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Tottenham Hotspur have dropped down the pecking order in the race for a La Liga wide forward, with another Premier League rival emerging as frontrunners for the Sevilla star.

Tottenham Hotspur are keen on strengthening their forward line in the winter window, and there is a particular focus on the wide areas as the club looks to provide further depth.

Several names have appeared on the Lilywhites’ radar, including Antoine Semenyo and Iliman Ndiaye, who are both players that Spurs fans rate highly.

However, Sevilla forward Ruben Vargas has also emerged as a viable option for Tottenham, with interest stretching back to September, shortly after the summer window slammed shut.

Leeds United move ahead of Tottenham for Ruben Vargas

The Sevilla man has managed three goals and four assists in 12 La Liga outings this season, and his form has caught the attention of a couple of Premier League sides, including Spurs.

A report from Orgullo Biri now claims that Leeds United are in pole position to land Ruben Vargas ahead of both Aston Villa and Tottenham.

The newly promoted side is said to be working on a proposal worth £16.7m (€20m) for the Swiss international, and this move places them ahead of both Spurs and Aston Villa, who are currently only closely monitoring the situation.

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Why Spurs can still hijack Leeds United move for Ruben Vargas

Ruben Vargas is a wide forward with good dribbling skills, and those attributes appear to be what have caught the attention of the interested Premier League sides.

However, while Leeds United have put together a proposal, it is also explained that they have not submitted any formal offers to the Spanish club as yet.

This leaves the door open for Tottenham to still sweep in for the winger, who is said to be valued at £10m (€12m) by Sevilla, as it is claimed a sale will provide a much-needed financial boost for the La Liga outfit to strengthen their squad.

Tottenham Hotspur have been informed of the strict financial conditions required to complete a January deal for a Serie A midfielder, with the selling club setting a clear valuation.

Guglielmo Vicario has been attracting interest from Italian giants Inter Milan following reports that Tottenham Hotspur are on the lookout for a world-class goalkeeper.

Spurs have also been linked with a move for Inter midfielder Davide Frattesi as they look to bolster their engine room.

The 26-year-old has managed just 198 minutes in all competitions this season, and earlier reports have suggested that Inter may be open to discussing a swap deal involving Frattesi and Vicario with Tottenham.

Tottenham named as a possible destination for Davide Frattesi in January

It had not previously been made clear if Spurs were genuinely interested in the Inter midfielder, but a fresh report from L’Interista has now identified the clubs keen on Frattesi, given his struggle for game time.

Amongst those listed are Tottenham, who are said to have been keeping tabs on his situation, with north London named as a possible destination for the midfielder.

However, Spurs will not have a free run at the 26-year-old as Napoli and AS Roma have also been named as possible destinations for the Italy international.

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Inter Milan set Davide Frattesi asking price amid interest from Spurs

The report also goes on to state exactly how much Tottenham will need to pay to land Frattesi. Spurs have a host of options in the middle of the park that are of a similar mould to the Inter man.

Archie Gray, Yves Bissouma, Joao Palhinha, and Rodrigo Bentancur are all options for Frank and can be deployed in a double pivot and as number eights.

Regardless, it is explained that Spurs can bring Frattesi to north London in January if they meet Inter Milan’s financial demands.

The Nerazzurri want over £25m (€30m) and are unlikely to budge, although it is not mentioned if this figure would need to be paid in addition to a player exchange involving Vicario.

Tottenham Hotspur have learned Nico Paz’s current stance on a transfer after Chelsea and Arsenal made approaches for the £60m star.

Tottenham Hotspur’s search for a creative playmaker saw them shortlist a host of options last summer as they looked to source cover for the injured James Maddison.

Nico Paz made it onto that shortlist, with Spurs even going as far as lodging a bid for the Como star, an offer that was ultimately rejected by the Serie A side.

The club quickly turned their attention to Xavi Simons of RB Leipzig, eventually getting a £51m deal over the line to secure his services instead.

Tottenham summer target Nico Paz rejects Premier League interest

Paz has continued to impress in Serie A, proving exactly why he is viewed as one of the most in-demand creative talents of his generation.

TeamTalk has now provided an update on the future of the midfielder, revealing that Nico Paz has once again turned his nose up at interest from England ahead of the January transfer window.

Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal are reported to have enquired about the attacking midfielder, but just like with Tottenham last summer, the player is said to be fully committed to securing a return to Real Madrid in 2026.

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Balance required in Spurs midfield

This update serves as a retrospective blow for Spurs, even though they have technically moved on from the youngster, given they are not listed amongst those to have made fresh enquiries.

Xavi Simons has yet to fully settle in at Tottenham, and there remains a clear need for a player capable of progressing the ball from midfield, given the creative issues currently plaguing the side.

