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Tottenham are preparing for a trip to face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday.

Forest will play host to Spurs, with the home side hoping to get back to winning ways domestically after defeat to Everton last time around.

Both sides secured mid-week wins in Europe, with Tottenham securing a 3-0 win against Slavia Prague, while the Reds won away to Utrecht.

Mohammed Kudus was on target against Prague and will be keen to add to his Lilywhites tally in a return to league action at the City Ground.

Thomas Frank has a selection dilemma on his hands, but could be set to leave Joao Palhinha out of his side in the East Midlands.

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Joao Palhinha could be dropped vs Nottingham Forest

Palhinha put in a positive shift against Slavia Prague, but against a more defensively minded side, he could face the axe away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Portugal international may drop to the bench, while the backline could remain intact against Forest after Champions League victory.

Guglielmo Vicario made five saves last time out and could be set to start with Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero ahead of him.

Djed Spence could be in line for another start after his three chances created and six defensive actions last time around, with Pedro Porro potentially set for a spot on the right.

Lucas Bergvall could be the man named to potentially replace Palhinha, with the Portuguese midfielder’s 27 per cent walking time likely to cause problems against an industrious Forest side.

The Sweden international is a true starlet for Spurs and needs to be afforded more regular minutes, especially against sides that require breaking down.

Randal Kolo Muani could start for Tottenham

If Bergvall is to come in, it makes total sense for him to feature alongside his partner in crime, Archie Gray.

The Englishman started last time out and could link up with Xavi Simons in midfield again, after the Dutchman’s stellar display against Slavia Prague.

The attacking midfielder covered the most ground on the pitch with 11.0 km, while also being the most fouled player on the pitch.

Simons will be aiming to score again and also create chances with Wilson Odobert and Kudus, potentially set to feature once again from the start.

Richarlison could drop to the bench to accommodate the return of Randal Kolo Muani, who created one chance in just 22 minutes in North London.

Tottenham assistant Matt Wells is set to be named the manager of MLS side Colorado Rapids.

Wells has been the assistant manager at Spurs since 2023, when he was promoted to the role by Ange Postecoglou.

Yet, despite Postecoglou being sacked by Tottenham, Thomas Frank decided to keep the 37-year-old in the role.

Now, according to The Athletic on 12 December, the coach will move to the MLS to take over Colorado Rapids, becoming one of the youngest managers in the division.

Matt Wells set to end Tottenham stay

Wells has long been associated at Tottenham.

The former midfielder once came through the North London club’s academy, but never made his first-team debut after being hampered by injuries.

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Nevertheless, this did not affect his future in the footballing industry, with Wells then concentrating on becoming a coach.

After briefly working in Spurs’ academy under Parker, he then followed the former Tottenham midfielder to Fulham, Bournemouth and Club Brugge before eventually returning to the North London club.

Now, Tottenham are set to lose another assistant manager, just like how they lost Ryan Mason to West Brom in the summer.

The report explains that Colorado Rapids interviewed a number of candidates, both domestic and abroad, but ultimately landed on Wells, who has been aligned with the Rapids’ early offseason moves.

Loss of Wells is deeply concerning at Spurs

Within months, Spurs have now lost two highly promising coaches in the English game.

This is extremely concerning, especially with the uncertain future of Frank at Tottenham.

Either Wells or Mason could have gone on to become a top manager at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and now their talents will be used at other clubs.

This is an issue that has to be sorted out as soon as possible, or it could lead to the North London club going backwards.

In search of regular starts, Tottenham winger Brennan Johnson could depart Thomas Frank’s squad in the January transfer window.

The Welsh international was a vital part of Ange Postecoglou’s plans last term, scoring 18 goals in 51 matches, including the winner in Tottenham’s Europa League triumph over Manchester United.

Since Spurs signed Mohammed Kudus from West Ham, though, Johnson has lost his place on the right flank, only starting four of their last 13 top-flight matches.

As a result, Johnson could leave Tottenham in January, and a Premier League rival have already shown an interest in his signature.

Crystal Palace have shortlisted Brennan Johnson

According to The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, Crystal Palace have shortlisted the Spurs speedster as a potential option to rival Ismaila Sarr.

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Oliver Glasner is looking to beef out his attacking options, arguably seeing the 24-year-old as the perfect player to flourish in his counter-attacking system.

The report doesn’t say whether the Tottenham hierarchy are willing to sell Johnson midway through the season, although the player could prefer a switch to South London.

Johnson would have more opportunities to start for the Eagles, and with them challenging for Champions League qualification, the project is appealing.

Tottenham already looking for Johnson replacement

Spurs signed Johnson for around £47.5million and would arguably be looking to recoup most of, if not all of what they paid Nottingham Forest in 2023.

