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The start of the 2026-27 Premier League season is three weeks away, with the first game, Arsenal vs Coventry City, kicking off on Friday, August 21. So how ready are your club for the campaign to come?

We asked our experts to select two XIs. The first is the strongest possible starting XI for the team they cover, regardless of current injuries or fatigue. The second is the side they would expect to start the first game of the season from the players currently available.

In some cases, those two starting XIs may be identical, but for others they are quite different, especially for those clubs whose players went deep in an expanded World Cup that asked more of participants than any previous tournament. Some are dealing with challenging injury issues. And others clearly still need to make some signings before the action begins…

Arsenal

Arsenal’s strength in depth played a large part in last season’s Premier League title win, and is still intact.

Declan Rice — who was nursing an injury as he did so — is their only midfielder who played an extensive number of minutes at the World Cup.

Arsenal should benefit from Martin Odegaard being eliminated in the quarter-finals, with Mikel Merino an impact substitute and Martin Zubimendi playing just 21 minutes during the tournament. In Rice’s place, Myles Lewis-Skelly could build on the positive momentum he created in midfield late last season, while Arsenal’s pursuit of Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes could refresh their engine room.

In defence, Cristhian Mosquera and Ben White being deputies for an injured William Saliba would satisfy most teams, but Arsenal entering the market for a central defender shows they believe they can add even more depth. Jurrien Timber travelled to Arsenal’s pre-season camp in Spain after recovering from a groin injury, but him “taking things slowly” may mean White starting at right-back on the opening day.

With Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke reaching the final weekend of the World Cup, manager Mikel Arteta is in a privileged position to choose from either Ethan Nwaneri or Max Dowman to slot in. Nwaneri may play more centrally in pre-season.

Their warm-up games could be a shootout for the centre-forward spot between Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz. Gyokeres improved as his 2025-26 debut campaign went on, but when fit, Arteta opted for Havertz during the biggest games of the run-in. That competition at the start of the season is something Arsenal did not have last year.

On the left wing, Christos Tzolis is their only signing so far that could break into the starting XI. That could change if Arsenal move for Vinicius Junior, and Gabriel Martinelli is a more than capable option.

Art de Roché

Aston Villa

Predicting Aston Villa’s strongest team and the starting XI for their season opener away to Brighton is a thankless task. Villa are in a state of transition, with several players’ futures uncertain, even following the summer departures of Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers.

So this could become quickly outdated, should Arsenal or another club match Villa’s valuation for Ezri Konsa, or Emiliano Martinez pushes further to leave. There is also interest in Ollie Watkins. I’ve gone for Lamare Bogarde to start in midfield, given that Amadou Onana is injured and Boubacar Kamara is only just returning to fitness after missing the second half of last season, though the young Dutchman also has admirers elsewhere.

Regardless of the flux, Villa’s strongest XI shows they are currently without their best midfield pivot, though Joao Gomes and another signing (they have been in talks to take Joao Palhinha off Bayern Munich’s hands) may prove ample replacements.

Villa do look light in forward positions; while Alejandro Garnacho may force his way into both teams and Johan Manzambi is an exciting talent, they require another wide player plus a general attacker to provide Unai Emery with greater options and variety going forward.

Jacob Tanswell

Bournemouth

The futures of Alex Scott and Junior Kroupi are uncertain but the club want to keep both beyond this summer. Kroupi has just undergone surgery for a foot injury sustained in training and with no public timeline yet for his return, Amine Adli could replace him in the opener away to Manchester City.

Marcos Senesi is the major summer departure but James Hill’s form at the end of last season suggested he can take over and partner Bafode Diakite in central defence.

Right-back remains a problem area. Captain Adam Smith, 35, started their 4-1 friendly win over St. Pauli last week but could Max Aarons, back from loan spells with Valencia and Rangers last season, win over new head coach Marco Rose? Aarons was a second-half substitute against St. Pauli.

Scott and Tyler Adams as the holding midfielders with Kroupi ahead of them worked well under Andoni Iraola. Scott and Ryan Christie started last week but Adams, fresh off a solid World Cup campaign, should be ready for the trip to Manchester.

Bournemouth are well stocked higher up the pitch for their maiden campaign in Europe. Christie, Lewis Cook, Alex Toth and Justin Kluivert are solid rotation options in midfield. Ben Gannon-Doak and David Brooks provide depth on the wings, while new arrival Alvaro Rodriguez is an exciting Evanilson backup.

Defensive depth is a concern, though there should be optimism about the future. Veljko Milosavljevic and Matai Akinmboni, both 19, are the backup centre-backs, while Julio Soler, 21, and Julian Araujo, who struggled early last season before being loaned to Celtic in January, add depth at full-back.

Anantaajith Raghuraman

Brentford

Brentford’s biggest issue over the past few years has been at left-back. Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey have struggled to return to peak form after suffering long-term knee and hamstring injuries respectively in the 2023-24 season. Keane Lewis-Potter prefers to play further forward but has deputised admirably at left-back and could start against Tottenham on the opening weekend.

Chelsea are working to sign Jordan Henderson, which means somebody else needs to partner Mikkel Damsgaard and Yehor Yarmoliuk in central midfield. Mathias Jensen would provide an extra dose of creativity but Brentford will be hoping Antoni Milambo can make the position his own after his 2025-26 debut season was wrecked by an ACL injury in October.

Igor Thiago’s position as the first-choice striker is secure despite an underwhelming World Cup campaign with Brazil and the arrival of Callum Wilson. Dango Ouattara should retain his role on the right wing but Jaidon Anthony could nudge Kevin Schade out of the starting XI. Anthony and Schade both scored eight times in the Premier League last season but the latter’s form dropped off significantly; the Germany international only managed two goals in his last 18 appearances. Head coach Keith Andrews might prefer to stick with Schade over Anthony, who only moved to west London from Burnley earlier this summer.

Jay Harris

Brighton & Hove Albion

Just how fit is Kaoru Mitoma? The Japan international had his season cut short and World Cup hopes ended by a hamstring injury in early May, a frustrating finish to a term in which he suffered with other fitness issues.

Anticipating that Mitoma is not rushed back in, Diego Gomez is coach Fabian Hurzeler’s preference on the left. He’s more of a No 10 than a winger, meaning a lot of running and width is going to be required from the club’s 2025-26 player of the season Ferdi Kadioglu — the standout full-back on both sides, and part of the reason that right-back Costinha has been signed from Olympiacos.

The departure of Danny Welbeck is reasonable, allowing the 35-year-old to move to Chelsea as the club’s record Premier League scorer, though it truly underlines the lack of ready-made options at striker. Greek duo Stefanos Tzimas (who suffered an ACL injury last season) and Charampoulos Kostoulas have plenty of potential, though Hurzeler is in need of a first-choice No 9.

It’s imperative for all involved that Carlos Baleba rediscovers his 2024-25 form. Veteran James Milner was preferred alongside Pascal Gross at the end of the season. Milner has now retired, so expect Gross to be paired with versatile midfielder Jack Hinshelwood — Hurzeler moved the academy graduate to No 10 last year with real success.

There is reconfiguration needed at centre-back, too. Jan Paul van Hecke’s departure to Tottenham meant the loss of a quality passer and line breaker. Luka Vuskovic, who came the other way from the north Londoners, cost a club-record fee. He should provide box-defending quality alongside Lewis Dunk, meaning greater ball-playing demands will have to be shared among the defence.

Liam Tharme

Chelsea

Selecting an XI for Chelsea to begin the season is made more of a challenge by the uncertainty around what formation new manager Xabi Alonso will employ.

