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The latest Manchester United team news, injury updates and predicted line-up ahead of their crucial game against Spurs.

Manchester United welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Old Trafford on Saturday, in a match which has taken on added significance due to the pressure which is mounting on both managers following poor starts to the Premier League season – but United’s chances of securing an important victory for Michael Carrick could be hampered by a number of injury concerns.

Patrick Dorgu and Nouassir Mazraoui both sustained injuries over the course of the extended international break, while several key players withdrew from their countries’ squads in advance due to fitness concerns, including Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Benjamin Šeško. In total, no fewer than 10 first-team players are known to be either out or doubts for this weekend’s game.

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While we await updates on the availability of their injured players, we’ve collected all of the latest Manchester United team news below alongside our prediction for Carrick’s likely starting line-up against Spurs.

Dorgu & Mazraoui among major Manchester United injury worries

The international break claimed two victims from Manchester United’s first-team squad, with the biggest worry being Dorgu, who pulled up with a hamstring injury around 30 minutes into Denmark’s win over Wales.

The 21-year-old wideman returned to Old Trafford for further tests, with the results of those assessments kept under wraps until the head coach’s press conference on Friday. It was confirmed that Dorgu faces a lay-off of several weeks, although an exact return date was not provided.

Full-back Mazraoui, meanwhile, had to be substituted during Morocco’s Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying win over Lesotho due to what appeared to be a back injury. Carrick said that he wouldn’t be ready for the Spurs match, but it doesn’t appear likely that he faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

One player who escaped injury after a scare was Bruno Fernandes, who missed Portugal’s first Nations League game against Norway due to a fitness issue. The midfielder remained with his squad, however, and played almost the full 90 minutes in their two remaining games. He is expected to be fully fit for the weekend.

Šeško, Rashford, Mainoo and more among doubts for Spurs match

A number of players withdrew from their respective national squads ahead of the international, including England pair Rashford and Mainoo. The former suffered a minor injury during the recent 1-1 draw with Fulham while the latter apparently pulled out of Thomas Tuchel’s squad due to load management concerns. Both are expected to be fit to play against Spurs, although that had not been confirmed by Carrick at the time of writing.

There is rather more concern over the status of Slovenian striker Šeško, who suffered a recurrence of the shin injury he sustained after colliding with the advertising hoardings during a game against Liverpool in the spring and withdrew from international duty as a result. On Friday, Carrick confirmed that the forward would miss Saturday’s match, with the target date for his comeback currently unknown.

Manchester United also have a potential headache in goal after back-up Karl Darlow pulled out of Wales duty with an undisclosed injury. With Tom Heaton sidelined by a hamstring problem, it is unclear who might be on the bench to back up Senne Lammens.

There is at least good news on the availability of both Amad Diallo and Matthijs de Ligt, neither of whom have yet featured this season due to respective ankle and back injuries. Diallo has returned to training, while De Ligt played in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Lausanne during the break. Both could be involved against Spurs, as could Carlos Baleba, who was on the bench against Fulham and is likely to make his debut against Spurs, as a starter or a substitute.

The only other player who will miss Saturday’s match is midfielder Manuel Ugarte, who suffered an ACL injury during the World Cup while playing for Uruguay. He is expected to miss most or perhaps all of the current campaign.

The latest Tottenham team news, injury list and predicted XI ahead of their Premier League clash against Man United

Tottenham Hotspur are back in Premier League action this weekend, when they take on Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday evening. This follows a three-week international break in which England won three or their four matches in impressive style, and Spurs will be eager to return to action and start pushing their way up the table.

Sitting rock bottom at present, it’s been a dismal start to the campaign for Roberto De Zerbi’s side, who have looked incapable in front of goal as their £300m+ glut of new signings have struggled to gel. That said, with just five games of the new season gone, there’s ample time for the side to adapt and put their woes behind them over the coming months.

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Heading into the weekend, Spurs have a number of injury concerns to deal with. Pedro Porro is set to miss the trip to Old Trafford with a hamstring injury picked up on international duty. Meanwhile, defender Micky van de Ven should recover from a finger injury in time to play, but his backline partner Jan Paul van Hecke could miss out with a foot problem.

There’s a chance that long-term absentee Dejan Kulusevski could finally return in some capacity, but the likes of Mykhaylo Mudryk (ankle), Wilson Odobert (ACL) and playmaker Xavi Simons (ACL) are all out for the foreseeable future. Ahead of Spurs’ clash against United, this is the most likely starting XI De Zerbi will field.

Will Van Hecke start against Man United?

