Here are our Tottenham talking points following their frustrating draw against Sunderland in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon
Somewhere in the multiverse there is a timeline where Tottenham make decisions that do not immediately blow up in their faces. This is not that timeline.
One of the biggest question marks about Brennan Johnson's £35million sale to Crystal Palace was the timing of it. Not least because it was pushing out a goalscorer from a team struggling for goals. It is now approaching 10 hours since Tottenham last scored a goal from open play.
But the transfer also came at a time when Spurs are light on attacking options and Thomas Frank was naming two goalkeepers on the bench because he felt there was no real alternative.
Sunday's game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ensured that timing became even more bewildering when Mohammed Kudus, who has scored fewer goals this season than Johnson from double the minutes, departed the action just 15 minutes in, holding the top of his left leg.
Rodrigo Bentancur immediately signalled to the coaching staff that the Ghanaian needed to come off. Frank turned and looked to his bench. The only option was striker Randal Kolo Muani. There was no natural winger on there.
There's an argument to be had that if Johnson had been played more regularly and Kudus not run into the ground in recent weeks then the former might have found the goal more often and the latter would have been fresher, both mentally and physically, and might not have suffered a muscle injury. There's also the argument that Frank still would have turned to Kolo Muani on Sunday afternoon.
But the key takeaway is that Palace moved quickly to tie up one of their main transfer targets and Tottenham took the offer simply because they want to be a better selling club. That's all well and good if you're selling at the right time and have a replacement ready to roll.
Bournemouth have held on to Antoine Semenyo while they set up for a future without him and he is currently expected to face Tottenham, one of the teams who pined for him, in midweek.
Frank's side could go into that game without both Semenyo's international team-mate Kudus and Johnson, who started for Palace in their 1-0 defeat at Newcastle.
When football.london asked the Spurs boss after the game about that decision to sell Johnson so early in the window, he backed the call.
"You know, decisions are made and decisions I'm backing in every aspect. There's always more bigger picture stuff to some of those decisions. Sometimes it can look like perfect timing. Sometimes it looks like not so perfect timing," he said.
"I think it's very important [to say] we took the decision before Mo got injured. We don't know how that looks like. So I think that's one thing. And sometimes when you take that decision, sometimes you can't delay them if you want to, for example."
When pressed further, he added: "Sometimes the decisions make more sense further down the line. And now there was an opportunity to sell a player, which the club hasn't been that good at in the past. And sometimes that window can be small, if you want to do that, for example.
"You can say that if we had Xavi and Mo today, then I think we have enough. But now we, for this game, didn't have them. Mo only for, what, 10 minutes? So there's just some games where you're very light, and that happens for teams."
However, when football.london had asked Frank earlier about having a lack of attacking like-for-like options to bring off the bench, he admitted being envious of what other teams had to call upon.
"I think it was that we lacked a little extra freshness. I looked at some teams last night. They just put three players on like-for-like, and then they run away with the win," he said. "A club we can't speak about, but that's probably also a little bit in it.
"So let me put it that way. That would have helped us. It's not the same that we couldn't have scored a 2-0 goal for the first 17 minutes."
Frank reiterated that Tottenham will be active in the market but only for the right players for the long-term.
"We are out there. We are really, how can you say, alert," explained the 52-year-old. "The club really want to see what we can do to strengthen the squad and the team. I say many times it's a difficult window. And we still need the short-term solution to be the long-term solution as well."
Who that will be remains to be seen as they look to replace Johnson's 29 goal involvements since the start of last season.
There are some big young talents out there but Tottenham would need to spend big money to even tempt their clubs to consider selling them mid-season.
The main problem for Spurs is that those stars in the making are being followed by most of the big clubs across the Premier League and Europe, and 13th-placed Tottenham are not exactly the most attractive one to be winking at them from across the room.
Savinho was a big summer target for Frank and Spurs but they could not prise him away from City and now just when the Semenyo's arrival might unlock the door, the Brazilian has an injury that 'does not look good' according to Pep Guardiola.