His Bayer Leverkusen teams predominantly lined up in a 3-4-2-1, which, given the prospect of new signing Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer playing together behind a striker and the acquisition of right wing-back Marco Palestra, would appeal. But that idea slightly falls down on the lack of left-sided options — though Palestra can play on that flank too, Chelsea have yet to replace Marc Cucurella after his move to Real Madrid. Jorrel Hato had a strong second half of last season but is more of a left-back/centre-back hybrid than a flying wing-back.

A 4-2-3-1, then, which Alonso tended to use last season at Real Madrid, perhaps makes more sense for now, though there is a question over whether the players that reached the World Cup semi-finals — Rogers, Reece James, Enzo Fernandez and Maxence Lacroix — will be available for the opening game against Fulham.

Chelsea fans may also worry about Robert Sanchez in goal. While the club believe the back-from-loan Mike Penders has significant potential, it may be wise to ease in the 20-year-old Belgian and start off with a known entity in Sanchez, before making a switch during the season.

Luke Bosher

Coventry City

Maintaining momentum and personnel from a swashbuckling Championship title-winning season has been the priority for Frank Lampard’s side, as Coventry prepare for their first taste of Premier League football since 2001.

Goalkeeper Carl Rushworth was the only member of last season’s best XI to depart over the summer, initially returning to parent club Brighton at the end of his loan spell, so his pending return plugs Coventry’s main hole.

The signing of 22-year-old Aurele Amenda from Eintracht Frankfurt is a welcome addition, providing Champions League experience and a partner for either Liam Kitching or Bobby Thomas in central defence. Full-backs Milan van Ewijk and Jay Dasilva are athletic, and it’s possible a back three of Amenda, Thomas and Kitching, albeit not something consistently trialled by Lampard, might be used.

The full-backs lack competition, which can also be said about their captain Matt Grimes. He is the anchor, with box-to-box option and midfield partner Frank Onyeka the only player with prominent Premier League experience, despite never nailing down a starting place in his five years at Brentford. Granit Xhaka’s impact for Sunderland last season proves that acquiring experience has to be Lampard’s priority over the final month of the transfer window.

Coventry’s biggest strength is in attack. They scored 97 league goals last term and struggled to find game-time for all their attacking talent, but again, only Ellis Simms has played at Premier League level.

George Edwards

Crystal Palace

Given Palace had 12 players involved in the World Cup, their pre-season preparation has been disrupted. Only Oscar Mingueza has to date joined during the transfer window, while Maxence Lacroix has left for Chelsea.

There is an obvious need for a Lacroix replacement at centre-back, something Palace are looking at. Brennan Johnson seems more likely to start the season as the left-sided No 10, given Yeremy Pino was given two weeks off after Spain won the World Cup final on July 19.

It is possible Will Hughes might start over Adam Wharton in midfield as the latter is recovering from a minor ankle problem and has not been involved with Palace at the Como Cup pre-season tournament in Italy.

They are strongest in attack, with Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jorgen Strand Larsen accompanied by Ismaila Sarr, who was outstanding last season. The first-choice XI is strong, but there is a lack of depth in most positions.

In the long term, they may be concerned about their striker options should Mateta leave next summer when his contract expires, and right wing-back if Daniel Munoz is sold or struggles with injury — despite Mingueza being capable cover.

They will also need to strengthen their central midfield, with Hughes and Jefferson Lerma (both are 31) ageing, Wharton potentially being sold next summer and Daichi Kamada signing only a one-year deal earlier this month.

Matt Woosnam

Everton

This was tough, mainly because there are so many unknowns when it comes to Everton at present.

A new right-back remains essential, and would allow Jake O’Brien to move inside into his favoured central defensive position. Merlin Rohl has been trialled there in pre-season games, but that looks like a partial fit at best. It’s high time Everton signed a new, long-term option there.

Central midfield also looks light after Idrissa Gueye’s exit and James Garner’s groin surgery. Everton are looking to replace the former, and could ideally do with someone coming in before the opening game against Crystal Palace, given Garner is touch and go for the start of the season too. With Iliman Ndiaye’s future uncertain, a new winger could be needed as well.

I went with Beto up front over Thierno Barry, but that was a close call. Both had their moments last season, but also prolonged spells where they were out of form. Manager David Moyes will be hoping one of them makes the position his own this season.

Patrick Boyland

Fulham

Where do we begin? Well, goals could be a problem. Harry Wilson and Raul Jimenez have departed on free transfers, taking 40 per cent of Fulham’s league goals from last season with them and leaving Rodrigo Muniz (who scored once in his 21 top-flight appearances) as new coach Alvaro Arbeloa’s only senior striker.

Raiding Real Madrid, Arbeloa’s previous club, for Gonzalo Garcia could help solve the issues in attack, but other gaps need plugging, too. Reinforcements are needed at centre-back before the opener against Chelsea, particularly since Joachim Andersen is suspended for that one after his red card against Bournemouth in May.

If Fulham fail to add another defender, Arbeloa may be forced into fielding an untested partnership of Calvin Bassey and Jorge Cuenca, two left-footers who rarely play on the right side.

Sander Berge is established in midfield, but Sasa Lukic looks destined to leave for Ipswich Town. Cesar Palacios, another Madrid academy graduate, could boost numbers if he is reunited with Arbeloa, but Fulham desperately lack depth.

The squad has talent and experience, but Arbeloa will know there is work to be done.

Justin Guthrie

Hull City

Hull City snuck into the Premier League through the play-offs after finishing sixth last season, 22 points behind Championship winners Coventry. The side that beat Middlesbrough 1-0 in the play-off final already looked severely undercooked for the rigours of the Premier League, and little has happened in the transfer window to change that impression.

Their opening-day XI against Manchester United is likely to look very similar to the one that started at Wembley. One guaranteed change comes in goal, after Ivor Pandur left for Rangers with Hull signing former England international Jack Butland from the same club as his replacement. Experienced, physical striker Oli McBurnie and tricky Algerian winger Mohamed Belloumi give them some spark in attack, but this is a side who look in relegation danger from day one.

Reinforcements are starting to trickle in. Defensive midfielder Hidemasa Morita has arrived from Sporting CP and full-back Matt Targett from Newcastle, both on free transfers, and both should feature prominently over the course of the season. They may not be thrown straight in, however, if head coach Sergej Jakirovic initially leans on the players he trusted during their promotion run.

Conor O’Neill

Ipswich Town

Set to embark on their first season without manager Kieran McKenna since 2021, this Ipswich team feel more prepared for Premier League football than the one relegated from the top flight two seasons ago.

Leif Davis, Dara O’Shea and Jaden Philogene were part of that 2024-25 side and their experience of the domestic elite will be invaluable.

Issa Diop represents an astute acquisition for new manager Gary O’Neil, and the addition of Abdul Fatawu adds more attacking talent to the wide areas — Jack Clarke and Philogene scored 28 goals between them last season, and there are plenty of options to play at No 10, too.

There are questions about other areas, though. How will new goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen adapt to the Premier League? Can Azor Matusiwa implement his destructive ball-winning capabilities? Central midfield is an area Ipswich must strengthen after Dan Neil and Jens Cajuste’s loans expired at the end of last term.

Up top, the signing of Emersonn — Ipswich’s first Brazilian player — fits into last season’s system of having a striker to drop deep and feed the wingers, but they lack a proven goalscorer, having failed to replace Liam Delap since he left for Chelsea a year ago.

George Edwards

Leeds United

This isn’t a particularly exciting feature from a Leeds perspective because, as it stands, there’s no reason why their strongest XI should not be starting on day one at Nottingham Forest.

The first caveat is in goal, of course. At the time of writing, Manchester City’s James Trafford was understood to be finalising a transfer to Leeds. If that goes through he will, of course, be the starting goalkeeper.

The biggest talking point is the formation Daniel Farke ultimately chooses to use. Undoubtedly, a 3-4-2-1 delivered the best results last season, but the manager’s natural inclination is to play with four defenders. Whether it is in this shape or in a 4-2-3-1, Noah Okafor may be the biggest question mark. Leeds are keen on adding a left-winger to their ranks, which would challenge the Swiss’ place.