Antoine Kinsky has had a tough start to the season between the sticks for Spurs, but with little in the way of competition for his starting spot, he’ll be in goal again this weekend. Porro’s likely absence means that Archie Gray looks set to come in at right-back - the ex-Leeds starlet’s versatility continues to be a blessing for Tottenham when gaps need to be filled.

On the left flank, it’s a toss up between Andy Robertson and Destiny Udogie. The former has played extensively during the international break, and while that may mean he’s unlikely to play the full ninety minutes, his match sharpness should give him the edge over his teammate who hasn’t played competitive game since 15th September.

While Van de Ven looks set to recover from his hand injury, Marcos Senesi looks set to be called in to action to replace the injured Van Hecke. Like Robertson who left Liverpool upon the expiry of his contract last summer, Senesi also joined on bargain free transfer once his deal at Bournemouth came to a close.

Tottenham predicted line-up vs Man United: midfield and attack

Presuming De Zerbi plays a 4-2-3-1 formation, then Uruguay international Rodrigo Bentancur will likely start in the heart of midfield. He’s set to be paired with £100m summer signing Sandro Tonali, who has so far struggled to justify the stunning price his new club paid Newcastle United for his services.

Given Spurs’ struggles in front of goal this season - they went the first four games of the season without netting once - they could well look to shake up their attacking options against United. Mohamed Kudus - who is officially the Premier League’s most successful dribbler in the 2026/27 campaign thus far - could come in to start off the right wing.

Savio, who’s been one of Tottenham’s better summer signings, looks set to start on the left. Down the middle, Omar Marmoush could be deployed in behind a central striker and, with few options available to De Zerbi in this position, Dominic Solanke looks set to lead the line. He hasn’t scored a Premier League goal since back in March, but did net in the league cup against Charlton Athletic in late August.

Spurs predicted XI vs Man United: Kinsky: Gray, Senesi, Van de Ven, Robertson; Bentancur, Tonali; Kudus, Marmoush, Savio; Solanke.

The latest Premier League transfer news involving the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal, Aston Villa and more

We’re counting down the days - and in all honesty, hours - until the 2026/27 Premier League season is back. Stadiums have lain empty, fantasy football teams have gathered dust, and Tottenham fans have had to stare at their side lying bottom of the table for the entirety of the extended three-week international break.

We were treated to five action-packed gameweeks to kick off the new campaign, with Manchester City surging ahead with maximum points from their opening fixtures. Getting those wins notched up might be especially important this season, given the club’s currently perilous situation.

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Today’s rumours round-up starts at Anfield, where Liverpool remain trapped in an existential crisis regarding what on earth will happen once club icon Virgil van Dijk leaves. The Reds stalwart has less than a year left on his current deal, meaning he could leave for nothing in the summer if an extension is not agreed.

According to Football Insider, Real Madrid have “set their sights” on signing the Netherlands international, after previously nabbing Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool in similar circumstances. It’s suggested the Reds aren’t looking to rush through a deal for Van Dijk, and will instead wait until closer to the end of the season before making their decision.

The 3AM Verdict: The 35-year-old has spent nine-and-a-half seasons at Anfield, and it does feel as though this may very well be his last season at the club. Given how much the player has given to the Anfield over this time, the Reds would do well to let him leave on his own terms this summer, rather than seeing him fizzle out as he edges towards his late 30s.

Matanovic sparks Premier League interest

Our second story of the day takes us to the Bundesliga, where SC Freiburg striker Igor Matanovic looks to be getting some real interest from a number of Premier League clubs. So say Caught Offside, whose story suggests that Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United are all making “regular checks” on the 6ft 5” powerhouse forward.

In the report, it’s noted that he’s got the German league season off to a flyer, netting six times in seven matches. This is said to have prompted Premier League scouts to flock to see the player in action. He’s been tipped as a potential Kai Havertz alternative for Arsenal, and the Croatia international’s asking price is said to have “shot up” to around £50m.

The 3AM Verdict: We’d be a little cautious when it comes to signing a Bundesliga striker with just one decent season behind him. We’ve seen the likes of Timo Werner and Christopher Nkunku come to the Premier League from Germany having scored tonnes of goals, only to completely flop in a significantly more competitive division. Given that Matanonvic is only 23, he’s got plenty of time to prove whether he truly is the real deal.

Tottenham and Villa battle for Bayern defender

We’ll stay in Germany for our final story, where Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-Jae looks to be acquiring some Premier League interest as his future in Bavaria remains uncertain. According to Team Talk, Bayern are “open to selling” the 29-year-old centre-back, with Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah very much the favoured defensive duo.

