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Tottenham Hotspur host Leeds United on Monday night as they look to move one step closer to securing their Premier League status for another season

Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes Conor Gallagher and Joao Palhinha will be key to keeping Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. Spurs are in a strong position to secure their top-flight status amid a disastrous campaign.

Roberto de Zerbi's side have secured back-to-back wins in the league with a 1-0 win at already relegated Wolves followed by a 2-1 victory at Aston Villa last weekend. Tottenham now sit 17th in the Premier League and are a point clear of the bottom three with just three games left to play.

West Ham United occupy the final relegation spot and host league leaders Arsenal on Sunday afternoon (4:30pm).

Defeat for the Hammers in that fixture would give Spurs the chance to move four points clear of the drop zone if they secure all three points at home to Leeds United on Monday (8pm).

And Wright has had his say on Tottenham's performance at Villa Park while being asked about the season's biggest disappointment on the Overlap's Stick to Football show.

The 62-year-old has picked Spurs, but believes the performances of Gallagher and Palhinha will ensure they stay up.

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He said: "Gallagher and Palhinha were unbelievable. Watching them, unbelievable it was.

"There's no way they're going down with those two."

Spurs midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur believes a change in energy sparked by De Zerbi has been the catalyst for their revival in recent weeks.

The 28-year-old said: "I think the energy [changed]. When Roberto came in, he tried to change the energy, the mentality, to feel again these positive things.

"He works a lot on this and I think we change, the players change, we understand also the situation.

"And, you know, now after you're back to winning games, the energy changed a lot and we feel really good.

"Yeah, the fans, here in the training centre and now after two wins we feel really good and we want to continue on this roll."

Spurs play Chelsea and Everton in their final two games after Monday's fixture against Leeds, with West Ham playing Newcastle and Leeds in their last two matches after facing Arsenal.

The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder has been speaking about his team-mate and working with new head coach Roberto De Zerbi

Rodrigo Bentancur has no other word for Pedro Porro than "machine" as the Tottenham right-back prepares to make his 150th appearance for the club in Monday night's clash with Leeds.

While Spurs ' constant injury problems over recent years have claimed many of their star players, Porro has mostly avoided such woes, missing just seven games through injury in three-and-a-half years since arriving from Sporting Lisbon. That means the 26-year-old Spaniard will hit the 150 game mark as Daniel Farke's side come to town while others who arrived before him have yet to.

Bentancur will reach 145 matches for Tottenham on Monday evening and, having arrived a year before Porro, recognises how much of an ability availability is.

"Pedro is a machine. 150 games is incredible and also a young player, you know, but I have a really good relationship with him. My family, with his family, we have barbecues at home on the children's birthdays. He is a really good person and this is the most important thing for me," said the Uruguayan.

"When I arrived here, he arrived after and we speak the same language, it felt really good. He is a top professional. He works very, very well every day here [at the training ground], at home, so he deserves this moment and he needs to enjoy it because he is still a young player and has a top future."

Porro wears his emotions on his face whether he's flying into a challenge or furious at a defeat. Bentancur loves that about his team-mate and believes it's exactly what struggling Spurs need to get out of their current plight.

"He is passionate, you know. You can see the images from the last game [against Aston Villa]. Every tackle, every ball he wins, like [Joao] Palhinha, so we need this. In this moment, we need personality, attitude, so when he shows this for us, it's really, really important," he said.

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Bentancur reassured Spurs fans that he is not injured after needing treatment a couple of times before coming off in the 2-1 win at Villa Park on Sunday, saying he was a just "a little bit tired" and did not want to take any risks after returning recently from a serious hamstring injury.

The 28-year-old midfielder is enjoying life under Roberto De Zerbi and believes the Italian head coach has quickly changed the mood inside the camp and got the 17th-placed club moving towards his brand of football.