The trade-off between a 3-4-2-1 and 4-2-3-1 is a centre-back vs a No 10. If Farke does want to switch to the latter, it’s hard to call which of the three centre-backs makes way for what would be a new No 10 in the squad. At the time of writing, Julian Brandt is one of the club’s targets in this position, but it would be no surprise to see Leeds move on to someone else if the German takes much longer to make a decision.

Beren Cross

Liverpool

There’s a lot up in the air for Liverpool at the start of Andoni Iraola’s reign given their injury situation, the late return of star names following the World Cup and their ongoing attempts to strengthen the squad, with Paris Saint-Germain and France winger Bradley Barcola their top target.

What the two different XIs show is that there is greater uncertainty at the top end of the field.

Defensively, captain Virgil van Dijk looks set to form a new centre-back partnership with summer signing Jeremy Jacquet. Milos Kerkez is nailed on to be the left-back going forward, but right-back is a problem area with Conor Bradley to miss the next few months. Unless Liverpool buy another option, Jeremie Frimpong will start the season there.

Midfield is pretty settled, with Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai expected to line up together. And Iraola has made it clear that he believes Florian Wirtz is best suited to operating in the No 10 role ahead of them.

Liverpool desperately need striker Alexander Isak to stay fit and start repaying last summer’s £125million fee. Who plays either side of him this season is unclear. Hugo Ekitike could operate off the left but won’t be back for months yet following surgery on his Achilles.

If Barcola signs, then he would certainly be first choice in that role. But as things stand in terms of fit and available players, Cody Gakpo probably gets the nod.

Iraola has said he wants his wingers to be able to operate off both flanks and he’s been experimenting with 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha on the right. Newcomer Victor Munoz will be another option once he’s up to speed.

James Pearce

Manchester City

It is hard to predict how pre-season will develop and how quickly the likes of Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Elliot Anderson will be ready for action, but with City’s final group of World Cup players expected back three or four days before the Community Shield against Arsenal on August 16, there is a decent chance they start the season against Bournemouth, even allowing for a bit of rustiness.

That probably also highlights a couple of areas in the squad that need improving — Anderson is expected to be a key figure in midfield next season and probably could do with another high-quality new arrival next to him, especially if Rodri leaves. Haaland’s importance up front is obvious, too.

City are well stocked at centre-back, and in truth it could be any combination of Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, Abdukodir Khusanov and Marc Guehi starting the season, while maybe Phil Foden can take advantage of being on the pre-season tour to East Asia to get ahead of Rayan Cherki, another who will not be back for a couple more weeks.

Sam Lee

Manchester United

United’s strongest XI still appears to have an issue with mobility in the middle, with Kobbie Mainoo and new signing Youri Tielemans highly technical players. It could be that coach Michael Carrick feels United can progress that way, by maintaining possession rather than showing athleticism, but there will be games in the 2026-27 Premier League when hard running is required.

Defence also looks like it needs upgrades to get the club back into title contention, with United considering left-backs to rotate with Luke Shaw, given their renewed Champions League commitments.

Their post-World Cup absentees mean it is plausible Carrick selects a team mainly made up of players who have been with him throughout pre-season, with Mason Mount, for instance, so far doing well in that deeper midfield role, albeit retaining a place for Bruno Fernandes given his importance.

Benjamin Sesko’s rehabilitation from a shin injury might mean a team-mate starts the season up front, with Matheus Cunha perhaps shading Joshua Zirkzee.

Longer-term, bringing in a striker to support Sesko seems necessary, but United might feel Bryan Mbeumo and, if he stays, Marcus Rashford can do that job.

Laurie Whitwell

Newcastle United

There are a few things to note about these selections.

Firstly, they are the same. Secondly, they do not begin to tell the story of where Newcastle are and where they are headed. Thirdly, they contain no new signings. Fourthly, they do contain the name of Bruno Guimaraes, who has told the club he wishes to join Arsenal and is edging towards the exit, with dispiriting echoes of Alexander Isak’s contentious move to Liverpool a year ago.

There is hope that both Tino Livramento and Lewis Miley, who have been suffering from injuries, will be fit enough to start the season, but if this is the XI that faces Liverpool on the opening Sunday of the season, trouble lies ahead.

Newcastle still have a lot of business to do; they need a first-choice goalkeeper, reinforcements in defence and attack, and they have a dearth of leadership and experience. Of the four new additions so far, none are expected to begin the Liverpool game, although this will now be a matter for a new head coach — expected to be Matthias Jaissle.

More players will arrive and more will leave. The team above feels recognisable and familiar and stale, but a new Newcastle is on the way.

George Caulkin

Nottingham Forest

Oliver Glasner hopes to add four further quality additions to the squad he has inherited since being appointed Forest head coach, so the dynamic will likely change between now and the opening game against Leeds.

Discussions over a deal to sign Ousmane Diomande from Sporting CP — in a deal expected to be worth around £35million — are at a very advanced stage. Glasner sees the Ivory Coast international as a key piece of the jigsaw in his back three and he would likely come in for Jair Cunha.

Forest have already signed Xaver Schlager, a man Glasner knows and trusts from their time together at Wolfsburg, but also want to add another midfielder to fill the void left by the £116million departure of Elliot Anderson to Manchester City — with Tottenham’s Lucas Bergvall still the primary target. If a deal can be concluded, he would immediately be in contention for a starting place.

They are also in negotiations to sign wing-back Anan Khalaili from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, having had an initial bid rejected, although if he does arrive he may not immediately oust the reliable Ola Aina.

Glasner also believes it is important to sign a quick, powerful striker who can get in behind defences. While they value the qualities of Chris Wood — who scored 20 goals during the 2024-2025 campaign — they are also aware that he will be 35 soon and is carrying a knee issue that must be managed.

Paul Taylor

Sunderland

Sunderland are broadly injury-free, and a dearth of transfer activity means there aren’t really any new faces for coach Regis Le Bris to weigh up just yet. Free signing Thomas Meunier is the sole arrival to date, and it’s doubtful he’ll plunge straight into a starting berth.

Le Bris still has choices to make, principally down that right side and behind striker Brian Brobbey. Chemsdine Talbi is a ‘big moments’ player but was usurped on the right side of midfield by full-back-by-trade Trai Hume toward the end of last season. It would be no surprise if the Northern Irishman continues in a hybrid role.

To the left of him, it’s uncertain whether the excellent Enzo Le Fee will retain his central spot or be shunted to the left for Habib Diarra, who was hit by injury in his 2025-26 debut year but has undoubted talent.

Either way, reinforcements are both expected and needed ahead of a campaign that will include the added demands of Europa League football, albeit quality is expected over quantity.

Sunderland keep their cards close to their chest but hold an interest in Toulouse left-back Dayann Methalie. At the fee it would take to get him, the 20-year-old will be straight into the team if signed.

Chris Weatherspoon

Tottenham Hotspur

Djed Spence and Pedro Porro being involved until the final weekend of the World Cup means that Archie Gray might have to deputise at right-back for the first few weeks of the season. Otherwise, Tottenham’s defence looks strong, and their biggest concern is further forward.

Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons are all recovering from long-term knee injuries, which leaves the side desperately short of creativity. Mohammed Kudus missed out on the current pre-season tour to Australia and New Zealand but head coach Roberto De Zerbi is optimistic he can be involved in full training soon. Kudus has not played since January, which means he might not be ready to start against Brentford on the opening weekend.