It’s suggested that both Spurs and Aston Villa are monitoring the South Korea international’s future closely, and that both made contact with his club over the summer while stopping short of making a bid. Interestingly, it’s claimed that the player rebuffed Villa’s interest, and also an offer from Nottingham Forest. A bid of £30m is likely to be enough to convince Bayern to sell.

The 3AM Verdict: Villa don’t appear to have been deterred in their pursuit of the defender despite him apparently turning them down. Given that Unai Emery’s side can offer Champions League football, it would be a surprise to see him go to Spurs in January unless the allure of living in London trumps the chance to continue playing at the highest level.

The latest Spurs injury news and expected return dates - including an update on Jan Paul van Hecke.

Tottenham Hotspur will have hoped to get through the extended international break without any fresh injury concerns as they seek to put an end to their early-season struggles – but their luck doesn’t seem to have turned just yet, with fresh fitness problems set to blight their preparations for their coming Premier League fixture against Manchester United.

Key defender Jan Paul van Hecke suffered an injury while away with the Netherlands and could end up being one of at least six first-team players who may miss the crucial game at Old Trafford, with Pedro Porro another big name who remains a doubt after withdrawing from Spain’s squad due to a hamstring problem.

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With the injuries steadily piling up again, we’ve collected all of the latest Spurs injury news below, along with the stricken players’ expected return dates when available.

How long will Van Hecke be out for?

Centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke has become the latest Spurs player to suffer a worrying injury, although there are still some doubts regarding the severity of the foot injury he seems to have sustained during the Netherlands’ Nations League game against Serbia.

Van Hecke played through pain to complete the 90 minutes in Belgrade, but puled out of the next training session just seven minutes in. The decision has since been taken to send him back to North London, ruling him out of his national teams’ two remaining matches.

No specifics have been made public, but the fact that he was in a position to attempt training appears to rule out some of the worst-case scenarios such as a serious break. Spurs will conduct their own tests upon Van Hecke’s return, and no return date has yet been established. The 26-year-old is, however, a significant doubt for the Manchester United match until declared otherwise.

Porro and Kulusevski among players pushing for Spurs return

Full-back Pedro Porro, meanwhile, withdrew from Spain’s Nations League squad after sustaining a hamstring injury in the opening stages of Tottenham’s 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa shortly before the break.

The 27-year-old has since travelled to Spain to see a specialist, and reports suggest that he is expected to miss around a month of football – that would rule him out of the trip to Old Trafford, and make him a doubt for the game against Coventry City which follows that match.

There is better news, at least, for those waiting for Dejan Kulusevski to return from his long absence. The Swede suffered a minor setback in training shortly before the international break but is believed to have shaken that off and was recently filmed playing basketball and moving well.

A return date has still not been set for Kulusevski, with head coach Roberto De Zerbi telling reporters that they were still taking his recovery “day by day.” After 17 months on the sidelines, however, his return does appear to be imminent.

Three more long-term injury victims won’t be available to face Manchester United: Summer signing Mykhaylo Mudryk (ankle) is expected to be sidelined until late October, young winger Wilson Odobert (ACL) is believed to be targeting a November/December comeback, and Xavi Simons (also ACL) is not expected to be available until well into the new year, with late February an optimistic target for the Dutchman.

The latest Premier League transfer news including updates on Arsenal, Everton, Tottenham and more

We’ve got under two weeks to go until the Premier League makes its welcome return. It seemed like things had only just got going in the 2026/27 campaign before the extended three-week international break started, and fans of sides from England’s top tier will be eager to see their clubs back in action once things get back to normal next month.

So far this season we’ve seen Manchester City storm their way to the top of the table with maximum points from their opening five matches - although certain revelations over the past few days may well have taken the wind out of their sails. It’s also been a strong start for Arsenal and Brighton, who lead the chasing pack in the early stages of the new season.

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Today’s rumours round-up begins at the Emirates Stadium, where Arsenal went into the international break in less than ideal circumstances - they were thrashed 3-0 away to Brighton. According to Italian outlet Tutto Mercato, the Gunners are on the hunt for a new centre-back, and have taken a shine to Como’s rising star Jacobo Ramon.

The report suggests that the Gunners have already “made a move” to sign the ex-Real Madrid prospect, although it’s highly likely that any such ‘move’ would be of an informal nature. It’s claimed that he’s high up on the north London club’s shortlist, and that is likely to be treated as a priority deal going forward.

The 3AM Verdict: The Spain U21 international is widely regarded as one of the most talented young defenders in world football, and has played an important role in Como’s flying start to the Serie A season. He’d be an excellent signing for the Gunners although, with so many centre-backs already on the books, it’s hard to see him getting much gametime once the likes of William Saliba and Piero Hincapie are fully fit.

