tackles the ball, passes it. He’s fantastic at doing that role. He was fantastic at Fulham.

“At Bayern Munich, when you have 70% or 60% of ball possession most of the games, you don’t need to do that kind of job.

“Because normally teams play counter-attack or don’t have that type of possession against you, his strength is a little bit forgotten.

“He has more of the ball and he needs to be more involved in the game, and to be fair, it’s not his main strength.

“So probably that’s why he struggled at Bayern and at Spurs at the moment. I like what I saw in some games this year from him, but it’s different from Fulham.”

Palhinha is not the midfielder Tottenham fans want to see depart

There have been concerns raised about how effective Palhinha’s game will be if Thomas Frank attempts to be braver and more attacking-minded, but the Portugal international is still a very good player.

Most Tottenham supporters have been pleased with his performances this season and would be happy to see him signed on a permanent basis.

In contrast, Bentancur is under a lot of pressure due to his displays this season and if he was linked with a move away from North London, there would not be many complaints.

Paul Merson has revealed his concerns for Thomas Frank ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League clash against his former club.

Tottenham Hotspur return to action this weekend with the aim of winning a match for the first time in more than a month.

This could prove difficult because Thomas Frank and his team are yet to record a Premier League victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since the opening day of the season.

The mood around the club has been particularly bad following the international break, as Spurs have suffered two London derby defeats.

Paul Merson believes Thomas Frank is in trouble at Tottenham

Frank has faced the heat in recent weeks for his team’s substandard performances. Losing 4-1 to Arsenal was the last straw for some supporters and there has not been much to shout about since.

However, Merson thinks Frank is in trouble not necessarily because of Tottenham’s results, but due to the comments he made about the fans after their defeat to Fulham last Saturday.

Making his prediction for the match against Brentford, Merson told Sportskeeda: “I think Thomas Frank is in trouble, severe trouble. And it has nothing to do with the results. They are Tottenham and they are always up and down like this.

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“But what he said about Spurs fans not being ‘real’ because they booed Guglielmo Vicario isn’t something that will go down well with the club’s supporters.

It will be a hostile atmosphere when Tottenham host Frank’s former club Brentford on Saturday. It’s a sell out crowd at Spurs’ ground every weekend, 60 odd thousand people turn up for their home games.

“When your biggest rivals are ripping it apart in the league and your manager accuses you of not being ‘real’, it can quickly become a toxic environment. That comment will be unacceptable for any Spurs fan.

“Brentford rested some key players for the Arsenal game. But the problem for them is that they can’t win a game away from home!

“I think Tottenham will need Micky van de Ven to step up in this game because Brentford have pace to burn and that can hurt Spurs. Anything less than a win would put more pressure on Frank and I think Tottenham will fail to secure three points.”

Spurs got the better of Brentford last season

Tottenham did not win many matches in the Premier League last season, but they defeated Brentford both home and away. Of course, this was when Ange Postecoglou was the man in charge, while Frank was managing Brentford.

If Spurs do not record a fourth consecutive victory over the Bees, it is definitely not a good look for Frank. He really needs a win and this Saturday provides as good a chance as any.

Thomas Frank has made an honest statement about Tottenham’s lack of clear first-choice option on the left side of attack amid links to Antoine Semenyo.

Tottenham Hotspur have a handful of left-wing options this season, with Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons, Brennan Johnson and Mathys Tel all available for selection.

So far this term, we have seen Frank use each of these players out on the left, but no one has held down that position with rotation still happening.

The Tottenham boss has sometimes even opted to go narrow, setting up his side in a 4-2-2-2 formation despite having multiple wide players to pick from.

On the right, however, it is different, with Mohammed Kudus the number one choice for Frank’s side, and that is down to how well the Ghana international has performed since his move to Spurs.

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank on left wing competition

Frank has now opened up on the competition for places on the left and whether there is any player clearly ahead in the pecking order.

The manager stressed that rotation remains necessary due to the schedule, but admitted that nobody has stamped authority on the role so far.

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Speaking on the matter, Frank said via the official Tottenham channel: “There is competition for that left side role. We are playing games every third or fourth day so we need rotation but also someone has not put their foot down on the left position.”

This comes as Tottenham intensify their push to try and sign Antoine Semenyo in the January window.

Spurs winger Mathys Tel assessed by Thomas Frank

Frank also discussed Mathys Tel, and he highlighted how the youngster has been training and carrying himself around the squad environment.

Tel has not started in the last seven Premier League games for Tottenham, although he has had a few cameos off the bench.

Speaking on the Frenchman, the Spurs boss acknowledged that Tel is an option off the left and that his attitude has been impressive, while making clear that selection comes down to continued standards.

He added, “The way he carries himself, the way he trains, has been very good. I am very aware he can play off the left. The only thing that any player can do is keep training well, keep doing everything to catch my eye to make it difficult for me when I make my decision.”

Xavi Simons was brought in to help solve Tottenham Hotspur’s creative issues, but the Dutchman has yet to fully take charge of that responsibility in North London.

The 22-year-old started brightly in a Tottenham shirt, grabbing an assist against West Ham United on his debut before featuring regularly in the early weeks of the season.

However, recent matches have seen his involvement reduce to cameos from the bench, with no start for Xavi Simons in the last four fixtures.

Frank revealed last month that the Dutchman’s reduced minutes were down to adaptation time, which is often the case for players transitioning from Germany to the Premier League.

Thomas Frank on Xavi Simons’ chances of starting for Tottenham

The Tottenham boss has once again opened up on the Simons‘ development, offering a fresh update on how things are progressing behind the scenes.

Speaking via club media, Frank revealed that the attacking midfielder has been training at an impressive level and pushing himself closer to selection.

He said: “Xavi has trained fantastic the last five, six times. Very good attitude on the training pitch, I like that a lot.

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“We have played different games with different lineups. Just like Matty, trained well, good attitude and we are getting closer and he has come on in the last four games.”

Why Xavi Simons must stake a claim for left wing spot at Spurs

Tottenham are playing games every three to four days now, and with Brentford next, it feels like the right moment for Simons to finally be handed a start for Spurs.

Frank has already confirmed that there is an opening down the left, as no winger has claimed the spot as his own so far this season and that should be an opportunity Simons needs to approach with real intent.