Spurs need to improve their options out wide and are interested in Savinho, who they tried to sign from Manchester City last summer. Mathys Tel’s role would be under threat if they acquire the Brazilian, or another winger. Tel’s time in north London has been challenging; he has been shunted around multiple positions and has only scored six times in 44 appearances. If Tottenham don’t sign someone before that first game, De Zerbi might have to use an awkward front three of the Frenchman, Richarlison and Dominic Solanke.

The squad is in a much better position than anybody would have predicted at the end of last season but, as De Zerbi has admitted, Tottenham still want a couple more players in before the window closes on September 1.

Jay Harris

Tottenham Hotspur have been the busiest Premier League club in the transfer market this summer. They have spent nearly £250million ($337m) on six players, breaking their transfer record twice in the process, and are showing no signs of slowing down.

Spurs are working hard on their pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand and head coach Roberto De Zerbi has teased supporters that something exciting is about to happen.

“But the transfer market, it’s not finished for sure,” the Italian told a group of reporters including The Athletic. “We have completed 60 per cent of our project in the transfer market. Now we have another ‘bomba’.”

The initial reaction to De Zerbi’s comments was that he was talking about Savinho. Spurs tried to sign the Brazilian winger from Manchester City last year and are confident they can finally complete a deal this summer.

However, the “bomba” signing De Zerbi referenced is actually expected to be a different attacking addition.

Last summer under then head coach Thomas Frank, Spurs missed out on Bryan Mbeumo, Eberechi Eze, Antoine Semenyo and Morgan Gibbs-White before signing Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons. Their window was defined by rejection, but everything around the club feels different now. Fans will be dreaming of who this mystery player could be and, crucially, will have genuine belief sporting director Johan Lange, director of football operations Raphael Moersen and chief executive officer Vinai Venkatesham can pull the deal off.

The Athletic has considered the needs of the squad and crunched the numbers to draw up a shortlist of potential “bomba” signings. Due to a lack of quality and a long injury list which includes Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Simons and Kudus, we have looked at possible targets across the entire forward line.

Let’s start things off by quickly defining what a “bomba” signing actually is.

We will use Mateus Fernandes’ £85m move from West Ham United to Spurs at the beginning of July as an example. West Ham were relegated last season but Fernandes was one of their standout performers and, at 21, should have the best years of his career ahead of him. Manchester United were considered the frontrunners for his signature so there was an element of surprise when Spurs emerged victorious.

So to break it down, there needs to be a significant amount of money involved for a player already operating at a high level with the potential to become elite. And bonus points for any added drama around the deal.

An elite winger

Bradley Barcola would tick all of the above boxes.

The versatile winger has had to share game time with Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at Paris Saint-Germain over the last couple of seasons, but has still demonstrated his quality on multiple occasions. The 23-year-old’s finishing needs to be refined but his lightning-quick speed would offer Spurs a threat on the counter.

Barcola has scored 39 times in 152 appearances for back-to-back Champions League winners PSG and popped up with three goals for France at the World Cup, too. He has only two years left on his contract at the Parc des Princes and has made it clear he will not sign a new deal. The Athletic reported earlier this week that Liverpool were preparing to make an opening offer for him and were looking to do a deal around £100m.

That would not deter Spurs as they fought off competition from Manchester United to sign Fernandes and spent a similar fee on Sandro Tonali.

Barcola predominantly plays off the left so the big question around this deal would be whether it is necessary to sign him and Savinho. It would also put Mathys Tel in a precarious position.

Abde Ezzalzouli should have been a breakout star at the World Cup but he suffered a knee injury in Morocco’s final warm-up game which ruled him out of the entire tournament. The 24-year-old is a mazy dribbler who can create space for his team-mates by drawing multiple players towards him or stretch opposition defences with runs in behind.

Brahim Diaz received a lot of plaudits for his performances at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, but Ezzalzouli played a crucial role in Morocco’s run to the final. Along with Ismael Saibari, the trio freely interchanged positions which would be fun to see replicated with Xavi and Kudus.

Ezzalzouli’s career has reignited at Real Betis after he spent a couple of years hardly playing for Barcelona. The biggest concern for Spurs would be his end product — he scored 10 goals in La Liga last season, but he has not always been consistent in the final third. Across the 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns, he only scored three times in 60 appearances.

He would be a cheaper alternative to some of the other names on this list. De Zerbi has spoken about the need to sign “maybe a couple more players” before the window closes, so Spurs need to be conscious of not spending it all on one target.

A new centre-forward?

Every summer Richarlison is linked with a move away from north London. The 29-year-old has entered the final 12 months of his contract so Spurs need to act quickly if they want to sell him for a decent price.

Richarlison’s international team-mate Endrick would be an exciting prospect. The 20-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Lyon from Real Madrid and scored eight goals. He did not cross paths with De Zerbi as the Italian left Marseille by mutual consent a couple of weeks before Endrick recorded two assists for Lyon in a 3-2 defeat at the Stade Velodrome.

Dominic Solanke should be Spurs’ first-choice striker if he can avoid the injury problems which prevented him from playing consistently last season. Endrick is a youthful alternative who could be developed to replace Solanke long-term. It would be a challenging deal to pull off, though, as Endrick is expected to stay with Real Madrid to provide back-up to Kylian Mbappe with Gonzalo Garcia heading towards Fulham.

With a number of quick, high-volume dribblers linked on the wings, Spurs could be in the market for a back-up No 9 who can hold up the ball and feed runners beyond him, much like Solanke can at full flow.

Using The Athletic’s player style pizza wheels, we have filtered for strikers who rank highly in goal threat and box presence, but also those who are strong at attacking crosses in the air and retaining the ball under pressure with their back to goal.

Alongside the unrealistic options of Erling Haaland, Benjamin Sesko and the recently transferred Goncalo Ramos (who has moved from PSG to Milan), Bayer Leverkusen’s Christian Kofane leaps off the page. Still just 20, the Cameroonian has already grown into a sturdy 1.89m (6ft 2in) frame that allows him to battle with defenders and protect the ball well.

In addition, Kofane is quick and mobile, happy to run the channels and press from the front, while the variety of finishes on show from his first season in the Bundesliga shows that there is an eye for goal and ball-striking technique to hone.

International team-mate Etta Eyong, of Levante, also passes the stats test — another bustling striker with great upper-body strength and flashes of two-footed finishing and neat hold-up play. But both would need time to adapt to the pace of the Premier League, even if they are promising prospects for the future.

De Zerbi could be in the market for more tried-and-tested players, in which case reuniting with Amine Gouiri would make plenty of sense.

In his prime years at 26, the Algerian forward scored 14 league goals in just over 18 full games under the Italian at Marseille, hitting double figures in his last six top-flight seasons in France.

Gouiri would offer versatility and technical quality, a player happy to drop into deeper positions and dribble his way out of pressure. He played more as a left winger at former club Rennes, but still managed to time his movements into the box where his one-touch finishing helped convert crosses and cut-backs from the opposite side.

He thrives when the game opens up, able to turn away from pressure and glide forward with the ball; the kind of player who can exploit the spaces that De Zerbi’s highly-structured build-up looks to create.

World Cup winner Ferran Torres is another player who ranks highly under our link-up filter. The Barcelona forward is a different option to Solanke with his ability in tight spaces and desire to stretch the defensive line with darting runs in-behind.

As we can see from SkillCorner’s off-ball run profile below, Torres frequently attacks the space behind the opposition defence, a valuable profile against tired legs or in tandem with wingers who can get to the byline and cross. He would also bring an underrated eye for goal, racking up 16 La Liga goals last season with a series of intelligent runs and finishes.

Out of contract next summer, and with Barcelona looking for cash, Spurs could do worse than to test the waters and unite Torres with his international team-mate Pedro Porro.

A No 10 with some punch?

Spurs boast a number of tidy, technical players in the front line but this summer’s spending spree feels an opportunity to add some punch to the No 10 position.

