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Tottenham will look to get back to winning ways against Monaco on Wednesday night.

After Spurs lost 2-1 to Aston Villa, there have been calls to say that the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium might be the problem, as the Lilywhites’ only losses this season have come on their own patch.

Pape Sarr has been hailed for his magnificent performances under Thomas Frank, but was benched yet again in the loss against Villa.

Frank has previously called Sarr “amazing”, and it really confuses that the midfielder is struggling for a starting spot, as Tottenham‘s record without him proves that he is the difference.

Tottenham struggle when Thomas Frank doesn’t start Pape Sarr

So far this season, Sarr has played in seven Premier League games, but only started in four of them.

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Sarr has looked like an improved midfielder since Frank’s arrival, as his playstyle seems more suited to the Danish coach’s system than under Ange Postecoglou.

Sarr scored in Tottenham’s 3-0 victory over West Ham and started in both their positive results in the Champions League against Villarreal and Bodo/Glimt.

Yes, he did start in Tottenham’s loss to Bournemouth, but every player in a white shirt was poor that game.

Even in the draw against Wolves, Sarr came off the bench and grabbed an assist, which helped his side to a point, despite limited minutes.

Tottenham have only won once when Sarr doesn’t start, but have won four times when he has this campaign, highlighting his importance.

Sarr will bring energy vs Monaco

Tottenham’s Champions League clash with Monaco proves to be an interesting one, as former Barcelona attacker Ansu Fati is in red-hot form ahead of Wednesday’s showdown.

Frank will almost certainly change up his side, as Sarr is now an obvious choice.

Recovering the ball on average four times per 90 minutes, as well as covering over 11km, Sarr will need to be very busy to keep a young and exciting Monaco team at bay.

Despite his goal, Rodrigo Bentancur was very poor against Aston Villa, and Sarr needs to come back into the side over the Uruguayan to add some legs to the midfield.

Sarr always brings energy and covers almost every single blade of grass when he plays for Tottenham. Playing away from home, his pressing style will be required.

Tottenham could see a missed summer opportunity come back to haunt them in the Champions League against Monaco.

Thomas Frank would’ve been pleased with how his side’s summer recruitment went after replacing Ange Postecoglou at the helm.

Mohammed Kudus signed for Tottenham from West Ham and is arguably the Lilywhites’ best player.

Meanwhile, Spurs are reportedly already considering signing Joao Palhinha on a permanent transfer, a couple of months after he arrived in North London on loan from Bayern Munich.

However, with the Lewis family prioritising Tottenham’s sporting success, one failed transfer could become a problem as he provides an update on a potential move to Hotspur Way.

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That is, of course, Maghnes Akliouche.

Maghnes Akliouche would be tempted to play in the Premier League

Tottenham were linked with Monaco forward Akliouche before Xavi Simons arrived in North London.

The Dutchman has failed to impress since, with fans already fantasising about what could’ve been if the Ligue 1 star had been signed instead.

Supporters will be able to see him in action when Tottenham take on Monaco in the UEFA Champions League on 22 October.

But as to whether a future move to Tottenham and the Premier League is possible? He may have given fans an answer in a recent press conference before the European confrontation.

In quotes provided by Sky Sports on 21 October, he said: “It was very flattering to have these kinds of stories and links, but I am a Monaco player and I am playing against Tottenham tomorrow, so I will give my best.

“In terms of whether I want to play in the Premier League in the future? Why not, but we’ll see. What is important for me is tomorrow’s game.”

After netting twice in Ligue 1 this season and likely hoping to net his first in the Champions League this season on Wednesday, the Lilywhites could regret not signing him while they had the chance.

Why Maghnes Akliouche could be Tottenham’s biggest problem vs Monaco

Tottenham are the favourites to defeat Monaco in the Champions League on Thursday. However, Akliouche could make a victory hard to come by.

On the surface, the right-winger does not seem to be a huge threat. His European form has been unsatisfactory according to Sofascore.

However, the France international is arguably the creative powerhouse of his team when looking at his stats in all competitions.

Indeed, he has accumulated 1.55 expected assists in Ligue 1, which is the highest number recorded of all their starting attackers. Meanwhile, he has created two big chances, which also rank highly among his teammates and has registered 1.3 in key passes per game.

What Akliouche lacks in goals, he makes up for in creativity. And judging by Spurs’ attacking woes, it’s something Frank could’ve done with this season.

Therefore, while Ansu Fati’s goalscoring form will be something to look out for, Tottenham may have better success cutting off his supply.