Spurs chase rising Bundesliga talent

We’ll stay in north London for our second story, where Tottenham fans will be doing all in their power to avoid looking at the Premier League table. They’re currently rock bottom of the league despite a summer of lavish spending, and are in dire need of some attacking firepower after struggling for goals in their opening five league matches. If Team Talk are to be believed, they’ve now got a new striker on their radar.

Spurs are supposedly “big admirers” of Eintracht Frankfurt striker Younes Ebnoutalib, whose flying start to the Bundeliga season saw him earn his first senior caps under Germany boss Jurgen Klopp. He’s scored four goals in as many games for his club so far this season, including a stunning hat-trick against Union Berlin. Everton and Brighton are also credited with an interest in the rising star.

The 3AM Verdict: These days in football, if you’re a striker and haven’t ‘made it’ by the time you hit 20, you tend to get rather brutally written off. At the grand old age of 23, Ebnoutalib is now enjoying a real breakout campaign. Should he continue to bang the goals in between now and January, Spurs could bag themselves a great signing to challenge their current misfiring crop of forwards.

Everton ‘confident’ of landing £80m sales boost

We’ll finish things up at Everton, whose encouragingly solid start to the season saw them head into the international break unbeaten in all competitions after a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Bournemouth. A new report from Football Insider claims that while the Toffees aren’t looking to sell star defender Jarrad Branthwaite, they are “confident” that his sale will eventually net them a mega £80m fee.

The report goes on to suggest that this asking price could even rise, if the England international is able to continue his strong form and put his injury concerns behind him. In recent years, Manchester United and Chelsea have been heavily linked with the 24-year-old gem, along with Everton’s fierce local rivals Liverpool.

The 3AM Verdict: Everton will know that if Branthwaite keeps improving, they’ll have to cash-in eventually. They certainly won’t want that to benefit Liverpool, and there will likely be plenty of other interested parties waiting to snap him up. While he wouldn’t qualify as a ‘pure profit’ sale, that £80m or so would do wonders for the club’s financial situation. If he has a strong, injury-free season, we strongly expect he’ll be on his way next summer.

Spurs are reportedly keen to strike a transfer deal for a rising star of German football - but would he be enough to save their season?

Given that it took Tottenham Hotspur five games to score a single Premier League goal, it’s not surprising that they appear to have their scouts looking for options ahead of the January transfer window – if their early-season form persists, the need for attacking reinforcements could become quite dire by the time that they can finally add new faces.

New reports suggest that newly-minted Germany international Younes Ebnoutalib is among the players under consideration by Spurs as they prepare for the winter transfer window. But is the Eintracht Frankfurt forward capable of turning an ailing attack around, and how likely is it that Spurs will get a deal done in the coming months?

Spurs monitoring Younes Ebnoutalib – reports

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According to TEAMtalk, Tottenham are “keeping a close eye” on the 23-year-old Ebnoutalib’s progress, and could well make a transfer bid if they end up being as impressed as new Germany manager Jürgen Klopp appears to be.

Klopp handed the striker his first two caps over the opening weekend of the Nations League campaign against the Netherlands and Greece, and although he didn’t manage to get on the scoresheet he has still has a sufficiently impressive domestic scoring record to have attracted some admirers.

Alongside Spurs, both Brighton & Hove Albion and Everton are allegedly keeping tabs on his performances for Frankfurt, suggesting that there could be competition when the time comes to open the bidding.

It’s not clear whether that will be this January or not. Ebnoutalib – who represented Morocco at age group level before switching allegiance to Germany – only moved to Frankfurt from second-tier Elversberg last winter for a reported €10m (£8.6m) and is under contract until 2031. His current employers are unlikely to be in any hurry to cash in, and hold a lot of leverage if any negotiations do get underway.

In short, a side like Spurs would have to pay over the odds in order to get a deal done in the immediate future, and that’s only likely to be a consideration if he continues to score at an impressive rate of knots. That said, they have already demonstrated a willingness to pay extraordinary sums for young players whose profiles they appreciate, as they recently did with the signing of Sávio from Manchester City.

The odds are that Frankfurt resist any attempts to sign Ebnoutalib over the winter, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t be monitored as a potential long-term target – and if he continues his recent form, then they may well be persuaded to spend a lot of money.

Could Ebnoutalib be a difference-maker in the Premier League?

Ebnoutalib’s rise has been startlingly sudden. He was playing in obscurity a short while ago and only moved from non-league to 2.Bundesliga side Elversberg in the summer of 2025, impressing so much, so swiftly, that he found himself in the top flight a mere six months later.