Using our scouting tool once more, we are looking for attacking midfielders with a high creative threat, but also comfortable linking play and shooting from distance.

A familiar name rises to the top in last summer’s target Nico Paz. The 20-year-old has developed rapidly at Italian side Como, a dependable source of attacking inspiration on the way to qualifying for the Champions League for the first time. He takes great responsibility when it comes to demanding the ball and driving his team up the pitch with surging runs, and is not shy around the penalty area, with only Mbappe, Haaland and Deniz Undav taking more non-penalty shots last season.

As we can see from his goal contribution map below, he can pop up with a moment of magic from range, and likes to float into spaces and sweep passes across the attacking third.

However, Como announced Paz was staying in Italy last month and that former club Real Madrid “retains the right” to re-sign him in the future. A deal looks complicated and unlikely for Spurs, which is exactly why it would qualify as a “bomba” if they managed it.

Our data search throws up an exciting alternative in Can Uzun.

Also just 20, the Eintracht Frankfurt winger can play across the front line, possesses a similarly devastating strike from distance, and is difficult to barge off the ball in tight spaces.

His player-profile dashboard below illustrates his creative ability from outside the box, maintaining a strong goal threat while moving the ball forward with his passing.

While De Zerbi can rely on James Maddison next season in the absence of Xavi, a deal for an expansive, ambitious attacking midfielder like Uzun would provide excellent cover and allow Spurs to get ahead of the market while he develops at the club.

Whatever happens with this mystery potential signing, it is becoming increasingly clear that Spurs are building their strongest squad in a long time under De Zerbi.

It has been clear from watching Tottenham in the last few weeks that the mood has changed. The results on the pitch tell that story clearly enough. You can draw a clear upwards line from the narrow defeat at Sunderland, through the painful draw against Brighton, the narrow win over Wolves and the emphatic one at Villa Park on Sunday night.

The challenge, of course, is to keep that line trending upwards for the last three games. Do that, and Tottenham can finally stop worrying about trips to Lincoln, Preston and Wrexham next season.

At the centre of this is Roberto De Zerbi. He is the protagonist, the man who arrived in April with the goal of turning Spurs’ season around and keeping them in the Premier League. He is the man who has reset the mood and brought everyone together again. Any explanation of their apparent upturn — we can reassess how real it is late on Monday night — must start with him.

But there is a limit to what De Zerbi can do. He is not out on the pitch running, pressing, passing and tackling. Like any manager, all he can do is show the players the way and hope that they follow it. So any story about Tottenham in the last few weeks which ends with De Zerbi, his tactics, his speeches, his passion, is incomplete. De Zerbi himself is a necessary factor but not a sufficient one.

Any full story about Spurs over the last month has to take in those with agency on the pitch: the players themselves. Not just in the sense of their movements or tactics, either, but something more fundamental than that: their buy-in to the new manager and his ideas. Speak to any manager, and they will tell you that it is the most important currency at any football club. Without it, it is impossible for anything to get off the ground.

No one can look at the story of Tottenham’s season up until 31 March and say that this was a club awash with buy-in. Both Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor struggled to get the players committed to their particular styles. For far too much of this year, the players looked lost, unsure of themselves, lacking conviction when it mattered. Big moments were rarely seized. Setbacks turned into collapses. And most damagingly of all, the players often looked as if they knew that ultimately the manager would take the blame for things going wrong.

The dysfunction of the club and the unsuitability of the manager were excuses for them to hide behind, which they were not reluctant to do.

Even Spurs’ senior players, the ones they should be relying on in a crisis, were nowhere to be seen. None of Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro, or Micky van de Ven could be said to be having a good season until De Zerbi arrived. Rodrigo Bentancur was not playing well when he picked up a hamstring injury. Dominic Solanke missed the first half of the season but did not truly recover his rhythm. James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski have not played one single competitive minute between them. No wonder that many Spurs fans’ favourite players one month ago were Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall.

This last month has seen something that few would have predicted: a total resurrection of the commitment of those senior players. This has been evident everywhere you look. And not only on the pitch.

Take the Brighton game, for example. Bentancur and Yves Bissouma were integral for Spurs, starting together for the first time since Bilbao. They wanted the ball under pressure, they moved it forward, and they gave Spurs a foothold in the game.

But there was another moment too, long after both men had gone off. During a break in play in the second half, Bissouma and Bentancur came off the bench to give tactical instructions to their team-mates. Soon after, Xavi Simons put them ahead. Of course, that game ended in misery, with Spurs pegged back in added time, but there was a clear sense of commitment from the players that had been lacking before.

No one would argue that Porro or Van de Ven were having great campaigns up until one month ago. Their performances and attitude had been widely questioned for months. But those two now look suddenly back to their best again. Spurs kept a rare clean sheet at Molineux, their first since December, and they were seconds away from following it up with another at Villa Park.

But their improvement under De Zerbi owes even more to their defensive work than to what they have done with the ball. And Van de Ven and Porro, along with Kevin Danso, have been integral to it.

Porro had been a warrior all night at Villa Park, and towards the end, with Spurs defending their 2-0 lead, he won a series of consecutive 50-50s on the right side of the pitch. At the end of the sequence, he celebrated as if he had scored a goal. And at the end of the game, he was celebrating the win with the away end, a far cry from the often-frosty relationship he has had with fans this season.

Even the players who have not been fit to play have been involved. De Zerbi has made a point of including Maddison on the bench in recent weeks. Maddison only had ACL surgery nine months ago and has returned to training, but has not played yet. But De Zerbi has spoken about the importance of Maddison’s experience and personality with the rest of the group, a clear way he can help the team even before he can get on the pitch. Anyone who knows Maddison will tell you that he is a people person, someone who others gravitate towards, with a positive personality that can glue dressing rooms together.

Vicario has not even been fit enough for the bench under De Zerbi but he too has been present, cheering the team on from the sidelines, living the results just as he would if he were out there.

Put it all together, and it almost feels as if, over the course of the last month, Spurs’ senior players have finally started to rise to the challenge they face. Following the clear instructions of the new manager, to which they are fully bought-in, they are working hard, pulling together and taking responsibility on the pitch.

They are the ones with agency after all. And now they have to do it again on Monday.

Welcome back to The Athletic’s relegation battle tracker, where our data and tactics writers examine the key trends behind the fight for Premier League survival.

With further victories for Leeds United and Nottingham Forest pulling them further from the relegation zone, it looks like it will be a straight shootout between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United in a fight to avoid the drop.

Three games remain for each, and it seems like things are set to go down to the final day.

With the help of Opta’s supercomputer, allow our analysts to assess the latest twists and turns as we enter the final four games.

What has changed since the last gameweek?

It is no exaggeration to say that Leeds and Nottingham Forest are two of the most in-form teams in the Premier League right now. Only four sides are unbeaten in their last 5+ games — they are Manchester City, Bournemouth, Leeds and Forest, with the threat of relegation looking increasingly distant.

Leeds’ 3-1 victory over Burnley was pretty routine, but Forest’s 3-1 victory at Chelsea was among the best results of gameweek 35 — and they were good value for the win.

Given their exploits in the Europa League semi-final, Vitor Pereira rang the changes to his starting line-up on Monday afternoon, but Forest took a 3-0 lead before an hour was on the clock, with clinical efficiency from Taiwo Awoniyi and Igor Jesus.

The only blemish, quite literally, was the horrible facial injury suffered by talisman Morgan Gibbs-White, who came off second best in a challenge with Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Given how influential he has been in thrusting Forest away from relegation threat, you would hope he can appear in the final weeks of the season.

Elsewhere, West Ham’s 3-0 loss to Brentford was a decisive result in their chances of survival. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side actually played rather well despite the scoreline, but the result is far more important than the performance at this stage of the season.