Former Arsenal defender, Thomas Vermaelen, has commented on how competing against a Tottenham star did not affect their friendship, and he has made a big claim about the bitterness of the North London derby.

The rivalry between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal is hardly the biggest in the world. That prize is more likely to be awarded to the hostile derbies in places such as Glasgow and Buenos Aires.

However, there is no love lost when Spurs take on their arch enemies, with the disdain the two teams hold for each other often evident on the pitch, as well as in the stands.

Despite this, Thomas Vermaelen has said something about the North London derby which could come as a surprise.

Thomas Vermaelen remained friends with Jan Vertonghen when the Belgian joined Tottenham

Vermalen signed for Arsenal in 2009, and Jan Vertonghen joined Spurs three years later. This was an interesting occurrence for the two defenders because they both played together for Ajax’s youth team.

According to Ajax Showtime, as relayed by Sport Witness, Vermaelen did not let the rivalry of the North London clubs get in the way of his friendship with Vertonghen.

He said: “We didn’t see each other as rivals and awarded each other the best.

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“It’s obviously a very big derby in England, but Jan and I still saw each other off the field. It’s not that I thought, oh, you’re playing at Tottenham now, I don’t like you as much. It lives mainly with the supporters.”

Vermaelen’s claim about the North London derby is surprising. It is not really a shock to hear Vermaelen say that he remained friends with someone just because they joined a rival club. The pair played together for Belgium as well as Ajax, so the endurance of their relationship was always to be expected.

However, Vermaelen has said the hatred and bitterness of the derby mainly lives with the supporters. Some players might argue it is just as strong in the dressing room, and if it is not, they do not understand what it truly means to play for their club.

A former Tottenham Hotspur star has made a bold claim regarding the history of Man United, suggesting that a former Lilywhites boss was one of the few managers capable of fixing the problems at Old Trafford following the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Tottenham Hotspur has often struggled to maintain balance in their overall play on the pitch under Thomas Frank.

The Lilywhites under the Dane have often been criticised for their lack of cutting edge on the pitch, with creativity often lacking on the field of play.

Thomas Frank continues to look for solutions to get Spurs to play front-foot attacking football, but former Tottenham midfielder Sandro has now opened up on how one former manager was able to keep the side ticking, even stating that he could have managed Manchester United.

Harry Redknapp could have fixed Manchester United, according to Sandro

Speaking to Boyle Sports about the leadership required at a top club, Sandro explained that Harry Redknapp possessed the perfect blend of tactical knowledge and dressing room presence to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson.

He suggested that the former Spurs Tottenham had a similar management style to the legendary Scotsman, combining a big impact with the ability to make players listen.

Discussing the specific qualities that made the manager a success, Sandro told Boyle Sports: “Could Harry Redknapp have fixed Manchester United’s problem after Sir Alex? Yes, 100%.

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“They managed in the same kind of way. A big image, a big impact in the dressing room, and you need to have that. When you speak, players listen.

“Everybody respected Harry, but you could also have a joke with him, and he would make everybody laugh too.

“Harry could talk well to the media, but also his tactics were good and he could change things during a match on the pitch too. He was a manager that could do everything.”

The Brazilian went on to detail how Harry Redknapp was never afraid to make ruthless tactical changes at half-time to secure a result for Tottenham, regardless of a player’s ego.

He added: “I remember, when I arrived in England, I was on the bench and at half time Harry took a player off. In Brazil, this is deeply disrespectful to a player, to take them off at the break, but Harry was not afraid.

“He told the guys we are not having a good game, sorry but I am changing the team and I need to change it. I am doing this for the team. He was a coach who will make the big decisions.

“And we won that game. I liked it. He will come and talk to you as a player. You have to have that. I remember he will say to me: ‘sorry Sandro, you are going to play the next game. I will play you.’

“That is how you manage players. If you give a player something like that, the player will let you do something else. I completely agree that Harry Redknapp could have done a good job at Manchester United because he had the right style of management.

“Their fans want to play and attack. Harry will play that way with good tactics in a back four. We were always balanced at Tottenham. Teams need to have that balance. Attack and defend. We were a team. Not two teams.”

Thomas Frank must learn from Harry Redknapp’s time at Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur currently lack the balance that was once in the side under Harry Redknapp, and if they can find such a rhythm, then their on-pitch woes will be greatly reduced.

Thomas Frank is currently struggling to find such a balance, and that has led to much external pressure on the Dane, who has only been in charge at Spurs for about six months.

Tottenham Hotspur are sensing an opportunity to sign a Man City star, but a deal will not be straightforward to complete in January.