"When Roberto came in, he tried to change the energy, the mentality, to feel again the positive things and he worked a lot on this. And I think we changed, the players changed, we understand the situation and after you're back to winning games, the energy changed a lot and we feel really good," said Bentancur.

"We changed a lot in the last week with Roberto, the characteristics, the players, you know he adapts. You can see also in the games, we changed a lot. Roberto tries to work in a positive way, in the mentality, positive aspect. He said 'you guys [used to] play really well, now we need to start to play again'.

"So we worked on this. He works really well in the tactical aspect and then with the ball, he is amazing, and we try to do it. What we work in the week, we try to do the same in the game and the last game against Villa, we showed how we want to play. We want to continue."

Despite De Zerbi saying he is not putting too much change on his players, Bentancur believes they are playing in a different way under the new head coach.

"We enjoy it with the ball and the tactical aspect without the ball. We start now and now we work really well. You can see the last game against Villa, we pressed in high positions, we want to win the ball fast and then with the ball, Roberto wants to play calm," explained the midfielder.

"When we can go fast, we go fast. Otherwise, we play, enjoy, we move, so I think the team felt really good."

He added: "He is a passionate boss. If he needs to push, he pushes, but otherwise, he said 'with the ball please guys, play, enjoy' and we need to work and we need to win on Monday.

"When I came back against Brighton, the fans showed me a lot of love and the atmosphere was really, really good. Amazing. We need to work really hard and we need to win these three finals."

The Tottenham Hotspur attacker is looking to catch the eye of the new head coach but is he ready yet to make an impact for the first team?

Mason Melia has already got Tottenham fans calling for him to get a chance in the first team so football.london went to watch the talented teenager to see just how close he is to getting that call from Roberto De Zerbi.

The young striker walked through the doors of Hotspur Way in January, almost a year after Spurs had agreed a deal to bring him in once he turned 18 from St Patrick's Athletic, with the transfer worth an initial £1.6million - a record amount for the League of Ireland - with the potential for future add-ons to double that figure.

Tottenham worked hard to see off numerous top Premier League and European clubs to sign Melia, one of the brightest young talents in Irish football, and the north London club duly handed him a long-term contract until 2031.

Melia's early months at Spurs did not bring much fortune as the Irishman arrived with a back injury that needed to heal and then he picked up a chest infection, delaying his debut for the club's U21s until last month.

The Republic of Ireland U21 international, who had 98 senior games with St Pat's to his name, with 25 goal and eight assists despite his age, has been settling into Wayne Burnett's development squad at Tottenham while also joining in occasionally with De Zerbi's first team training sessions.

football.london went to watch Spurs' 3-1 Premier League 2 play-off semi-final defeat to Brighton on Friday night with Melia scoring his first goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Here's a look at the teenager's key touches on the pitch followed by our verdict on just how close he is to getting into De Zerbi's thinking.

First half

Melia began the game by playing up front as a number nine ahead of an advanced Reiss Russell-Denny. On-loan Hearts striker James Wilson found himself once again moved out to play on the right wing.

Melia started the match brightly, pressing high up the pitch but just seven minutes in and it looked like his night might be over as he took a big hit from a Brighton sliding challenge. Burnett sent substitute striker Ellie Lehane out to warm-up but after some treatment and a bit of hobbling on a sore foot, Melia was robust enough to be able to continue.

Touches were few and far between for the Irishman as Spurs struggled to get the ball to him and he quickly became isolated. On 13 minutes he was beaten in a foot race by Noel Atom to a ball down the flank and five minutes later, he came deep to pick up a ball in midfield but took far too long to put Wilson away down the right and a potential break was lost.

The frustration of not being able to impress led him, on 20 minutes, to try to take the ball into a cluster of defenders outside the Brighton box but it was too much and he was dispossessed.

The teenager then faded out of the game for 22 minutes as Brighton upped their efforts and pinned Tottenham back until a little burst of activity before the break. First in the 42nd minute, Melia executed a good touch and turn but lost the ball with the next touch and gave away a foul.