That drop back into the relegation zone came about after Spurs’ 2-1 victory over a much-changed Aston Villa side on Sunday evening, with signs of life in Roberto De Zerbi’s side.

Spurs pressed excellently and appeared to have had an injection of energy as they went 2-0 up within the opening half an hour. While Villa’s own performance left little to be admired, Spurs were good value for the win as they look to continue to build some momentum to get them over the line by the end of the month.

Who is looking stronger?

If we look at the history books, Leeds should be confident that safety is now assured.

No team has ever been relegated from the Premier League with 43 points in a 38-game season, giving Daniel Farke an extra bit of wriggle room in the final three games.

Given how tight things have been in the league table this season, Leeds will want to hoover up a couple more points for good measure, but the evidence suggests that fans can sleep a little easier after their excellent run of form in the past few weeks.

The same can be said for Forest on 42 points, with their momentum coming at the perfect time of the season with a seven-game unbeaten run under Vitor Pereira.

Two goals from Awoniyi on Monday would be welcomed, but the attacking firepower of Igor Jesus, Chris Wood and Gibbs-White has been the difference in recent games. With 16 goals in their last five Premier League games, Forest have been due a little spike in luck in front of goal.

Looking at the graphic below, they were scoring fewer goals than the quality of their chances suggested, but a recent glut of finishes has seen those fortunes reverse at a crucial time.

It would be oversimplistic to say that Spurs are now looking strong, but De Zerbi has picked up crucial points since arriving, with Spurs securing back-to-back victories for the first time since their opening two games of the season.

That is made all the more impressive when you consider the limited options that De Zerbi has to choose from in his squad. According to The Athletic’s measure — looking at the consistency of starting and substitute minutes played — Spurs have the fourth-lowest squad stability this season.

With so many injuries to key players in the squad, the patchiness of the graphic below shows how rarely any of their head coaches have been able to name a consistent starting XI.

Who has the tougher upcoming schedule?

Leeds should feel confident about their current situation already, but their remaining games are also favourable. According to Opta’s Power Rankings — denoting the strength of each team — Farke’s side have the easiest run-in of any side fighting to avoid the drop.

Forest also look set for safety, but they will be grateful that they have cashed in the points lately — with some nasty fixtures against Newcastle, Manchester United and Bournemouth in their final three games.

Momentum can be an unquantifiable (but cruel) beast when you are struggling at the bottom of the table. West Ham looked to have breathed life back into their season in recent weeks, but last weekend’s loss comes at the worst time before facing title-chasing Arsenal on Sunday.

An away trip to Newcastle does not look easy, potentially putting even more pressure on their final-day clash with Leeds at the end of the month.

If West Ham lose and Spurs beat Leeds on Monday, the gap will be four points between 17th and 18th. With Nuno’s side having a significantly worse goal difference, the task of making up a five-point gap across two games must surely be one step too far.

What does the supercomputer say?

The dial has shifted from last week.

Opta’s supercomputer has stayed strong on the current projections for Leeds and Forest, with their respective victories last weekend suggesting that something cataclysmic would need to happen for them to get sucked back into a relegation fight.

Spurs’ victory at Villa has seen a notable drop in their chances. Last week saw them have a 58 per cent probability of relegation, which has plummeted to 19 per cent this week.

West Ham fans might want to look away now, with their loss to Brentford seeing their chances of relegation swing from 38 per cent to 80 per cent within a week.

It is not just the loss that informs that probability, but more the tricky fixture list that they have to come. Nuno’s side previously had their destiny in their own hands, but now they will have to hope for results elsewhere to go their way to stand a chance of staying in the division.

Tottenham Hotspur have rolled the managerial dice again, and this time it has landed on someone who they hope can provide answers in the short and long term.

Italian, combustible, tactically dogmatic and seemingly not initially convinced on the Tottenham project — but that’s enough about Antonio Conte. As a football mind, Roberto De Zerbi, who signed a five-year contract on March 31, is basically the antithesis of the current Napoli head coach.

De Zerbi is more a graduate of the school of Pep Guardiola, although the City manager may recognise the Italian as a father of his own doctrine, having described him as one of the most influential managers of the last 20 years. Risk-taking is a core tenet of his coaching DNA, and while he will likely escape much of the blame should Tottenham suffer relegation to the Championship, it represents another dicey zag in an idiosyncratic career thus far.

Tottenham won’t be De Zerbi’s first experience of a former European great fallen on hard times. Having progressed through Milan’s academy as a creative midfielder, never making a league appearance for the Italian giants, De Zerbi dropped down to the fourth tier to sign permanently for Foggia in 2002-03. He worked his way back up the leagues at several Italian clubs before signing for Napoli in 2006, who were in Italy’s second tier. There, he eventually won promotion and made his playing debut in Serie A — but his stamp on Italy’s top flight as a coach was far more significant.

De Zerbi called time on his playing career at 34 to take over at Darfo Boario in Italy’s Serie D, and he was in Serie A within three years. His reign at Palermo was disastrous: he lost seven consecutive matches and was sacked less than three months later. But he was hired by Serie A newcomers Benevento a year later for the 2017-18 season.

Benevento’s squad lacked the quality to survive in Italy’s top flight, but De Zerbi maintained his commitment to the front-footed, vertical, possession-based style with which he would make his name.

They were eventually relegated, but De Zerbi was hired shortly thereafter by Sassuolo, where he stayed for three seasons and started to receive widespread acclaim for his coaching methods.

In his final season at Sassuolo (2020-21), they averaged the highest possession share in the league. The season before, they were third behind Juventus and Napoli. Having signed Manuel Locatelli from Milan, the defensive midfielder became the fulcrum of his team, finding space in the middle of the pitch to direct quick, vertical attacks after the ball had been circulated from the goalkeeper, through the defenders and up to the strikers from goal kicks.

They finished eighth in 2020-21, only missing out on qualification for the Conference League on goal difference. De Zerbi then departed for Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk.

His time at Shakhtar was cut short due to uncertainty surrounding the war in Ukraine, but it was often thrilling. He won 20 of his 30 competitive matches in charge, scoring 64 goals. They pressed with intensity, something that was uncommon for Shakhtar teams of the time. They also created solutions to deal with the opposition’s attempts to do the same, flooding the midfield and wide areas with passing options who were comfortable receiving in and passing the ball out of pressure.

An emphasis on equipping squads with technical quality has consistently been a priority for De Zerbi. This could be seen in the way he later tried to revamp Brighton & Hove Albion’s midfield to fit his vision after the departures of Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo, with limited success.

There may have been slight concerns with his side’s ability to break down opponents who are content to sit in and defend, with the 2-0 defeat to Sheriff Tiraspol in the Champions League an example of how he could struggle to find answers against a low block. Carlo Ancelotti, then coach of Real Madrid, beat De Zerbi’s Shakhtar 5-0 later in that group stage, and said, in an interview with The Times of London, that he told his players not to press Shakhtar because “if you press, they will pass the ball around you. Don’t press, and they will give the ball to you.” But by the time he left, Shakhtar were at the top of the Ukrainian Premier League, and his stock was high.

At Brighton, De Zerbi is remembered for his historically great first season as much as for the tumultuous second. In his first term, having taken over from Graham Potter in September, who had departed for Chelsea, he guided the south-coast side to a sixth-place finish and qualification for the Europa League, the first time they had qualified for European football in their 122-year history.

The press-baiting tactic, where defenders would wait for attackers to close them down before attempting to pass the ball, was both jarring and pretty revolutionary. His decision to replace Robert Sanchez with Jason Steele, seemingly driven primarily by the latter’s confidence in possession, was surprising yet successful.

Steele, who earned his first international call-up for England in March aged 35, described De Zerbi as “absolutely brilliant” on Brighton’s website and said, “the mentality is to be at the top, top level, and you’ve got to show him that you want to be a part of it through your application. Then hopefully he will take you with him, because there’s only one way he’s going.”