It has been widely reported that Spurs are prioritising strengthening their attack during the January window, with the Lilywhites prepared to spend big to add firepower to their attack.

Even though Tottenham are pushing aggressively to land Antoine Semenyo, over recent days, it has been widely reported that Spurs have dropped out of the race for the Bournemouth star.

A new report has now claimed that the Lilywhites are now turning their attention to a Man City striker, who has found game time hard to come by this season.

Tottenham want to sign Man City striker Omar Marmoush

TEAMtalk say that although Semenyo is seen as the ‘ideal fit’ by Spurs, there is acknowledgement at the North London club that they are ‘increasingly unlikely’ to sign the Ghanaian.

As a result, Tottenham are now pivoting towards Man City’s Omar Marmoush, who has struggled to get into the starting eleven this season and has found the back of the net just once all campaign.

The report explains that Spurs are keen on adding a versatile attacker who can play across the frontline, and Marmoush fits the bill.

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The 26-year-old’s pace, dribbling, and goal-scoring prowess have swayed Tottenham, who are looking to secure his services just a year on from his £59m switch to the Etihad Stadium from Eintracht Frankfurt.

How difficult would it be for Spurs to land Marmoush?

TEAMtalk say that despite not giving him many opportunities this season, Pep Guardiola is expected to resist the potential sale of the Egypt international in January.

The outlet claims that Tottenham’s best hope of landing Marmoush could be a loan deal with an option to buy in the summer.

Randal Kolo Muani has generally played quite well since joining Tottenham Hotspur, but one of the most fundamental attributes of a striker is missing from his game.

The attack of Tottenham Hotspur has been spoken about a lot already this season. There is a lack of creativity coming from the wings and midfield, but some Spurs fans feel the central strikers at the club are also failing to do enough.

Richarlison has been the biggest attacking threat, scoring seven Premier League goals. However, this is not enough to prevent calls for his departure next summer.

Then there is Randal Kolo Muani, who generally gets more positive reviews, yet there is one key area where he has struggled at Tottenham.

Randal Kolo Muani needs to score goals for Tottenham

Muani is viewed as a good contributor for Tottenham he always gives his best effort both on and off the ball. The centre forward makes intelligent runs, plays some useful passes and possesses a strong work ethic.

However Muani has to score more goals for Spurs. Currently, he is yet to register a Premier League goal contribution in 616 minutes of play. The Frenchman’s two goals and two assists in the Champions League are more encouraging, although three of these four merits came in a single fixture against PSG.

Criticism could be launched at those who fail to create chances, but Muani has missed goalscoring opportunities. No matter how good his general displays are, the striker has to be able to score goals on a regular basis.

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Muani could become another Dominic Solanke at Spurs

Spurs fans were appreciative of Dominic Solanke for much of last season due to his excellent link-up play. However, they grew tired of the ex-Bournemouth player’s record in front of goal.

Thomas Frank then arrived at the club and took him out of the first-team in favour of Richarlison, whose Tottenham career looked to be over at the time.

Muani needs to find his shooting boots, or else he could suffer a similar fate. His loan deal has no obligation included, so Spurs will look elsewhere if he is not considered to be the frontman they need.

With the abilities he has shown, Muani could become a great player for Tottenham, but a striker without goals is no striker at all.

Fabrizio Romano has now provided some bad news for Tottenham fans regarding Fabio Paratici’s future following Fiorentina’s approach.

After his FIFA ban expired in the summer, Paratici returned to Spurs as the club’s sporting director back in October, but he might be on his way out after just two months in the job.

It emerged a few days ago that Fiorentina had approached Paratici about taking over as the club’s Head of Football.

The Serie A side, which is rooted to the bottom of the table, wants the Tottenham director to replace their former sporting director, Daniele Prade, who resigned last week after the dismissal of coach Stefano Pioli.

Fabio Paratici is edging closer to Tottenham exit

Fabrizio Romano has now taken to social media to reveal that the Italian club are now ‘ready to advance’ in their pursuit of the 53-year-old.

He says that Fiorentina are hopeful of ‘sealing the appointment’ of Paratici as their new head of football, with the agreement now ‘getting closer’.

The journalist points out that Viola still need to reach an agreement with Spurs, where Paratici is contracted, but the Serie A side are now ‘confident’ of getting their man.

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Romano wrote: “Fiorentina are prepared to advance and seal the appointment of Fabio Paratici as new Head of Football. Formal steps needed with Tottenham but Fiorentina are confident as the agreement is getting closer.”

Potentially an embarrassing situation for Vinai Venkatesham and the Spurs hierarchy

Vinai Venkatesham confidently proclaimed that Paratici and Johan Lange could work together as sporting directors, but that has seemingly not worked out.