The Frankfurt-born forward scored 12 goals in 17 games for Elversberg and has since scored six in his first 10 appearances for his hometown side, including a hat-trick against Union Berlin in a pulsating 3-3 draw on the opening day of the new Bundesliga season.

Klopp has been so impressed by the youngster’s sudden rise through the ranks that he was called up for Germany’s first two Nations League matches, with the new national team manager singling Ebnoutalib out for gushing praise at a press conference before their first game.

Quick, tall and both a superb dribbler and finisher, Ebnoutalib has not only been putting his chances away at a hugely impressive rate – his four league so far goals this season have come from just 2.85xG’s worth of chances – but is frequently creating them himself with his movement and ball-carrying skills.

To underline how dangerous Ebnoutalib has been with the ball at his feet, every single dribble he has attempted so far this season in the Bundesliga has succeeded. Defenders have been largely powerless to prevent him from getting into threatening positions, and it’s that skill as much as the quality of his shooting which has Premier League teams excited. Strikers who make their own chances are a rare breed.

Ebnoutalib is also physically imposing at 6’3” tall, although he is not actually especially effective in the air as yet, and nor is he a particular precise passer of the ball – his success or failure in the future will depend primarily on how well he continues to develop his goalscoring skills. He isn’t an all-rounder, but seems to be very good indeed at what he does best.

Given how badly Spurs need a natural goalscorer and how poor the service into their strikers has been so far this season, a striker who will be generate and take chances seems like the kind of player they need. He may not be obtainable this winter, but in the long run, it’s easy to see why they have become admirers. Ebnoutalib seems to have a bright future ahead of him.

A round-up of the latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea, Leeds and more.

It’s once again time to dive into a round-up of the biggest (and sometimes strangest) Premier League transfer rumours which you might have missed over the past 24 hours – and we kick off today with a story involving North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

According to TEAMtalk, the old enemies have both “stepped up their interest” in 20-year-old Bayer Leverkusen winger Ibrahim Maza, with both club allegedly “tracking” him ahead of a potential transfer bid.

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Both sides are said to have sent scouts to keep an eye on the Algeria international’s progress and are apparently “assessing” whether a deal could be done in the near future. Chelsea, Manchester City and Aston Villa are also mentioned as clubs with Maza on their radar, although it’s Arsenal and Spurs’ interest that is the focus of the report.

We’re clearly in the early stages of proceedings if indeed either side are interested, and there is no suggestion that any talks have taken place nor any hint as to how substantial the transfer fee might be. Maza has four years left on his contract, so any deal would likely be very pricy indeed.

The 3AM Verdict: Maza has been earmarked as a rising star for a couple of years now, so it’s scarcely a surprise that he’s on the radar of a few Premier League clubs. Whether that leads to a deal is too hard to predict at this point, however, and this is a speculative article which is fleshed out by very little detail. One to watch, but nobody should be holding their breath at this stage.

Chelsea ‘impressed’ by Leeds star – but could struggle to sign him

Over to a story from Football Insider now, which claims that Chelsea have shown interest in signing Leeds United captain Ethan Ampadu and have been “impressed” by the 26-year-old’s performances so far.

The Blues need reinforcements in midfield after the sale of Enzo Fernández and it’s speculated that Ampadu is among the options under consideration – but the report suggests that Leeds have no interest in selling the Wales international if they can help it.

Daniel Farke’s side “will not entertain offers,” it’s suggested, and are “reluctant” to let him leave Elland Road any time soon. Chelsea’s interest is, as such, described as “wishful thinking.” There is no suggestion that an approach has been made.

The 3AM Verdict: Ampadu signed an extended contract with Leeds in June, so we can’t see him leaving in the foreseeable future regardless of interest from elsewhere. Frankly, however, we’re not even sure that Chelsea are keen anyway – social media speculation seems to be the primary source for the article’s claims, and there are a number of other midfielders we believe to be higher up on their shortlist, not least Manu Koné and Alex Scott.

Spurs among clubs contacted over Barcelona deal

We’ll wrap up with a story from Caught Offside, who reckon that several Premier League sides – including Tottenham Hotspur – have been “contacted” by the intermediaries hoping to arrange a deal for Barcelona and Spain attacking midfielder Dani Olmo.

Although it’s said that the Catalan giants “value him highly,” it’s said that a deal could be “feasible” due to Barcelona’s economic position, which continues to be treacherous. It’s not clear whether the people supposedly driving the deal are acting on behalf of Olmo or his current club, however.

The other sides mentioned in the report are Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United, although it’s noted that no formal bids have been made. It’s also not entirely clear as to why Spurs get the top billing in this piece, as no evidence that their interest is more advanced is presented.