He then tried to tee up Russell-Denny for an effort just inside the visitors' box but couldn't get the ball to him before Melia headed over the crossbar from captain James Rowswell's cross. In added time, he again showed some nice skill on the ball to turn his man in the centre of the pitch and get the ball out to Wilson on the flank.

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Second half

Melia's first real action of the second period was a good defensive header in his own box from a Brighton free-kick six minutes in.

Then he suddenly came alive in the 56th minute as he looked to drag Spurs back into the game at 2-0 down. He reacted quickly to a loose ball in the Seagulls' box, got there just before the visiting player and was sent tumbling.

The penalty was awarded to Tottenham and Melia took it himself, powering a pinpoint effort into the top right corner of the net, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance.

The 18-year-old was in full flow at this point and just two minutes he nodded a ball forward on the run into the Brighton area and was sent to the floor again but the referee waved this one away.

The problem for Melia again in this half was a lack of service, but he did make an excellent sliding block in his own box on 67 minutes to stop a dangerous Brighton cross. Three minutes later, he caught the eye again in the other half with a lovely touch and turn before sending the ball wide to Spurs left-back Calum Logan.

Two minutes into added time at the end of the game, Melia had a great opportunity to double his tally for the night. However, he took a loose touch in the box when a better one would have put him in to score from a low ball into the area. That gave the defender the chance to whip the ball away and the youngster had to be content with just the one goal on the night.

Verdict

So is Melia ready for first team minutes under De Zerbi on the evidence of this performance? The answer is probably not quite yet, but if he continues on his current trajectory and works hard he should get there.

For context, the lack of service to him on the night has to be taken into account, although he could have come deeper himself at times to prevent getting so isolated. The skilful Irishman looked better in those few moments when he did work back to collect the ball than when asked to play as an old fashioned number nine leading the line.

He's not yet got the physical stature of someone like Will Lankshear, who is three years older and was as much of an out-and-out number nine as you could find at Premier League 2 level as he lifted the best player award in the 2023/24 season as its top goalscorer. Lankshear has improved his hold-up play hugely since those days when he was mostly a finisher.

It's also worth noting that Melia was up against a 29-year-old in centre-back Ben Barclay, who plays for Brighton's academy as an overage player and mentor, and 21-year-old Atom, who been named in a Brighton Premier League matchday squad before. Melia gave them some problems but not enough on the night.

Melia's finish for his penalty was top drawer though and there's no doubt that as a finisher he would have profited from more service. Luca Williams-Barnett has missed recent months with a back issue and you can't help but wonder how the gifted 17-year-old and Melia would work as a duo at the top end of the pitch.

Woking boss and former Spurs forward Jermain Defoe was in attendance at the match on Friday night and he would have been watching Melia closely as a member of the striker fraternity.

It's still very early days for Melia and despite his experience in the Irish game, he's still very raw - as he should be at this age - and he's got plenty to learn with his all-round game and how to grab matches by the scruff of the neck rather than let them pass him by. His fellow Irishman Troy Parrott was able to do that at U21s level after being set the challenge by Jose Mourinho of showing the right attitude when stepping back down from the first team training and it's served him well to this day with his all-action style.

Melia certainly has the natural quality that Parrott had and has. It was there on Friday night in little touches, turns and in his anticipation. It just needs to be married now as he matures with a reading of the game, knowing the right spaces to drive into and when to drop deep as a creator. He's got the ability on the ball to do that.

So the Republic of Ireland U21 international needs more time. His finishing means that if he got a chance for the first team in the final weeks of the season and the ball found him in the box he might well put it away, but Premier League football with its brutal pace and physicality is so much more than that and De Zerbi's football has tactical layers galore to learn until they become instinct.