Also injured is his City team-mate Oscar Bobb with a hamstring problem. The 22-year-old Norwegian has been linked with Spurs but does not have the output of other younger wingers.
One of those is Yan Diomande, currently at the Africa Cup of Nations with the Ivory Coast, who turned 19 less than two months ago but has 11 goal involvements in 16 matches in his first season for RB Leipzig.
The teenager played two matches with Xavi Simons at the start of this campaign after a couple of weeks of pre-season together, but it would take a remarkable move to reunite the duo at this point with Diomande wanted by the world's biggest clubs.
Spurs have held a long-time interest in Monaco's Maghnes Akliouche and had to watch the 23-year-old, who mainly plays on the right, rip them apart in the Champions League earlier this season.
Tottenham are among the long line of clubs interested in Juventus' Kenan Yildiz but Italian media believe the 20-year-old is set to sign a new contract in Turin.
Spurs have also identified Santos left-back Souza as a prospect for the now and future but the 19-year-old club have reportedly scoffed at an £8million bid for the Brazilian.
With the Lewis family expected to back the club in the transfer market, the club need to go hard or go home on the players they want.
Italian media have reported that Tottenham have asked Fabio Paratici - even though he is contracted to the club - to stay for a few more days before departing for Fiorentina. Hopefully that is to tie up a big deal that will help Spurs because currently they seem more focused on outgoing moves.
Johnson has departed to Palace. Kota Takai has left for Borussia Monchengladbach on loan, while Manor Solomon and Jamie Donley have left for Fiorentina - yes we know - and Oxford respectively, both with options for those clubs to sign them permanently.
Alfie Dorrington and Damola Ajayi have been recalled from their loans at Aberdeen and Doncaster Rovers with the former attracting interest from Championship and League One clubs and the latter from League One and Two sides.
Spurs need incomings though and big ones for they have fallen down a crevice in the Premier League.
Ruben Amorim is the subject of plenty of focus in the national media for picking up just 58 points since arriving at Manchester United in November 2024 from 15 wins.
That's the fourth worst tally among those clubs not relegated from the top flight. Yet look below United on that list and Spurs sit third worst with 46 points from 12 wins. Only West Ham and Wolves are more dreadful with a win fewer each.
This is a Tottenham team that needs major work and it cannot wait for the likes of Dejan Kulusevski or James Maddison to return from their long-term injuries to provide the creativity.
For too long Spurs have become reliant on one or two players rather than having threats from everywhere and it only makes such absences more painful. Tottenham are trying to build a club that does not rely on any single person off the pitch and they need to do the same on it.
Ironically they initially looked bright doing exactly that on Sunday after Kudus' early departure.
The 25-year-old is a big talent but is in a rut right now with his performances, running into the opposition with his head down and struggling to make the most of his abilities. The problem is Spurs give him the ball as much as they possibly can, regardless of whether it's suitable to do so.
It's not to say Spurs are a better team without him, but when Kudus went off the pitch, they at least started to pass the ball around the turf rather than focus all their efforts down the right.
Wilson Odobert became more effective centrally and Mathys Tel's energy down the left was infectious.
"I'm very happy with Mathys stepping in and looking very positive. That was a big positive, I would say," said Frank.
Tel's urgency caused constant problems for Sunderland down his flank until he finally started to tire in the second half thanks to his bewilderingly small amount of game time this season - 517 minutes to be exact. Even Johnson had almost double that and was mostly out of favour.
Tel had an early shot saved, curled a good effort just past the right-hand post and sent in the corner that led to Ben Davies becoming the unlikeliest first Spurs goalscorer of 2026.
The young Frenchman also clipped a perfect ball over the top into the path of Richarlison who just had to pass it across to the free Kolo Muani but took too long. That may well have been the sliding doors moment that decided the game.
The first half was a positive one for Tottenham and a good response after Thursday night's dour draw at Brentford. The crowd enjoyed the team's efforts and applauded them off even if they did not test Sunderland keeper Robin Roefs as much as their dominance demanded with too many shots wide.