The Welsh international sees his contract expire in June 2028, so whilst Tottenham are under no pressure to sell, their January transfer plans suggest they could sanction his exit.

Tottenham have been linked with RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande, the exciting, teenage winger who is currently lighting up the Bundesliga.

Diomande could move ahead of Johnson in the pecking order, while links to Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman could also spell bad news for the Frenchman.

So, if Spurs do manage to sign someone early in the window, then it wouldn’t be a shock to see Johnson leave the club.

Dominic Solanke edging closer to Tottenham comeback after what he posted on Instagram

Dominic Solanke’s latest Instagram post will give Tottenham fans hope that a return to action is around the corner.

Solanke has suffered an injury-hit campaign at Spurs, seeing him restricted to just 49 minutes of competitive action across all competitions.

The 28-year-old last featured for Thomas Frank during Tottenham’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in August, coming off the bench in the final 12 minutes.

Spurs have since struggled to score goals in the Englishman’s absence, with Richarlison assuming that responsibility by netting seven times in 23 appearances across all competitions.

Dominic Solanke shares injury hint on Instagram story

Ahead of Tottenham’s 2-0 victory over Brentford last weekend, Frank was dealt the crushing news that Solanke wasn’t close to returning, alongside fellow long-term absentee Dejan Kulusevski.

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Supporters were therefore left in the dark about his potential injury timeframe, although Solanke himself has now provided a subtle update.

The former Liverpool striker posted two hourglass emojis on his Instagram story, perhaps fuelling excitement that his return to action is closer than people think.

Solanke has been a huge miss for Tottenham this term, after scoring 16 goals in his debut campaign for the club in 2024/25.

Stats that show Solanke’s importance to Spurs

It’s never easy for players to return from a long-term injury and hit the ground running, but Spurs may need Solanke’s goalscoring heroics to secure European football.

As it stands, defensive players Micky van de Ven, Pape Matar Sarr and Joao Palhinha make up their top five list of Premier League scorers this campaign, and that explains the problem Frank is having.

Mathys Tel, Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani have all lacked consistency, something Solanke provided on Tottenham’s way to winning the Europa League.

A return of one in three goals in the top-flight was hardly setting the world alight, but his hold-up play and chance creation were crucial under Ange Postecoglou.

Ultimately, Tottenham currently lack an out-and-out striker, and Solanke is someone who can supply the attributes they’ve been missing.

Granit Xhaka experienced his fair share of North London derby showdowns during his time as an Arsenal player.

The now-Sunderland midfielder played 15 times against Tottenham in total across all competitions between 2016 and 2023.

Indeed, Xhaka has only played against five teams more often than he has Spurs, with Bayern Munich topping that list.

However, the 33-year-old has now made a surprising admission about the famous Tottenham and Arsenal fixture.

Granit Xhaka says Wear-Tyne derby is bigger than North London derby

Xhaka is now plying his trade at Sunderland, who recently took inspiration from Tottenham – or more specifically, Daniel Levy.

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The Switzerland international has admittedly been superb upon his return to English football and will be one to watch when Spurs face Sunderland early next month.

Xhaka will have his first taste of the Wear-Tyne derby on Sunday when Sunderland host fierce rivals Newcastle at the Stadium of Light.

And speaking to Premier League Productions ahead of the game, Xhaka made a comment that will not go down well on either side of the North London divide.

“I had many rivals as well in my career, but I think this one will be the biggest,” he said.

“Let’s try and give the fans and the club something big. We have one object­ive, and it’s to win the game.“

It may well be a case of Xhaka pandering to his new fanbase, but it is a huge shout to suggest there is a bigger rivalry around than Tottenham against Arsenal.

Xhaka already relishing Tottenham clash with Sunderland

There is no love lost between Xhaka and Tottenham fans, who will be sure to give him a ‘warm’ welcome in January.

Speaking to Sunderland’s media team upon joining the club in the summer, Xhaka picked out Tottenham – alongside Newcastle and Arsenal – as the three fixtures he was most looking forward to.

“I have the derby as well, Arsenal versus Tottenham, the atmosphere there is incredible,” Xhaka said.

Xhaka was on the winning side in six of his 15 meetings with Arsenal – all in the Premier League except one EFL Cup tie – while drawing three and losing the other five.

Not many players get to experience multiple high-profile derbies in English football, and it will be interesting to see if Xhaka stands by these comments after this weekend’s match.

Xavi Simons has burst into life at Tottenham over the past few games and Thomas Frank is full of praise for the Dutchman.

Simons had a slow start to his Tottenham career after a summer move from RB Leipzig, but he now seems to be finding his feet in North London.

The 22-year-old grabbed his first goal for Spurs during their 2-0 win over Brentford last weekend, and also picked up an assist for Richarlison’s opener.