A big summer awaits for Melia and if he impresses when he returns in July for pre-season then De Zerbi could well take him on the club's tour to New Zealand and Australia, a vital time for young players to impress the coach and his staff and learn what is required. Melia has the natural ability, now it is all about building an all-round game to service it in the best way.

We asked our Tottenham reporters Alasdair Gold and Ryan Taylor to name the team they would select to face Leeds on Monday night

Tottenham must keep their momentum going under Roberto De Zerbi as they welcome Leeds for their penultimate home game of the Premier League season.

Spurs are currently out of the relegation zone by a point over West Ham, who welcome title-chasing Arsenal on Sunday afternoon. Regardless of what happens at the London Stadium, Tottenham must get back to winning ways in their own backyard on Monday night as they have not won in N17 since early December.

Things have been looking up though under De Zerbi and after the team's first back-to-back Premier League victories since the beginning of the campaign, they will approach the game against in-form Leeds with more confidence.

We asked our Tottenham reporters Alasdair Gold and Ryan Taylor to name the starting line-up they would select to face Daniel Fark's side on Monday night and here's what they came up with.

Alasdair Gold - Tottenham Hotspur correspondent

It's probably not going to come as a shock here but I wouldn't change a thing after the excellent performance at Aston Villa last weekend.

Every part of the team worked well as a unit, pressing high up the pitch and Tottenham should have scored more than the two goals they did on the day. The otherwise excellent defence will also be disappointed they conceded Emi Buendia's 96th minute goal because it was Villa's first shot on target and only ninth touch in the Spurs box all game.

Without a playmaker available to start, Tottenham need to use their width and Randal Kolo Muani and Mathys Tel will be crucial in getting the ball down the flanks and into the box with Richarlison requiring the kind of service that Tel provided for his goal at Villa Park.

James Maddison is edging closer to a return and this might just be the game when the England international gets a couple of minutes at the end of the encounter, his first minutes since that anterior cruciate ligament injury last summer.

Gold's team: Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Udogie; Palhinha, Bentancur; Kolo Muani, Gallagher, Tel; Richarlison.

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Ryan Taylor - Sports reporter

Hearts loanee James Wilson joined Tottenham on deadline day in the winter window, and a decision has now been made on his future

Tottenham are reportedly not set to go ahead with the permanent transfer of Hearts youngster James Wilson despite beating Arsenal to his services earlier this year. The Gunners had entered talks for the 19-year-old as was confirmed by Hearts boss Derek McInnes, but Wilson opted to join the Lilywhites instead.

An official statement from Hearts at the time read: "James Wilson has completed a loan move to Tottenham Hotspur until the end of the season. The terms of the loan move include an option to buy, for an undisclosed fee, on Spurs' part. Good luck at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, James!"

Spurs wrote: "We are delighted to announce the signing of James Wilson on loan from Heart of Midlothian for the remainder of the season, with an option to make the move permanent in the summer. Joining up with our Under-21s squad, the 18-year-old striker began his career at Hearts, progressing through their academy before making his professional debut in January, 2024, at the age of 16. To date, he has made 45 senior appearances for the Scottish Premiership side, scoring eight goals."

The deal included an undisclosed fee to make the move permanent, but Spurs will not be exercising it, according to Scottish outlet The Edinburgh News.

After being named in Spurs' matchday squad twice since arriving, Wilson failed to break into the first team and has instead been featuring for the Under‑21s.

He has made eight Premier League 2 appearances, scoring four goals and helping the side reach the semi‑finals of the play‑offs.

The forward, who made 41 appearances for Hearts last season and established himself as a regular starter with 11 goals and three assists, struggled for minutes this year - prompting his move to north London in search of more consistent game time but that hasn't materialised at senior level.

"I couldn’t guarantee him minutes, such is the way it's been," McInnes admitted before Wilson's move to north London.

"I told him and his agent that our preference was to stay, fight for his place, be part of something but his head was turned with the Tottenham thing.