They were erratic, once losing 5-1 at home to Everton, then winning 3-0 against title-chasing Arsenal, before a 4-1 hammering away to Newcastle United, seemingly flickering between brilliant and chaotic — a team that reflected the coach in the dugout. He accumulated two red and four yellow cards in his first season in charge, one of those famously earned alongside compatriot Cristian Stellini, who was in the Tottenham dugout.

His time at Brighton ended on a sour note, publicly criticising the club’s transfer policies while results fell off a cliff in his second season. While the football has possibly never been better at Brighton, he continues to divide the fanbase, largely due to his conduct. At Marseille, his most recent job, the story is pretty much the same.

An excellent first season, where he guided the one-time Champions League winners to a second-placed finish and Champions League qualification playing excellent football, was marred by the fallout of his second, leaving after a 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

Even the first season was partly characterised by controversy, with De Zerbi threatening to leave four months into his tenure after a 3-1 home defeat to Auxerre. Or with training ground disagreements with Ismael Kone and Amir Murillo, who were promptly shipped out the door. Not to mention his public backing of Mason Greenwood, which has drawn significant criticism from several Tottenham supporters’ groups.

De Zerbi responded to the fan criticism in his first interview since his announcement, saying he is “sorry if I offended anyone’s feelings with this subject matter”. He also added that “(he has) never wanted to downplay the issue of violence against women or violence against anyone more broadly,” and that, “(he hopes) that over time people will get to know me better and will understand that at that moment I didn’t mean to take a stance.”

He concluded the interview by downplaying his footballing “philosophy”, as this is a time for Tottenham to focus squarely on results. It’s probably a good thing, too, with Lewis Dunk describing his first weeks of training sessions after joining Brighton as “baffling” to The Telegraph in 2023. Like Steele, however, Dunk eventually became a believer, crediting the Italian with helping him to “see football a different way”.

Right now, his job isn’t to create any more footballing disciples. If Tottenham are a Premier League club after the final ball is kicked on May 24, the inevitable drama, on and off the pitch, that it will take to get there will all have been worth it.

Igor Tudor has left Tottenham Hotspur by mutual consent after just 44 days in charge.

The 47-year-old Croat was named Spurs head coach on February 14, following the dismissal of Thomas Frank, and went on to win only one league point during his short spell that encompassed just seven games in total.

Tomislav Rogic, the goalkeeping coach, and physical coach Riccardo Ragnacci have also departed.

Spurs expect to appoint a new coach in the coming days, in time for the majority of the first team squad’s return to the training centre after the international break. The plan is for Tudor’s successor to have 10 days to prepare for their next fixture, away at Sunderland on April 12.

In the meantime, Tudor’s former assistant Bruno Saltor will lead training for the few players who have remained at Hotspur Way during the three-week hiatus between games.

Sunday’s 3-0 loss to relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest — Tudor’s fourth defeat in five league matches — was his final game in charge. It left the side 17th in the league, only one point above the relegation zone.

Immediately after the game, Tudor returned to Croatia following the death of his father, Mario.

Spurs ended a six-game losing streak that began before Tudor was appointed with a draw at Liverpool on March 15, and followed it up with a win against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 last week – the only victory of his tenure.

Tudor’s first win was not enough to keep them in the competition, however, after they lost the first leg 5-2 in Spain.

During that match, the north London side went 4-0 down in the first 22 minutes, as Tudor substituted goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after only 17 minutes following two errors that led directly to goals.

Asked about whether he should carry on in charge after the knockout loss, Tudor replied: “No comment”.

The loss in Madrid followed defeats to Arsenal, Fulham and Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

Tudor was just the second Tottenham head coach in Premier League history to lose each of his first three games in charge after Martin Jol in November 2004.

His departure leaves Spurs looking for a third head coach of the season — just as they had in 2022-23, when Antonio Conte, Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason all had spells in charge.

The Athletic reported earlier this month that Spurs were actively working on options to replace Tudor if they decided a change was required.

As reported by The Athletic on Friday, Spurs are pursuing Roberto De Zerbi, the former Brighton & Hove Albion coach who is out of work after leaving Marseille last month, although the Italian favours returning to football in the summer.

Three Spurs fan groups have urged the club against appointing De Zerbi over his past backing of Mason Greenwood, the former Manchester United forward who played under De Zerbi at Marseille.

Frank was sacked on February 11 following a 2-1 home defeat by Newcastle United and with Spurs then five points clear of the bottom three.

The Dane had been appointed in June, signing a three-year contract to replace the sacked Ange Postecoglou.

Under Postecoglou, Spurs won the Europa League last season, securing a place in the Champions League, but finished 17th in the top flight, albeit 13 points above 18th-place Leicester City.

When the Millennium Dome was built in London at the turn of the century, it was seen as a vast, futuristic, potentially iconic structure, albeit hugely expensive, and yet what lay inside wasn’t up to much. All style, no substance.

It’s hard not to think of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium along similar lines, even more so now the Dome has become massive corporate concert venue, the O2, which is great for watching someone else put on a show.

Spurs, as one senior figure recently publicly admitted, are a football club who haven’t focused enough on the football. They’re a name, a brand, a venue, an events company. But not primarily a football team.

It’s not Igor Tudor’s fault. You don’t blame the erroneously hired admin manager when the FTSE 100 company goes bankrupt.

He has certainly added to the carnage in the last 44 days. Spurs needed simple, back-to-basics thinking and decisive action from someone who could command the respect of what looks like an unruly, undisciplined dressing room.

Instead, Tudor generally meddled, muddled and bulldozed his way through matches with unnecessarily complicated formations and players out of position, while initially berating them in public and derailing the career of a promising goalkeeper.

However, Spurs have lost 46 football matches in all competitions since the start of last season. Forty-six. By way of an inevitable comparison, their north London rivals Arsenal, whom Spurs finished above in the table four long years ago, have lost 13 games over the same period.

The fact that Tudor was appointed in the first place on February 14 reflects far worse on Spurs’ decision-makers than his exit on March 29.

Spurs are just not a serious football club. Well, they’re a serious football club when it comes to aesthetics. Their stunning stadium is one of the finest in Europe, their state-of-the-art training ground is the same, they host NFL matches and some of the world’s most famous musicians and performers, boxing title bouts, rugby matches and so on. The club makes a lot of money from all this; in fact, only eight football clubs in the world generate higher revenues than Spurs, according to the Deloitte Money League.

It’s just a shame that their football team — you know, the reason for their entire existence — is a shambles.

Spurs are serving microwave dinners at The Ritz. Great stadium, dreadful team, and fans have to pay about £1,000 for a season ticket.

Two weeks ago, the club’s chief revenue officer, Ryan Norys, was due to appear in Texas to tell an assembled crowd about Spurs being a “cultural powerhouse” and how they are redefining what a modern football club can be. The talk seemingly did not go ahead — one of the few good decisions the club appear to have made in recent months — but the jokes had already written themselves.

Daniel Levy created this culture, with too much focus on finances and furniture rather than football, but you can argue this current guise of Spurs is worse off without him. This still feels like Levy’s club in spirit, but without his experience and leadership. There were many Spurs supporters who thought their club would be better off without Levy… they may be proved right, but just not yet.

This is Levy Lite and until a new structure, new owners and new processes appear, Spurs will continue to drift and make crazy decisions like handing Tudor the responsibility of keeping them in the Premier League. For all Levy’s faults, he surely wouldn’t have hired the Croatian.

Instead, Tudor’s appointment was a byproduct of what happens when there is a lack of football experience at management level and no plan to replace Thomas Frank, despite the Dane failing for months. Tudor’s ties to former managing director Fabio Paratici, who left the club in January, suggest the Italian’s opinion remained influential and speaks damningly of a club with no idea what else to do.