The 3AM Verdict: Given that Barcelona are almost always trying to sell someone to free up funds, we wouldn’t dismiss this report out of hand. It’s quite possible that Olmo is available in the near future, but that doesn’t mean that Spurs or any other Premier League side are specifically likely to strike a deal. A situation to keep an eye on going forward, perhaps.

A ranking of the 10 worst summer signings of the Premier League season so far - with Liverpool, Spurs & Aston Villa player off to poor starts.

With only five games’ worth of Premier League football in the books so far, it’s really too early to render any kind of judgement on how good the many new summer signings are going to be. But we’ve got three long weeks of international football to wade through, so it feels like a good time to check in on how the new faces are getting along anyway – good and bad.

We’ve already ranked our 10 favourite new faces of the 2026/27 season based on their early form, so now it’s time to cast a sceptical eye over the players who have struggled to settle in.

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Plenty of these players are talented enough to come good, and we have little doubt that several of them will look like much better buys by the time the campaign comes to a close – but for now, here are the 10 new signings who have found life in the Premier League the most difficult so far.

The Brazilian midfielder is a proven commodity who will almost certainly go down as a decent buy in the long run, but he endured the worst debut of any new signing this season. Gomes was sent off with just 40 minutes on the clock against Brighton, having already contributed to one of the Seagulls’ goals in a chastening 4-0 defeat. He did at least play well against Club Brugge in the Champions League, and probably won’t be as bad again as he was down on the Sussex coast.

The Canada international boasted a pretty impressive scoring record in Belgium and Brighton were desperate for a striker in the wake of Danny Welbeck’s departure, so it looked as though David had a great chance of making a good early impression at the Amex Stadium.

Instead, he’s played just 23 minutes of football and missed a golden opportunity for close range against Leeds United, his only shot on goal so far. David has spent the first part of the season rooted to the bench while Charalampos Kostoulas outshines him up front.

We’d probably feel a little better about the Brazilian winger if he hadn’t cost £70m despite the fact that he was coming off the back of a frankly dreadful season for Manchester City. As it is, his return of zero goals and zero assists from three Premier League games only deepens the concern about the value of the deal, although he did score one and create another from the bench against Charlton Athletic in the EFL Cup.

The versatile Ghanaian youngster, who can operate as either a midfielder or a right-back, has been pegged one of Africa’s brightest prospects for the past couple of years and Coventry seemed to have engineered something of a coup when they signed him.

He has struggled to settle in, however, and has been particularly disappointing off the ball, winning just 29% of his one-on-one ground duels, an awful number for a defensively-minded player. He’s only 20 years old and has plenty of talent, so we’re sure there’s more to come.

Given how important new signings are to newly-promoted sides, Coventry won’t be too thrilled to have multiple early-season flops on the books. Awoniyi was meant to offer a veteran presence up front and some sorely-needed goal threat, but has more red cards than goals in the Premier League so far despite getting 1.30xG’s worth of chances. The 29-year-old did, at least, bag one against Plymouth Argyle in the EFL Cup to get off the mark.

In many respects, Marmoush has played quite well since signing from Manchester City. His three successful dribbles at a 71% success rate makes him one of the best ball carriers in the league so far. His passing has been accurate. He’s working hard off the ball. He just isn’t scoring any goals, and that’s a pretty big problem. In the Egyptian’s defence, the service he’s received has been abysmal – he has just 0.38xG from four starts for Spurs. His slow start may not be his fault.

You expect an awful lot for £123m. As yet, Barcola hasn’t delivered any of it. The Frenchman has been a subdued presence so far, has offered virtually no goal threat and hasn’t been creating chances. Given his usual dynamism off the ball, the fact that he’s only beaten a defender 14% of the time with his dribbles is downright worrying. Barcola has been good enough in the past that one would imagine that his form will improve – but we thought the same of Florian Wirtz, too.

Maeda was consistently excellent for Celtic during his long spell in Scotland and Ipswich fans had every reason to be excited by the Japanese international’s arrival, but he’s failed to find any form at Portman Road thus far and has been justly dropped to the bench for the last couple of games. After missing a sitter against Sunderland on debut, Maeda has been poor on and off the ball and is still yet to create a single shooting opportunity despite being a prolific playmaker at his former club. A turgid start for a talented player.

To be perfectly honest, we’re not entirely sure why Palace decided to re-sign Guessand from Aston Villa after a shrug of a loan spell last season. The Ivorian forward only managed one goal in the Premier League last year and hasn’t looked remotely likely to add to that tally since moving back to Selhurst Park. After coming off the bench twice to minimal effect, we’re no closer to figuring out what prompted the decision to sign him a second time.