"I don't think it's the right move for him. Ultimately, it's academy football and I think he's better than that. But it was something James wanted to do."

Arsenal appeared favourites to land his signature at the time before their rivals stole a march. Just months after arriving in the capital, Wilson is now set to return to his parent club in Scotland, where he has one year remaining on his current deal.

Progressing through the Hearts academy, Wilson signed his first professional contract in the summer of 2023 and made his senior debut during the 2023/24 campaign.

Tottenham U21s are taking on Brighton in the Premier League 2 play-off semi-final on Friday night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It is the first time Wayne Burnett's U21 side have played at the stadium since they won the play-off final in the 2023/24 season. This time Spurs, unbeaten in the stadium, take on a strong Brighton side with both looking to book their place in the final.

Tottenham have plenty of up and coming starlets with attacking duo Mason Melia and James Wilson, on loan from Hearts, up front and Tynan Thompson has had a big season on the wing. Defender James Rowswell captains the side fresh from signing a new long-term contract with the north London club.

Our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold is reporting on the game and you can find all of his updates from clash between the Lilywhites and the Seagulls at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium below.

Tottenham host Leeds in Premier League action on Monday evening as they seek to take another key step towards safety

Spurs have been handed a double boost after Daniel Farke ruled Leeds duo Noah Okafor and Gabriel Gudmundsson out of Monday evening's game in north London.

Tottenham are looking to make it three straight wins in the Premier League as they bid to take another step towards safety.

The Whites are unbeaten in six top-flight matches and have not lost in the league since March 3 when they went down 1-0 at home to Sunderland.

They mathematically secured safety one week ago with a 3-1 win over Burnley but are still keen to build on recent momentum.

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But they will have to do that without in-form attacker Okafor and their Swedish left-back.

Farke said: "Gabi will be out for this week. Will assess him on a daily basis. Another one is Noah, who picked up a calf strain. He will miss the next two games and we hope he will be available for final day.

"Noah picked it up after FA Cup game[against Chelsea] but in the Burnley game he pulled it."

Farke also revealed there is doubt over the availability of Pascal Struijk, adding: "Pascal did not train today with a hip [problem], he got a hit."

Bulgarian midfielder Ilia Gruev's campaign is already over following a serious knee injury.

Refreshingly, Tottenham have no fresh injury issues in welcome news for Roberto De Zerbi.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who is expected to return to Italy this summer, is not yet available following recent hernia surgery.

It means Antonin Kinsky will keep his place in going, though that was largely expected anyway due to the Czech's eye-catching form.

De Zerbi said on Thursday: “No, Vicario is not ready yet. I don't know what the plan will be, but he's suffering because he would like to help the team, to help his team-mates, but he's not available yet.”

Spurs now have just three matches left to play before the end of the season, including two at home. They have not won on home soil in the Premier League since December when they ran out 2-0 victors over Brentford.

They did however beat Atletico Madrid 3-2 in the Champions League knockout stages under Igor Tudor despite being eliminated on aggregate.

No team has claimed fewer Premier League points at home this season than the Europa League winners (11). Even basement boys Wolves have a better home record.

Luka Vuskovic has established himself as one of the most exciting young defenders in Europe while out on loan with Hamburg.

Eric Huwer has revealed that Hamburg would be more than happy to re-sign Luka Vuskovic. The Tottenham Hotspur defender has made an excellent impression on loan this season, helping the newly promoted German outfit stay in the Bundesliga.

Vuskovic, who the Lilywhites signed from Hajduk Split for just £12m in September 2023, has featured 26 times for the Rothosen this season, scoring five goals and keeping five clean sheets. Playing a key role in Merlin Polzin's side, he's helped Hamburg stay in the top-flight.

The Croatia international, who's recently recovered from a knee injury, has been recognised for his efforts, earning a place in the Bundesliga team of the season. football.london understands that the Lilywhites wish to reward Vuskovic with a bumper new contract.