Overall though it was a first half that the Spurs fans making up the bulk of the 60,877-strong crowd wanted to continue. That's not been the case much at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the past year.
Another positive was Davies. The left-back has been at the club for 11-and-a-half years and has given everything for Tottenham without a hint of a strop during the low points the club has endured, or when team-mates and friends have left or his lack of game time even though he yearns for more.
The 32-year-old's name drew a big cheer from the crowd before kick-off and from the opening minutes he did not look like a player who hasn't started a match since the end of last season, when he was having to play at centre-back for Ange Postecoglou's Premier League B team.
Davies was on hand to prod home Micky van de Ven's shot in the box after Cristian Romero chested down and passed Tel's corner to the Dutchman.
The Spurs fans repurposed Johnson's chant, singing 'Davies again, Davies again, ole ole ole' and then began bellowing out "Ben Davies, he scores when he wants" after the Wales international's first goal in just over two years.
"It was really nice. Those are the things in football you miss when you're not playing," said the left-back. "To get out there, to score today, to hear the fans, I feel like I've got a good relationship with the fans here.
"I think we all have gone through good times and bad times together. Right now, I feel how hard it is at times, but we're building something, I hope, and we've really got to stick together. I feel definitely part of that."
The Welshman's defending was a highlight as well, with a couple of important interventions around a header at Roefs at the other end. He managed 88 minutes on his return and was one of Spurs' better players on the day, if not their best.
"It was nice that he scored the goal! I felt for this game that we needed a left-footer, so that was the biggest reason [for picking him]," said Frank.
"I think in the build-up play he had two fantastic passes going forward, also balls in behind and gave that calmness plus a bit of leadership and helping Mathys in front of him, and we’re playing five games in a short amount of time."
Davies worked well behind Tel and alongside Van de Ven. The Dutchman provided an unusual moment with a note passed to him from Kolo Muani which came from the coaching staff.
We've all seen players passed notes from the bench and then either throw them away or in some cases even eat them. They're often about the moment. This one was not.
Van de Ven read it and after speaking to Davies, put this particular note in his sock, only to whip it again on the next occasion when Sunderland got a corner. The 24-year-old studied what was written and started dishing out instructions to various players about what they were meant to do.
Presumably the note came from set piece coach Andreas Georgson and it did the trick as Tottenham dealt with the corner.
The main problems that led to the lost points came via two avenues in the second half. The first was that Frank did not have like-for-like substitutes and instead brought on Joao Palhinha and Lucas Bergvall for Archie Gray and Odobert.
That meant Tottenham lost their creative edge and began to retreat deeper and deeper on the pitch, with the Palhinha and Bentancur axis reinstated, albeit the Uruguayan had put in one of his best showings in a long time for much of the encounter. Spurs ended the encounter having less possession (48.8%) at home than their promoted visitors, which simply shouldn't be the case against a side that rarely finds itself in such a position.
Frank shook his head when asked whether it was too tight a game to bring on 17-year-old starlet Luca Williams-Barnett for his Premier League debut to help Spurs look forward rather than backwards.
"Yeah, I think it was not a game where we were just, boom, on top of it, and we just need that goal, and we were just controlling the game. So if that was the case, then it could have been a different decision," explained Frank.
"I think when we put Joao and Lucas on, there's been a lot of running, and it was a little bit back and forth. So Lucas played 10 many times, and been a very good creative player for us, so that was more or less like-for-like for Wilson.
"And then with Joao for Archie, it was a game where we, I think it's fair to say, maybe lacked the exact cutting edge. Maybe it would be good just to make sure we could win 1-0, which we unfortunately couldn't."
The other problem was the Tottenham captain's declining performance on the day.
Romero put in an excellent first half shift and drove the team's aggressive tackling from the back, stepping in to stop Sunderland's low quick passes and his fellow defenders watched him and followed suit. He also played a big part in Davies' goal.