Tottenham will look to get back on track against Monaco on Wednesday, after what was a disappointing result against Aston Villa.

Despite Rodrigo Bentancur‘s opener, Tottenham were beaten 2-1 by Villa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

Morgan Rogers had equalised for the visitors, before Emi Buendia found the net with an effort from range in the latter stages of the game.

Mohammed Kudus failed to impress against Villa, with Spurs‘ over-reliance on the winger coming to the fore.

But Tottenham’s attacking play against Villa was criticised as a whole, too, with Thomas Frank‘s side often making the wrong decision in the final third.

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Gabby Agbonlahor view raises concern

Tottenham are enduring a really poor run of form at home, dating back to the start of last season.

In a startling stat emerged from Sunday’s game, the North London club have dropped more points from winning positions at home in the Premier League (19) than any other side.

Spurs have won just one of their four league games played at home this season so far, with that win coming on the opening day against Burnley.

Since then, Frank’s side have lost to Bournemouth and Villa, and handed bottom-club Wolves one of their only two points this season so far.

Against Villa, Spurs struggled to create much of anything at all, producing just 0.75 expected goals from 10 shots.

But sat in the stands, Gabby Agbonlahor spotted something even more concerning.

“I went to the game on Sunday, and I thought the atmosphere wasn’t great at the Spurs stadium,” the former Villa striker told talkSPORT on Wednesday.

“Seemed a bit quiet, the players were throwing their arms up whenever they won a corner, asking the fans for a bit more. It seemed a bit odd to be honest.”

Ange Postecoglou was critical of the Spurs atmosphere

The atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium came up in discussions following Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Bournemouth last season under Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham found themselves 2-0 down, before Pape Matar Sarr and Son Heung-min scored to see the game end level.

But the Australian would not credit the home faithful for their part in the victory, instead saying “it would have been very easy, particularly with the atmosphere as it was, for the boys to just let the game get away from us“.

Creating a good atmosphere starts with a positive team, however, and too often at present, Frank’s team are not promoting positivity within the stands with their performances.

Thomas Frank has confirmed Cristian Romero will miss Tottenham’s Champions League clash with Monaco on Wednesday.

Romero pulled out of the squad ahead of Tottenham’s 2-1 loss to Aston Villa on Sunday.

Spurs captain Romero is joined by Destiny Udogie in the Tottenham treatment room in what is a massive blow for Frank.

It has been suggested that Romero could be absent for Tottenham for anywhere between a few days to a month.

Frank provided a further update on Romero‘s injury at his pre match press conference on Tuesday evening.

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Thomas Frank shares updates on Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie

Romero started Tottenham‘s first seven Premier League matches prior to being struck down injured, while Udogie was used five times in all.

It was already known that neither would feature against Monaco, but Frank has now shared an update – of sorts – on the pair.

Asked about Romero, Frank told reporters: “It’s an adductor strain. We will assess it more this week before we confirm any timeframe.”

Frank then added, when asked if supporters should be worried: “No I don’t think so, it’s a strain.”

On Udogie, he added: “The latest is that he got that knee irritation after international duty. We are assessing and working very hard to get on top of it. We’ll know more day by day.”

Frank effectively gave little away, other than to say Spurs would keep an eye on both injuries.

However, Frank’s positivity with regards to Spurs fans not having to fear Romero’s absence is a little misguided if the data is anything to go by.

As per FBref, Romero ranks in the top nine per cent of all centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past 12 months for interceptions, averaging 1.66 per 90 minutes.

The 1.89 tackles her averages per 90, meanwhile, ranks him only slightly lower among the top 12 per cent of centre-backs in that category.

Romero stats speak for themselves at Spurs

Romero rightly ranks among Fabio Paratici’s top Tottenham signings and any game he misses is a blow to Frank and Spurs.

Further to those stats above, Romero has won 1.43 defensive third tackles in the Premier League this season, which only Joao Palhinha can better among Spurs players.

Romero’s 66.7 per cent tackle percent rate is also the best among Tottenham defenders, with only Palhinha (70.4 per cent) and Mathys Tel (75 per cent) and Wilson Odobert (100 per cent) ahead of him.

He also has a massively impressive 89.5 per cent pass success rate this season, while no outfield Spurs player can better his progressive passing distance of 2,753, despite missing a game.

It is that latter stat that shows there is far more to Romero’s game than just defending, and it is why Spurs will miss him for however long he is out.