Spurs are believed to be readying a deal as they look to fend off interest from Europe's biggest clubs and remind him that he will be a big part of their future. Despite this, Hamburg remains hopeful of keeping the 19-year-old, according to their board member in charge of finance and organisation.

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In an interview with German outlet Welt at the OMR digital trade fair, Huwer said: "If it were up to Luka, I think he would still like to experience the Hamburg atmosphere, the passion, and his development.

"But we're at best in the passenger seat. If the door opens even a crack, we'll be there. We always dream. But market realities are, of course, quite different. I think we can be very happy that we were able to accompany Luka with us for this one year."

Since joining Hamburg, Vuskovic has established himself as one of the most promising young players in Europe, earning praise from legends of the game, like Lothar Matthaus, Vincent Kompany, and Luka Modric.

Last month, Vuskovic, whose contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium doesn't expire until June 2030, provided an update on his future in an interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

On one day playing with his brother, Mario, who was given a four-year ban from football in November 2022 for a doping offence, the Lilywhites loanee said: "In football, you never know.

"It could happen next year, or in ten years. I don't want to promise anyone anything. But it's my biggest dream to be on the pitch with him here in Hamburg, or later in Split. After this season, I'll be a Tottenham player again. I have a contract there until 2030."

On why he decided to join Hamburg on loan in the first place, Vuskovic said: "The people here at the club have always stood behind my brother; they did everything they could. Everyone here, the fans, the coaches, the players, showed him so much love and respect.

"That's why I'm here. I wanted to give something back to this club and help them. Coming here was the easiest decision I've ever made. What happened to Mario has nothing to do with HSV."

Vuskovic has been wearing the 44 while on loan at Hamburg – Mario's number. He said: "I wanted his name to stay, even though he can't be here right now. But he'll be back on the pitch soon."

The Croatian added: "Mario will come back stronger than he left. For three and a half years, he's been training every day for about four or five hours. I don't know anyone with his kind of willpower.

"Mario trains every day as if he has a game against Real Madrid the next day. I think what unfortunately happened to him will help him in a way.

"Physically, he'll be more than ready when his suspension is over. And he's had the opportunity to work on his mental strength. I think not much will be able to stop him when he's back on the pitch."

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed that one of their longest-serving staff will be departing the north London club this summer

Tottenham Hotspur CEO Vinai Venkatesham has praised the work of Andy Rogers after the club confirmed he will leave his role as managing director of the women's team this summer.

Rogers has worked for the north London club for 24 years in a range of roles, but will now be leaving to spend more time with his family. He took on the women’s team in February 2023 and helped lay the foundations for moments such as Spurs ' first ever Women’s FA Cup final appearance and record Women's Super League finish. The team are now flourishing under new head coach Martin Ho.

"Andy has made a significant contribution to the growth and development of our women’s team over the past three-and-a-half years," said Venkatesham. "His leadership, professionalism, and tireless commitment to the Club has helped shape strong foundations for our Women’s players and staff, both on and off the pitch.

"We have been building on these foundations with a renewed, more ambitious vision for Spurs Women set at the start of this season, and this work will continue to accelerate as we look forward.

"We are incredibly grateful for all on Andy's work during his time here. He leaves with our very best wishes for the future and will always be part of the Spurs family."

Rogers was previously head of global coaching for the club and was instrumental in overseeing development programmes for young players and coach education programmes both at home and abroad, developing a pathway from grassroots to elite football.

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"My time as managing director of the women’s team has been by far the most rewarding and inspiring – personally and professionally – of all my 24 years at this fantastic club. I have loved working with an incredible group of staff and players, both past and present, who have been my life for the past three-and-a-half years," he said.

"I am so proud of the incredible staffing group that we’ve constructed. The growth and progress we have shown is down to them and I sincerely believe we have created the foundations for them to continue to learn, develop and carry the ambition of the Club as high as I know it can reach.