Apparently, it’s now a rule that Aston Villa have to make one bafflingly pointless loan signing per season – and Garnacho has stepped into Harvey Elliott’s boots in admirable fashion. After just 36 supine minutes of football in a claret and blue shirt, the Argentine has been relegated to a bench-riding role and there is already speculation that his career at Villa Park has hit a dead end.

His failure was somewhat foreseeable given his struggles over the last two years, but it’s hard to pick out a worse signing from the many made over the summer. Perhaps he’ll finally live up to his potential at some stage, but nothing we’ve seen over the past month or so has persuaded us that it will happen at Villa Park.

Spurs have been linked with a transfer bid for a teenager who’s just been called up to the Brazil squad - but can they beat Barcelona when the bidding begins?

Tottenham Hotspur’s season has been a disaster so far, and it’s scarcely surprising to see stories which suggest that they’re already looking for solutions in the transfer market. One alleged target stands out as a particularly intriguing potential signing.

ESPN Brasil report that Spurs have already been involved in talks over a deal to sign Athletico Paranaense defender Arthur Dias, a teenager whose curious journey to the top of the sport has just taken him into the senior Brazil squad for the first time. Spurs might not be the only team in the bidding, however – so who is Dias, just how good could he be, and will Spurs be able to sign him in the near future?

The rising star of Brazilian football on Spurs’ radar – according to reports

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The 19-year-old Dias hasn’t necessarily taken the most straightforward route to the top of the game. Initially a striker who shone in local futsal leagues as a child, Dias signed for Athletico Paranaense in 2022 but was set to be released after failing to make the grade up front. His career might have been over had one of his coaches not watched him do some defending in team drills.

Despite initial resistance to the idea, Dias was retrained as a centre-back – he sometimes moonlights at left-back as well – and his career was not only saved, but swiftly started to follow an upwards trajectory which hasn’t stopped since.

The teenager earned his first Brazil age group caps as a defender in 2024 and forced his way into Athletico Paranaense’s first team the following year, helping his side to achieve promotion back to Série A and remaining a staple of the starting line-up ever since.

The technique that Dias learned as a striker is still evident. He’s impressive with the ball at his feet and a fine passer and ball-carrier, and there are times when his bursts into midfield make it very obvious why he started life as an attacking player – but his work in one-on-one situations at the back suggest that he made the right decision in allowing himself to be converted to his current position.

Dias is rugged, difficult to bully off the ball and times his tackles extremely well, resulting in an impressive 65% win rate in ground duels in the Brasileirão across the 2026 season – and his positional sense is developing at pace, too. His only evident weakness, even at this stage in his career, is his aerial work, but at 6’2” he has the height to be capable enough in that regard with the right coaching.

So impressive has Dias been over the past year or so that Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti has called him up to the squad to face Australia in a pair of friendlies in the international break, and the youngster seems set to make his senior debut imminently.

He also seems increasingly likely to make a big move to Europe in the near future, too, with Spurs seemingly keen to bring him to the Premier League – but they may face some stiff competition in the battle to land one of Brazil’s most promising young defenders.

Will Spurs sign Arthur Dias – or will Barcelona beat them to the punch?

According to ESPN Brasil’s reporting, Spurs made a transfer offer for Dias over the summer which was valued at around 120m Brazilian Reals – approximately £17.6m. Their offer was rejected, however, and now other clubs could be starting to circle.

ESPN’s story suggests that Barcelona had their chief scout in attendance at a recent match between Athletico Paranaense and Bahia in order to watch Dias, and the Catalan giants are said to be “closely monitoring” his progress.

The report goes on to state that Barcelona have yet to take part in any kind of discussions about a deal, which means that Spurs may be the only team to have actually made any progress, even if all that they learned was that the teenager would cost more than they first thought.

Dias isn’t likely to stay at his current club forever, however, and by the time that the January transfer window opens he will have entered the final two years of his contract with his current club – the point at which most clubs begin to consider offers in order to ensure that they can extract maximum value.

What’s not clear is whether Spurs will come back in with a second bid, or how high they might be prepared to go. Given the way that their team has performed so far, defence is unlikely to be a major priority for Roberto De Zerbi’s side – but much may change, and if Dias continues to improve and impress then Spurs may be compelled to move quickly to stand a chance of getting a deal over the line.

It’s not certain that Barcelona will be in the race when the bidding starts, but their interest make the calibre of Dias’ suitors plain enough. This won’t be an easy deal for Spurs to get done, but the prize is a very talented defender with a bright future ahead of him.