What games Cristian Romero is likely to miss as worrying Tottenham update emerges

Cristian Romero pulled out of the Tottenham squad to play Aston Villa on Sunday.

Tottenham lost 2-1 to Villa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium despite being one goal ahead after just five minutes.

Rodrigo Bentancur scored in the only true attacking quality on show in N17 as Mohammed Kudus struggled against Villa alongside his Spurs teammates.

Destiny Udogie missed the Villa game through injury, which was seen as a shock and a blow to Thomas Frank’s squad.

Romero pulled out at the 11th hour, with the Argentine potentially set for a spell on the sidelines in North London.

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Cristian Romero injury timeline emerges at Tottenham

Tottenham swapped Romero for Kevin Danso against Villa, forcing the home side into a frustrating change against Unai Emery’s men.

The skipper’s absence seemed to have a negative effect, as Spurs’ standards slipped, allowing the away side to steal three points.

Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendia scored excellent goals, but weren’t shut down by Tottenham players with any urgency.

The 27-year-old likely would have stopped this, but instead was forced to watch from the bench with a frustrated look on his face.

Physio Scout assessed the centre-back’s issue via X on 21 October, which Frank described as “minor” discomfort in his groin.

The injury analysis expert suggested that Romero could be missing for several days to a month, depending on the grade.

Grade one represents a potential absence between two or three days and two weeks, while grade two is between three and four weeks.

Frank and the White Heart Lane faithful will hope for as little time out as possible, but if the defender is out for an extended period, what games could he miss?

What games could Romero miss for Tottenham?

Romero could make an instant return and play for the Lilywhites against Monaco in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Frank may decide against utilising him with one eye on a return to Premier League action against Everton next weekend.

Should he be out for longer, there are other clashes against Newcastle, Chelsea, Copenhagen and Manchester United that could mark a return for the captain before the international break.

Otherwise, it could take until after the November break for Romero to return with the North London derby coming up on 23 November, 36 days after the Villa defeat.

Tottenham will seriously miss Romero

Already this season, the ex-Atalanta man has showcased some positive stats that reflect well on his quality after being named Spurs captain.

Romero has contributed to an average of 2.14 tackles, 5.29 duels won and 1.57 interceptions per 90 in the Premier League.

The number 17 has also maintained an 89.4 per cent pass accuracy across his 381 completed passes throughout his seven appearances this season.

He has completed the third most passes, long balls and clearances in the Tottenham squad, while also chipping with the second most interceptions and the most blocks per 90.

This sort of impact and his ability to set the standards could see him represent a huge blow if he is out for a lengthy period through injury.

Tottenham switch focus back to the Champions League when they take on Monaco on Wednesday night.

Thomas Frank needs his side to bounce back after Tottenham lost 2-1 to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.

The loss came as the second of the season under Frank, with both defeats coming at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham have, however, started well in the Champions League, but face tough competition in Ligue 1 side Monaco, as Tottenham News rounds up everything that you need to know ahead of the game.

Form guide

Spurs: L, W, D, D, W

Monaco: D, D, D, L, W

Team News

Cristian Romero was sidelined against Aston Villa after picking up a slight niggle during the international break, and is a doubt for the game against Monaco.

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Dominic Solanke remains out with an ankle issue, as November is looking like the timeline for the striker’s return.

Djed Spence is likely to start as Destiny Udogie remains a doubt for Monaco, as Radu Dragusin continues his rehab on a cruciate ligament injury.

For Monaco, Paul Pogba is yet to make his debut, and remains out with a thigh problem. Goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky remains out for the hosts as Philipp Kohn is likely to start in goal.

Former Barcelona forward Ansu Fati has been on fire for Monaco and already has five goals to his name in the French league, as Frank will be looking to nullify his ability.

Likely lineups

Tottenham: Vicario, Porro, Van de Ven, Danso, Spence, Palhinha, Sarr, Bergvall, Kudus, Kolo Muani, Odobert

Monaco: Kohn, Kehrer, Salisu, Henrique, Diatta, Golovin, Teze, Ouattara, Akliouche, Fati, Balogun

Prediction: Monaco 1-2 Tottenham

In their last Champions League game, Monaco drew 2-2 at home with Manchester City, which proves the task at hand for Tottenham.

Monaco are in poor form, and are without a win in their last four games, and Frank needs his side to start the game off on the front foot.

Aston Villa were in terrific form coming into the game against Tottenham on Sunday, as the fixture was always going to be a difficult test.

Frank hasn’t lost two games in a row at Tottenham and has already proved his side can bounce back.