"I want to especially thank Vinai and the Board for their support, vision, and backing, which has been a fundamental driver of this season’s clear progress. And to Martin Ho – although we have only worked together for a short time, the impact he has made across every area of the club through his passion, obsession and unwavering desire to win, has created an incredible environment for long-term success.

"Our aim was always to create the most successful Women’s football organisation, both on and off the pitch, through innovation, inspirational leadership, hard work and relentless ambition. I believe our staff and players demonstrate all of these values.

"I have immense pride in the work that has been carried out through both the good and challenging times. The support they have all provided to me is something I will never forget and I wish the club every success for the future."

Tottenham appointed Carlos Raphael 'Rafi' Moersen as director of football operations this year and the former City Football Group man will take on elements of the women's team as part of his wide remit. However, Moerson will not be Rogers' replacement with a replacement for most of his duties expected to be hired.

The former Tottenham and Liverpool midfielder believes one player holds the key to his old club remaining in the Premier League

Danny Murphy believes Roberto De Zerbi must risk playing James Maddison even at "60 or 70% fit" because he is Tottenham's hope of staying up.

Maddison has been back in full training for a while now following his long route back from his anterior cruciate ligament injury last summer and it is now nine months since that moment in pre-season in Seoul and the subsequent operation. Spurs have been understandably taking it cautiously with the midfielder, who had just come back from a medial ligament injury when his ACL went, and while he has been on the bench for the past three games under De Zerbi, he was never going to play a part.

football.london asked De Zerbi on Thursday if Maddison could play a part against Leeds on Monday night and get a few minutes at the end.

"I'm thinking about James Madison because I'm watching a top, top player. Maybe he's not ready yet to play, but as a physical condition, not for the rhythm, for the intensity of the game. We are playing in the Premier League, the most difficult league in terms of intensity and rhythm," said the Italian.

"But as a player, it's great, as a coach, watching one player like this. Especially for me, because I was number 10. And I'm sensitive in number 10 players like Xavi Simons, Maddison, Kulusevski, Kudus. We have a lot of number 10s, but I want to see."

Former Spurs and Fulham midfielder Murphy believes it's crucial that Maddison plays now with the north London club fighting for their Premier League status and sitting just one point above the drop zone with three games to go.

"At the moment with Tottenham, it doesn’t feel as though they have got someone who's got that ability, and it's not when you haven't got the ball, because they're working hard enough. I think it's more when you've got the ball, being brave and having the ability to play free and try and make passes and play through balls and get on it when it's pressurised and the fans are whinging. Who's that person?

"I've seen him on the bench the last few games, and Maddison is the one. Maddison is the one who could save them because he is a super talent who plays free. He can be the one that fires the ammunition to the strikers, whoever it is, whether they play Kolo Muani up there, or Richarlison. The problem is whether he is fit enough. Like, if he's on the bench, he's got to be close, and it might be a case that now Xavi Simons is injured, whether he's 60, 70% fit, I'd be risking Madison, because he's their hope," Murphy told Betarades.gr.

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Murphy believes that lack of creativity is where Spurs fall short compared to their rivals down the bottom of the table.

"Some of Conor Gallagher's best traits are his athleticism, tenacity, and fight. Sarr is another midfielder, along with Palhinha. If you played against those three, they're going to work, they're going to fight, they're going to run, they're going to scrap. The problem they've got at the minute is creativity," said the BBC pundit.

"There's no Maddison, Kulusevski, Simons, Solanke, and the forward boys are looking low on confidence. Kolo Muani, who I like generally, is struggling while Odobert's injured. Tel isn't really hitting the heights they thought he would. There's not one who you can really pin and go, he's the man.

"At West Ham, you've got Bowen, and you know he's going to keep going and keep making chances. Summerville, you could throw into that. Forest, you've got Morgan Gibbs-White, and he's the man who makes stuff happen."