The latest Spurs team news, injury update and predicted XI ahead of their Premier League clash against Aston Villa

Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action this weekend, when they host Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon. Spurs head into the game with a serious point to prove, having started their season in nightmare fashion: they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup earlier in the week, and lie 17th in the league table with no wins and not a single goal scored.

However, Saturday’s visitors are in a tricky position themselves. While they’ve impressed in both the Champions League and Carabao Cup, Villa are also without a Premier League victory in their opening four matches of the season. They’re 19th in the table with an even poorer record than Spurs, and both sides will consider their upcoming clash a ‘must-not-lose’ game.

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Heading into the weekend, Spurs have a number of injury issues to contend with. Pedro Porro has missed the club’s last two games with a muscular problem, while £100m summer signing Sandro Tonali couldn’t feature in the midweek cup loss to Liverpool due to a knock. Xavi Simons, Mykhailo Mudryk, Wilson Odobert and Dejan Kulusevski remain long-term injury concerns.

As Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham continue their preparations with the aim of getting their first three points of the season on the board, we’ve had a crack at predicting the most likely starting XI the Italian manager will field to take on the Villans in Saturday afternoon’s early kick-off.

Will Pedro Porro start against Aston Villa?

GK - Antonin Kinsky: Spurs’ first-choice stopper was rested against Liverpool, with Martin Dubravka playing the role of cup goalkeeper this season. Despite his struggles last season, De Zerbi has put his faith in Kinsky going forward, following Guglielmo Vicario’s loan move to Juventus. Kinsky will start between the sticks against Villa.

RB - Pedro Porro: The World Cup winner is expected to return to the side to face Aston Villa, in a huge boost to a side who have looked particularly shaky at the back. He should be ready to come in for Archie Gray, and will significantly bolster Spurs’ strength at the back as well as their attacking threat going forward.

CB - Micky van de Ven: Tottenham’s club captain pulled no punches when it came to assessing the club’s failures last season, and he’ll be desperate for the side’s fortunes to improve after relegation was only just avoided in the 2025/26 campaign. He’ll start against Villa on Saturday, after being rested for the defeat to Liverpool.

CB - Jan Paul van Hecke: Another player rested at Anfield, Van de Ven’s Netherlands teammate is expected to come back straight into the starting line-up this weekend. He joined in the summer as part of the club’s mega £330m spending spree, signing a long-term contract of unspecified length with the north London side.

LB - Destiny Udogie: Andy Robertson joined Spurs on a free transfer at the end of last season, but Udogie still looks to be De Zerbi’s first-choice left-back, amid concerns over the Scotland international’s gradual decline in form. Udogie was brought off before the hour mark against the Reds, which means he should be fresh to face Villa.

Spurs predicted line-up vs Aston Villa: Midfield and attack

CM - Rodrigo Bentancur: The Uruguay international worked hard to overcome a hamstring injury that saw him miss most of the second half of last season, and is making up for lost time by becoming an integral part of De Zerbi’s midfield. Like Udogie, he played just under an hour against Liverpool before being withdrawn from action.

CM - Conor Gallagher: With Tonali failing to make the squad in midweek, De Zerbi may look to avoid an unnecessary risk just before the international break and bring Gallagher in to a deeper midfield role. The ex-Chelsea man scored in Spurs’ 3-1 loss to Liverpool, and will be hopeful of getting plenty of minutes in his first full season at the club.

AMR - Mohamed Kudus: Spurs’ star winger is back from a long-term injury lay-off and will be looking to play a key role in transforming his side’s fortunes on the field. He got a solid 75 minutes in the tank in midweek and could make his first Premier League start of the season when Villa come to town.

AMC - Mateus Fernandez: Signing West Ham’s standout star last season was a real coup for Spurs, but he’s yet to replicate the kind of stirring performances he was producing for their east London rivals. De Zerbi has suggested that he could look to play Kudus in the number ten role, but it’s likely that he’ll look to get the side back on track first before experimenting

AML - Omar Marmoush: The Manchester City loanee is yet to open his goalscoring account for Spurs, and will be eager to impress after spending much of his time at the Etihad Stadium sat on the bench. He could be shifted out to the left wing on Saturday, to allow a change in the side’s attacking profile.

ST - Dominic Solanke: He’s struggled for game time this season, but with Spurs simply not scoring goals in the league, De Zerbi needs to figure out an alternative plan. Bringing Solanke back in to lead the line wouldn’t be too radical a change, and he possesses the physicality required to cause Aston Villa’s leaky defence some problems.

Tottenham predicted XI vs Aston Villa: Kinsky; Porro, Van de Ven, Van Hecke, Udogie; Gallagher, Bentancur; Kudus, Fernandez, Marmoush; Solanke.