Just two months after the club made such a big deal of the announcement of Paratici’s return, the Italian appears to be keen to leave.

Cristian Romero needs to sort out his behaviour immediately, or else Thomas Frank could be forced to make a decision regarding his role for the good of Tottenham Hotspur.

Whenever there is a conversation about Cristian Romero which involves anything critical, certain terms are usually given in his defence.

Mentioning that he is a World Cup winner is usually a popular go-to argument when the criticism thrown in his direction is performance related.

As the conversation shifts to Romero’s lack of discipline, some will claim his rashness is a thing of the past, but dialogue has prevailed all because of the media’s warped agenda.

However, it is time to put personal feelings aside and judge the centre back as any other Tottenham Hotspur player would be judged – without special treatment.

Cristian Romero is not performing at his usual level for Tottenham

Tottenham need a captain who is going to be one of the team’s most consistent performers, but Romero has had a number of shaky displays this season.

The Argentina international has made some fairly large errors in recent months and he was twice at fault during the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool last Sunday.

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Romero was even named a ‘liability’ by members of the press, which is extremely harsh, but there should be a conversation about just how often he has a bad game.

Romero lacks the discipline a Spurs captain needs

Romero’s recent performances are actually secondary to an even greater problem, which is that he has been completely unhinged on the pitch this season. The 27-year-old appeared to have toned things down after facing criticism for his behaviour early on in his days at Spurs. However, he has no discipline at all this season.

Due to the red card Romero received against Liverpool, he is now serving his second Premier League suspension of the campaign. Worse still, Romero would serve a third ban after his return, if he receives three yellow cards in his next 15 appearances. What good is a captain who is constantly not allowed to play as a result of his poor behaviour?

Each time the defender lands himself in hot water it just seems so unnecessary. He commits too many bookable fouls and often loses his temper. A few of his yellow cards this year have been the result of arguing with the referee and these are such needless bookings.

Once these mistakes occur, Romero does himself no favours by attempting to remain out of the spotlight. Xavi Simons has apologised for his red card against Liverpool, but where is the Tottenham captain? As usual, he has gone into hiding, but do not be surprised when he is behind the microphone after his next strong performance.

Replacing Romero as Tottenham captain would be tricky

Thomas Frank would be wise to consider whether Romero is the type of player he wishes to be a role model to the younger contingency in the Tottenham first-team squad. Unless he stops being such a hot head who cannot control his emotions, appoining a new captain might just be a necessary move to help the team as a whole.

However, the other options in Frank’s leadership group are far from perfect. James Maddison is injured, Guglielmo Vicario has no leadership qualities at all and Ben Davies rarely plays. There is Micky van de Ven as well, but the 24-year-old has had some borderline head loss moments when he has worn the captain’s armband this season.

Romero has to sort himself out and a decision to replace him should be considered at this point, but Frank would have a tough time finding anyone worthy of leading the team going forwards.

A winger who Tottenham Hotspur missed out on in the summer transfer window could be in the shop window in January.

Spurs had several high-profile misses in the summer, and the ones that the fans will remember most are their failed pursuits of Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White.

However, Tottenham also tried until transfer deadline day to sign Savinho, but Man City refused to budge.

It was reported that Thomas Frank was extremely keen on adding the Brazilian winger to his squad, and he may get a chance to do that in January.

Man City are willing to sell Savinho to Tottenham in January

Over recent weeks, some sources have indicated that Spurs could try again for Savinho during the January window.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has now claimed that Pep Guardiola’s men are likely to be more receptive to offers coming in for the former Girona man next month than they were in the summer.

O’Rourke told Football Insider: “I wouldn’t be surprised to see Savinho leave City in January. He has been relegated to more of a backup role because Cherki has come in and hit the ground running, and Doku and Foden have both stepped up.

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“Savinho is a top player, but at the moment, he’s not improving or making himself a regular there. Guardiola doesn’t see him as a starter ahead of those other players I named, so there’s every chance that if they get an offer, they could let him go.

“We know City like to have that depth in their squad, but say someone comes in with a huge offer for him, I think they would let him go. Tottenham were obviously interested during the summer and nothing came of it, but that interest is still going to be there from them and other clubs too.”

Will Spurs reconsider their interest in Savinho?

It was well documented in the summer that Frank was the man driving Tottenham’s interest in Savinho.

However, the Danish coach’s long-term future is not guaranteed at Spurs at the moment, with the Lilywhites thought to be looking for potential replacements.

Additionally, Savinho has struggled to make an impact whenever he has come on for City this term. One thus suspects that the Tottenham recruitment department may prefer other alternatives to the 21-year-old.