In the second half though he began to get complacent and lose discipline. He started to wander and in one moment miskicked a ball horribly to hand Sunderland a chance.
For the visitor's equaliser on 80 minutes he was pulled out of position by Brian Brobbey, reacting too slowly to his first run out and then left a space behind him for the Dutchman to run into, receive a return pass and lash home his shot.
Romero then took it upon himself to play most of the final 10 minutes as a striker to little effect before the final whistle sounded.
Spurs extended their poor run to just two wins in 11 Premier League matches and football.london put it to Frank that it had been a first half with urgency and a second that saw the team punished for retreating back towards their own goal.
"I don't think that's too wrong. I'm pleased with the first half. I think we showed a lot of good intentions, a lot of good play. I think we came into some very good offensive situations where we lacked the cutting-edge quality. So that was positive," he said.
"And I think the big headline is we didn't score the 2-0 goal. We didn't kill the game off 2-0, then the game, we are out of sight. We gave nothing away throughout the game.
"We have one bit where they do a top bit of play, and then it's 1-1. So for me, it was the 2-0 goal we lacked at.
"I think first half was very good. I think we were totally dominant. Second half, not as dominant, but we still get into some very good situations, have some good counter-attack situations where we need to get more out of it. You can't rely on in the Premier League just to win 1-0."
Three things happened at the final whistle. First boos rang out around the stadium, more in frustration at more dropped points than particularly aimed anger at any individual.
Then Bentancur lost his head after a quarrel with Sunderland midfielder Lutsharel Geertruida. After a brief melee, Frank pulled the Uruguayan away but he kept turning and trying to restart proceedings with the Dutchman.
Kevin Danso stepped in as Bentancur continued to turn and look for trouble. The Austria international spoke calmly for a long time to the midfielder to prevent him from doing something daft but the 28-year-old just stood there waiting at the edge of the pitch for the Sunderland man who had irked him so. Eventually Romero came over and dragged him away and down the tunnel.
He was asked about the general boos from the stadium at the full time whistle.
"I liked the backing of the fans for the team throughout the 90 minutes. I think that was excellent and pushed us forward in many ways," said the Spurs boss.
"I am sure everyone could acknowledge especially the first half was positive and a step in the right direction, getting in good areas, doing the right things and I am sure 100 per cent everyone could acknowledge the effort and hard work of the players.
"That is all you can ask for and then we’re all a little disappointed that we couldn’t get the three points."
A "little disappointed" was hopefully an understatement for Spurs need to be better. Matters will not get easier at Bournemouth in midweek for what could be Semenyo's sign off against a team he was never feasibly going to consider joining at this point in their journey.
Something needs to kick start Tottenham into life. Whether it is the hopefully imminent return of Dominic Solanke, an available Xavi Simons or the arrival of new faces that improve the team. It's not too late, for somehow in this timeline of the multiverse Spurs still only sit five points off fifth- placed United.
The final words fall to the veteran goalscorer on the day. Davies has seen it all during more than a decade at the club, from the highs of Amsterdam and Bilbao to the ever-worsening lows since Mauricio Pochettino's departure.
He made it clear what the most important thing is for this new project under Frank.
"Togetherness, more than anything. I think it's the same in most things in life," said the Welsh defender. "The moment you start to point fingers or just fall apart at the seams a little bit, it becomes tougher and it's hard to climb that mountain on your own.
"But as a group, I think we have a chance. We have to stick together as much as we can. We really want to stick together with the fans here. We're a group, we understand their frustrations, but that's represented in the team as well.
"We're frustrated. You want to be winning games like we should have done today when we played so well. But sometimes in football, you have these moments, you have these ups and downs.
"It's not for a lack of fight. We've got a group in there that's trying hard. We just need to fine-tune it a bit and get it right on the matchday."
Spurs need to get it right as a team and as a club. The coming weeks provide plenty of people within the organisation with the chance to do exactly that to save this season from plunging from mediocrity into something far worse and instead build the foundations of something far stronger.