No wonder Frank failed. At Brentford, he worked in almost exactly the opposite conditions: small ground, small wage bill, but more importantly, a club with laser-sharp focus on recruitment amid joined-up thinking behind the scenes with staff who had been there for years.

Brentford are so well run that you can legitimately ask how good their head coach actually needs to be. At Spurs, the question is: can any head coach thrive at all when the club appears so disjointed?

Recruitment has been a problem for some time, with or without Levy.

Looking at the 10 record signings in the club’s history is to view a list of mostly underachievers, none of whom have become great Spurs players, or been sold on for a profit. Nor are any of them likely to, except perhaps Micky van de Ven (a hefty sale, that is).

It is not easy being Spurs. They are stuck below the country’s biggest clubs such as Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal, who can attract the biggest names in the sport, but “too big” to go down the Brighton/Brentford route of innovative recruitment because the club wants success in a hurry.

Instead, they so often have to settle for second or third choices after missing out on targets (Eberechi Eze, Antoine Semenyo and Morgan Gibbs-White in the past year alone) and buy players who seem to think they can use them as a stepping stone to bigger things — follow in the footsteps of Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Harry Kane and join a Champions League-chasing side. Except the players Spurs buy are rarely good enough to do that.

Those who are at the club often seem either disinterested or go into their shells, contributing to an abominable home record at a stadium where opposing teams and fans usually have a great day out. The facilities are glorious, but the atmosphere isn’t intimidating, and the players lack character. An ideal away day, as fans of Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest can tell you, having come away from North London with 3-1 and 3-0 wins respectively, despite those matches being dubbed as two of the biggest in the club’s modern history. Before them, Bournemouth, Newcastle and West Ham had all tasted victory at the stadium this season.

A recent meeting of the club’s Fan Advisory Board was attended by chief executive Vinai Venkatesham (who joined from Arsenal last year), who explained that a comprehensive review since June last year had identified areas of improvement.

Venkatesham said areas like the stadium, training ground, commercial activities, and other stadium operations were going really well. Nice one.

But it was also reported that key improvement areas include: insufficient focus on football success, a lack of expertise in key areas, a recruitment and wage policy that was holding the club back, and a squad that required more quality, experience and leadership.

Is that all? Oh, and their player sales weren’t good enough, the women’s team hadn’t been enough of a priority, the “internal culture” needed addressing, and there was a “growing disconnect” between the club and its supporters.

Maybe Norys is right, Spurs are redefining what a modern football club can be, what with their incredibly expensive season tickets which have priced out a lot of ‘legacy’ fans, their obsession with brand Tottenham Hotspur (but never brand Tottenham, remember), and their immediate sacking of a manager who had ended the club’s inexorably long wait for a trophy.

Tudor certainly had to go, but this is about so much more than a man whose disastrous reign will be remembered in the same bracket as the likes of Frank de Boer at Crystal Palace, Les Reed at Charlton Athletic, Terry Connor at Wolverhampton Wanderers or Alan Shearer at Newcastle.

Relegation is almost unthinkable and would be a disaster in football terms, and certainly financially. No one could say they don’t deserve it.

They may yet hire a firefighter who keeps them up, but whether they avoid relegation or not, Spurs are a football club that needs saving.

A late Cristian Romero header rescued a point for Tottenham — and under-fire head coach Thomas Frank — in a 2-2 draw at Burnley.

The Argentine centre-back equalised in the last minute of the 90, with a powerful effort coming after Lyle Foster looked to have won the three points for the home side, who were on course for their first win in the Premier League since October.

The late drama came after Micky van de Ven’s strike in the first half was cancelled out by Axel Tuanzebe’s goal just before the break.

It leaves Burnley in 19th place on 15 points, with Spurs in 13th on 28.

Here, Jack Pitt-Brooke breaks down the key talking points of the game…

Romero to the rescue

Romero may have just saved head coach Frank again. His brilliant header means Spurs avoided a defeat that would have only made the mutinous mood even worse.

If Tuesday’s win against Borussia Dortmund felt like a positive change in mood from the club’s fans, this was a return to the negativity and discord that marked last Saturday’s defeat by West Ham United.

The supporters were furious with the result, the performance and with Frank. In the first half, they sang ‘Sideways and backwards, everywhere we go’. And then after Burnley went 2-1 up they started to sing, ‘We want Frank out’ and, ‘Sacked in the morning’.

This is not the first time a Spurs away end has turned on the manager like this, but it is getting more pointed, more brutal, and angrier every single time. That anger, even more than the result and performances, is likely to make Frank’s position untenable before too long.

But this time, the worst of the anger was mollified at the end by Romero’s emphatic equaliser.

Tottenham’s reliance on centre-backs

No-one would dispute that Romero and Van de Ven are Tottenham’s two best players. But the two centre-backs might even arguably be Spurs’ two best centre-forwards too. Only Richarlison has scored more goals than those two for Tottenham this season. And Spurs’ reliance on them — in the opposition box as well as their own — was clear again here today.

It had been another frustrating start for Tottenham, who dominated long spells but lacked any cutting edge. They needed a bit more conviction in the final third. And when a loose ball fell to Van de Ven he took the simple option and smacked it into the bottom corner. It was his seventh Spurs goal of the season (Richarlison has eight and Romero, six).

Just last week, Romero got Spurs’ equaliser against West Ham, and their first against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. And he was at it again today, with another header. Spurs’ dependence on those two is revealing about their individual qualities, but also of Tottenham’s weaknesses.

Bissouma’s back and a formation change

The different feel to the Tottenham team today was not just because of the formation. It was also because of the starting role for Yves Bissouma in central midfield for Spurs. This was the 29-year-old’s first start of the season, building on his impressive substitute appearance against West Ham last week.

In one sense, it shows how Spurs are down to the bare bones in midfield. Rodrigo Bentancur, Joao Palhinha, Lucas Bergvall, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are all injured. But it also shows how Bissouma has forced his way back into Frank’s thinking, having been dropped for disciplinary reasons at the start of the season before picking up an injury of his own.

Bissouma is a player with some obvious strengths. He always wants the ball, is keen to take it when under pressure, and tries to pass it forwards. But he did not especially change Spurs’ approach in possession, and he was hooked after Foster scored Burnley’s second goal when Tottenham needed an equaliser of their own.

What did Frank say?

We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.

What next for Spurs?

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Tottenham Hotspur have made an enquiry to Bournemouth about forward Antoine Semenyo but are not proceeding with a move for the Ghanaian forward at present.

Semenyo is thought to be attracted by the prospect of a move to north London but Bournemouth’s steep asking price has deterred further interest from Spurs in the short term, as well as his other suitors, including Manchester United.

Bournemouth are thought to value the 25-year-old winger at £70million.

Semenyo has become an integral part of Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth side, scoring 21 goals across the last two seasons including 13 in 42 appearances in all competitions in 2024-25.

New Spurs head coach Thomas Frank wants to add to his attacking options this summer, despite the club completing the signing of forward Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich on a permanent basis, following a five-month loan spell. Tel joined the north London club in a deal worth €35m (£29.9m), plus €10m (£8.5m) in potential bonuses.

As reported by The Athletic on June 17, Spurs hope to persuade Bryan Mbeumo to follow Frank from Brentford but his preference is to join Manchester United, who submitted an opening offer of £45million plus a further £10m for the 25-year-old in add-ons earlier this month.

Semenyo joined Bournemouth from Championship side Bristol City in January 2023 and agreed a new five-year deal at the south coast club in July 2024.

He made 125 first-team appearances prior to joining Bournemouth, and also had spells out on loan at Bath City, Newport County and Sunderland earlier in his career.

Additional reporting: Sebastian Stafford-Bloor

(Photo: John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)