With that considered, Tottenham Hotspur News predicts Spurs will beat Monaco 2-1 in France, and a changed Lilywhites side will prove too much for the hosts.

Tottenham have had success with transfers to QPR in recent months.

Aston Villa defeated Tottenham at home in the Premier League in a game which left fans concerned.

As a result, Thomas Frank will be looking at Tottenham’s clash against Monaco in the UEFA Champions League as a statement match.

However, the grind keeps going in North London as Spurs’ hierarchy continues to work behind the scenes.

Calum Logan is on trial with QPR

Tottenham loaned Yang Min-Hyeok to QPR last winter after arriving in North London from Gangwon FC.

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The winger thrived during his stay and returned to Hotspur Way in the summer, only for Spurs to loan Yang once more to Portsmouth.

The South Korean international seems to be progressing well after consecutive loan spells.

Now, it is understood that Under-21s left-back Calum Logan is on trial with QPR.

The 18-year-old is currently playing for the development squad against Bournemouth, according to Lilywhite Rose via X on 20 October.

This comes after Logan completed a trial at Leeds United over the summer but returned to the North London club soon after.

With two trials at different clubs within a couple of months, there will likely be questions around the young defender’s future at Hotspur Way.

Three promising Under-21 defenders Tottenham fans should look out for

Tottenham is home to several young talents, with attacking midfielder Luca Williams-Barnett earning his professional debut against Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup earlier this season.

Despite this, Spurs’ defensive talents often receive less attention than their attacking stars.

However, Tyrell Ashcroft is a name that should ring a bell among supporters. The left-back joined the academy in 2022 and was part of the Under-21s’ Premier League 2 title-winning campaign in 2023/24.

Having also shown his versatility in at centre-back, he will surely be a name fans will be hearing a lot more of.

Dante Cassanova is another player supporters will be familiar with. The Under-21s star can operate as both a right-back and a central midfielder, which sets him apart from most of his peers.

Finally, Maeson King is a gem of a player who deserves a mention.

While an injury over the summer hampered any chances of Tottenham sending King out on loan, his ability to play as a left winger, midfielder and left-back has seen him become greatly appreciated in North London.

The numbers that reveal Xavi Simons is not the problem at Tottenham, Thomas Frank is

Xavi Simons has been criticised for his recent performances at Tottenham.

Simons signed for Spurs from RB Leipzig over the summer as their marquee signing, but he has been anything but these past couple of weeks.

Indeed, Simons has been criticised by Tottenham fans for his lacklustre performances which have left them anticipating Dejan Kulusevski’s return.

However, any blame on the attacking midfielder may be misplaced.

Xavi Simons is not seeing enough of the ball

Simons has regressed in almost every aspect of his game and that was clear as day in Spurs’ defeat to Aston Villa.

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For a time, it was believed that Frank’s decision to play Simons on the left wing was the problem. But it seems that was only part of the underlying issue.

When playing for Leipzig in the Bundesliga the attacking midfielder averaged 62.6 touches per game during the 2023/24 season and 68 in 2024/25, according to Sofascore. Tottenham? Just 41.2 per game.

The difference is staggering. At first, one could conclude that Leipzig are more of a possession based side.

That conclusion would be incorrect. Indeed, Leipzig averaged 55.5 per cent possession in 2023/24 and 52.3 per cent last season.

Meanwhile, Spurs have averaged 55.3 per cent in the Premier League which is slightly higher than the German side.

Not only is he not receiving the ball in favourable positions, but Frank’s system had made it so that Simons is hardly receiving the ball at all.

How does this compare to Simons’ 2024/25 Bundesliga season?

The result of this has been monumental, with Simons performing nowhere near the level of his most recent Bundesliga season.

Meanwhile, the Dutch international has recorded one assist from one big chance created in the Premier League. He has yet to score a goal and averages 0.2 shots on target per game.

While Simons has been inconsistent when on the ball, a drop off in form is to be expected given the system he’s playing in.

Thomas Frank needs to use Xavi Simons differently

Frank has mishandled Simons from the beginning. From mis-profiling him to seeing him receive limited touches in the final third, it almost resembles a train wreck.

Now one of the issues could very well be that his teammates are not used to playing with him and thus do not look for him on the pitch.

But there’s a huge problem if a team that lacks creativity is not searching for their ’10’ in favourable positions.

It seems that Simons is a victim of his own circumstances at the moment. While this could change as the team gels, the Dutchman is nothing more than wasted potential as it stands.