He then backed up his display against the Bees by scoring again on Tuesday night, as Tottenham cruised to a 3-0 victory against Slavia Prague in the Champions League.

Thomas Frank loves Xavi Simons’ work rate

Djed Spence was the star for Tottenham in the win over Slavia Prague, but Simons was impressive once again and has now made the number 10 position his own.

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The Netherlands international was utilised on the wing during his first few months under Frank, but has looked far more dangerous since being moved centrally.

Simons is clearly impressing his manager as well, with Frank coming out and giving the former Leipzig man a lot of praise.

Speaking in his post-match press conference after the Slavia Prague game, Frank said: “I think he built on the good game on Saturday, produced again, I would say.

“Good link-up play, nice turns in the middle of the pitch, where he also has that acceleration to go past the player and open up the spaces.

“I also like his work ethic. For example, there was a great recovery run in 90-plus minutes where he just got all the way back, which is crucial for me, for us, for everyone, to work very hard. So, I like his overall performance.”

Xavi Simons shows different side of his game for Tottenham

While Simons is known for his attacking talent and ability on the ball, you cannot ignore the work he does defensively.

Playing in behind the striker, the Dutch star is often required to track back and help out the Spurs backline, a task which he doesn’t shy away from.

Against Slavia Prague, Simons won six duels, completed two recoveries, made one interception and made one clearance.

It didn’t stop the midfielder from making an impact going forward either, getting three shots off across the 90 minutes, as well as grabbing his goal.

If Simons can continue to impress in attacking areas as well as contribute defensively, then he will flourish into a top player for Tottenham.

Tottenham have seen a raft of changes at the boardroom level in recent months.

Daniel Levy was the most high-profile exit at Tottenham, leaving his role as executive chairman in September.

While Levy delivered on his main task of bringing the state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to life, there is still one problem.

Tottenham do not have a naming rights deal in place for their new home, and are losing out on a huge potential windfall as a result, and one man has had the blame placed firmly at his door.

Who is at fault for Tottenham’s lack of a stadium naming rights deal?

Tottenham are set to bring Alex Scotcher on board as their commercial director in January, to try and finally secure a deal.

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John Wenham believes the blame lies squarely on Todd Kline, who joined Tottenham as Chief Commercial Officer in June 2021, but departed his role in February 2024.

Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he said: “On the naming rights deal, what a failure that whole process has been, they brought in a guy, Todd Kline, on big money, who had secured multiple deals in the American system.

“His only job was to secure a naming rights deal and the fact that he failed to do it, you could say ‘well Tottenham have been holding out for £25million’, but if they had taken £15m, they would have had money coming in at that rate since 2019, so a significant period of time has been missed on that.”

Why is the lack of a naming rights deal such a problem for Tottenham?

As Wenham states, the North London club have already lost out on a huge sum over the years, as they have not had a deal in place.

The fact that they brought Kline in to do so, and he failed, due to whatever reason, whether it be the finances on offer or not, is simply not good enough.

Thomas Frank’s side could have been further along in their progress, if the money had been rolling in constantly since the stadium opened in 2019.

Instead, they are playing catch-up, and a deal is still not in place, and Kline has left his post, it is an utterly embarrassing situation for all involved, and one that the N17 outfit needs to sort as soon as possible.

Daniel Levy’s genius may have been underrated by Tottenham supporters.

Levy resigned from his role as Tottenham’s executive chairman in September after 25 years in the role, to the delight of a huge section of the fanbase.

Tottenham’s frugality in the market left supporters angry, with many feeling like they could have done more in the market.

However, his business acumen off the field cannot be questioned, especially after a new reveal on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that may leave rivals in awe.

Newcastle and other Premier League clubs realise Levy was a genius

John Wenham believes that Levy cannot be faulted for his decision off the field, and that rivals are learning about how good the businessman was, as they try to build their own new stadiums.

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He used the example of Newcastle, who are having issues when it comes to building a new home, away from St James’ Park, per Sky Sports.

Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he said: “Daniel Levy, the businessman, 10 out of 10, on a whole, he was fantastic for Tottenham, bringing in the training ground, moving to a fantastic stadium, that was paid for at such low interest rates over a significant period of time.

“Where the likes of United, Birmingham, Villa, other clubs are planning new stadiums now, Newcastle and Chelsea are unable to get off the ground with it, and are realising the financial cost involved.

“Whereas, Tottenham got rates to borrow for 30 years, at like 1.4 per cent and stuff.”

Why was Levy so hated by Tottenham fans?

His financial decisions were the stuff of dreams, and have left Spurs in a brilliant place to capitalise after his exit, so why do supporters dislike Levy so much?

Wenham believes that it is because he refused to strengthen the squad on multiple occasions, when the Lilywhites were in great positions to push on.

He said: “You look at Levy, the football guy, and there is absolutely right to be frustration there, there has been multiple times that Tottenham could have pushed on and haven’t done so.

“We might be sitting here talking about Tottenham having at least one Premier League title under their belt, if they could have won it in the year when they battled with Leicester, or they could have won it the following year when they finished on 86 points.

“There have been times where a little bit more pushing could have really delivered, I know even under Harry Redknapp, there was a spell where we really pushed on.

“Instead of going out and pushing to get Carlos Tevez, who was reported to be available at the time, getting Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen in on cheap, short-term deals, didn’t cut the mustard.

“There was a time when we had a midfield of Luca Modric, Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and Scott Parker, people will say ‘Scott Parker’, but he won the FWA Player of the Year that year, that is how good he is, as a holding midfielder.

“There were times when he could have pushed Tottenham on, and didn’t, and I think the feeling was when he moved on, it was the right time for all.”

Malachi Hardy has been singled out for special praise after Tottenham secured UEFA Youth League victory over Slavia Prague.

Tottenham men’s side beat Slavia Prague 3-0 as the Lilywhites moved up into 11th place with just one matchweek remaining in the initial stages of the Champions League.

The Lilywhites had some key individual performances to thank as Mohamed Kudus was excellent for Tottenham once again at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Thomas Frank’s side sealed victory just hours after Tottenham beat Prague 9-1 in the Youth League in a stellar performance.

Hardy has received a glowing review for his showcase as several of his Spurs teammates were appreciated by the Czech outfit.

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Malachi Hardy gets mention from Slavia Prague coach

Tottenham tied Hardy down to new contract terms earlier in the year as they continue to show faith in the 17-year-old as one for the future.

The centre-back signed for the Lilywhites at just eight years old and in recent months has featured regularly for the under-18s and 19s side.

That has seen him feature in the Youth League and play a key role, as Spurs have already qualified for the round of 32.

Tottenham did so with a superb win against Slavia Prague, with nine goals coming from potential Spurs first-teamer Luca Williams Barnett (5), Tynan Thompson (3) and James Rowswell (1).

Slavia Prague Academy coach Jonathan Davies was left blown away by what he saw from the North London club and took to X to reveal who he rated highly.

He said: “Callum Olusesi, Luca Williams-Barnett, Tynan Thompson. I really liked the two centre-backs too, Junai Byfield and Malachi Hardy.

“Hardy was a real leader and communicator. The goalkeeper [Dylan Thompson] was really good with his distribution.“

Hardy shines alongside Luca Williams-Barnett for Tottenham

There’s no doubting that Williams-Barnett is the jewel in the academy crown in N17 right now after a stellar spell.

The teenage attacking midfielder has certainly caught the eye and looks destined to feature under Frank at some stage in the near future.

It is no surprise when he picks up praise, especially after scoring five goals, but it is nice to see Hardy get that recognition as well.

If he can continue to catch the eye, there is no reason why the defender won’t also be called upon to have some involvement in the Premier League or FA Cup at some stage this campaign.

Tottenham are still planning to trigger a contract extension for Yves Bissouma if he doesn’t leave in January.

The Malian midfielder’s current deal is set to expire in the summer but the club hold the ability to add an extra 12 months.

He hasn’t played at all since Thomas Frank took over, having been left out for lateness soon after the Dane arrived.

Bissouma was then injured on international duty and was recently caught allegedly inhaling laughing gas for a second time, having had to apologise for the same issue after being suspended by Ange Postecoglou last year.

Tottenham want to sell Bissouma in January

Tottenham have been tipped to get rid of Bissouma after the latest incident, and according to an update in The Times they do plan to do so in the January window if possible.

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Spurs were looking to trigger Bissouma’s extension prior to the recent developments but it appeared that ship may now have sailed.

However, according to The Times Tottenham do still plan to add the extra year on if a deal for him to depart cannot be struck in the winter market.

While they are looking to offload him the club are reportedly “determined” not to lose the 29-year-old on a free transfer.

Pressure on Tottenham’s January transfer window

Tottenham’s home win against Brentford last weekend, followed up by a Champions League victory over Slavia Prague, has helped ease some pressure on Frank.

And with Xavi Simons finally finding some form the squad is looking slightly less lacking, but the way Spurs approach the January window still looks crucial to getting much of anything from this season.

Getting rid of Bissouma to clear space on the wage bill and get something in return adds extra pressure to what is sure to be a hectic month behind the scenes, but if they can be successful in striking a deal it could open some doors to an extra new arrival.

Frank and the fans will have to hope that it doesn’t draw the focus away from more pressing areas of need, however, with striker still looking short thanks to Dominic Solanke’s injury issues and inconsistency from Richarlison and Randal Kolo Muani.