Simons at Spurs could be brilliant but he needs time and more importantly, a coach who understands when and were to play him. Frank could still be the right man to do it, but it’s up to him to show that now.

Thomas Frank will want to have the best of the best beside him to compete for all trophies at Tottenham.

Aston Villa ended Tottenham’s four game unbeaten run in a 2-1 defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Frank has been under increasing pressure to deliver favourable results, with the Lewis family prioritising Spurs’ sporting success.

As a result, a change in personnel on the pitch could be what the Dane needs to live up to his expectations in North London.

Richarlison could leave in January

Richarlison was linked with a departure from Tottenham over the summer after a series of performance and injury related issues.

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However, Richarlison’s solid start to Spurs’ season had many questioning why an exit was on the cards in the first place. Despite this, his form has now taken a turn for the worst.

As a result, Tottenham expert and Lilywhite Rose owner John Wenham – speaking exclusively to Tottenham News – believes Tottenham will no extend the striker’s contract, which is due to expire in the summer of 2027.

“I don’t see Tottenham rewarding him with a new contract, and his expires in 2027,” Wenham said.

“If he were to leave next summer, he’d only have one year left on his contract. I think that’s a sensible time for all parties for him to move.

“The only complication to that is that he will be hoping to feature and be the leading striker for Brazil at the World Cup next summer as well.

“So it might be that January is a more realistic time for him to move. Dominic Solanke will be coming back into the team. Mathys Tel started and scored away at Leeds. Randal Kolo Muani is at the club.

“So say it could be in January, just with that World Cup in the summer and he won’t want the distraction of a move and a move of country, and everything could be a more sensible time for that to happen.”

The clock is ticking for Richarlison to prove himself at Tottenham

While Solanke may be sidelined for Spurs, Kolo Muani saw some minutes during the defeat to Villa.

Meanwhile, Tel started in back to back games for Frank which indicates that the Dane is looking at alternative options as Tottenham’s starting striker.

As it stands, the Brazilian may only start a couple of times before Solanke re-enters the folds.

As a result, the pressure is on for Richarlison – who has eight Premier League appearances this season – to prove his worth in North London before someone else takes his spot.

Tottenham travel to Monaco on Wednesday looking to bounce back from defeat last time out.

Tottenham fell to a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa on 19 October, with Emi Buendia’s strike in the 77th minute proving the difference.

Thomas Frank will be looking to get a reaction from his players as Spurs return to Champions League action.

Cristian Romero went off before Tottenham’s loss to Villa, and he joins a long injury list containing the likes of Destiny Udogie, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke.

Xavi Simons and Mathys Tel dropped for Monaco vs Tottenham

Xavi Simons has had a poor start to his Tottenham career so far, and that continued in the defeat on Sunday.

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Simons was utilised in an attacking midfield role, but he failed to make things happen, with just one chance created and just three passes into the final third, as per Sofascore.

He also struggled defensively, with just one interception and won just five ground duels out of the 12 that he attempted, for a 42 per cent success rate.

He is expected to be replaced by Lucas Bergvall in the number 10 role in the starting line-up for the clash with the Ligue 1 outfit.

Meanwhile, Randal Kolo Muani is predicted be called upon to lead the line, after Mathys Tel struggled against Unai Emery’s side, with Mohammed Kudus and Wilson Odobert on the flanks.

The Frenchman did not create a single chance, and missed the only big chance that he had, while taking just 15 touches in the contest in 60 minutes on the pitch.

The final change is predicted to be Pape Sarr partnering Joao Palhinha, rather than Rodrigo Bentancur in the centre of the park, the midfielder was one of Spurs’ best performers in the loss, but he needs to be kept fit for the run of games coming up.

The Uruguayan scored the opener, created one chance, made three recoveries and won three of his four ground duels, for a 75 per cent success rate, emphasising his importance to Frank’s team.

The rest of the team is expected to be unchanged, with the backline of Guglielmo Vicario, Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Micky Van de Ven and Djed Spence keeping their places in the side.

Frank needs to bench Simons, he needs to earn his place

Simons was a high-profile signing when he came through the doors, and he was expected to take over from James Maddison, after the English star was ruled out for up to seven months.

However, he has failed to do so, with just one assist in eight appearances since he moved to North London from RB Leipzig.

The Lilywhites need Simons to earn his place, through regular contributions from the bench, before he is promoted back into the team.

Given that he joined for a fee of around £52million, he should be making an instant impact, but so far, that has not happened.

He may just need a run out of the side, before he comes back with a vengeance.