Hotspur HQ

Tottenham Hotspur signed teenage winger Yang Min-hyeok from Gangwon FC in South Korea during the 2024 summer transfer window, and while most of the attention among young attacking midfielders and wingers at Spurs has gone to Mikey Moore, who is now on loan at FC Koln after a very successful 2025/26 season with Rangers, the now 20 year old South Korean youth international is also a player definitely worth watching.

Another potential Johan Lange gem from out of left field, Min-hyeok played really well for Portsmouth last season and earned a new loan to a more attacking Coventry during the 2025/26 EFL Championship season, but the ambitious move to join a bigger side in the second division - one that has now been promoted to the Premier League and will be facing Spurs very soon - did not pay off. Min-hyeok only played in three games and totally fell off the radar after his loan to Coventry proved to be a bust.

Now, Min-hyeok is getting experience in a top flight league, and while it is not a top five league, the Belgian division is becoming an even bigger haven for top talents - just look at what Christos Tzolis is doing immediately after joining Tottenham's arch rivals Arsenal from Club Brugge.

Yang Min-hyeok scored a worldie for Westerlo

Min-hyeok isn't playing for as big of a club, but the U21 winger is already make a statement at Westerlo that he deserves far more minutes than what he got at either Coventry or even Portsmouth. In his third substitute appearance of the 2026/27 Belgian season - he has not started yet - Min-hyeok scored this incredible left footed goal to the far post from the edge of the box on the counter with an insane Cristiano Ronaldo style chop.

Westerlo already had the game, a 5-1 win over Royal Antwerp, in the bag, but the moment of magic itself from Yang Min-hyeok was one of the best goals by a winger in European football this week and displayed a level of skill, composure, technical quality, speed, and finishing that Tottenham Hotspur are desperate to see.

The comparisons to a certain South Korean Spurs legend are inevitable, but it is best to temper them. That being said, Min-hyeok is a serious talent whom Spurs signed for a reason, and with Luca Williams-Barnett and Mikey Moore having strong moments so far this season, Min-hyeok looks like he is telling everyone that his time is next. Watch out.

Antonín Kinksy's redemption in north London culminated in the young Czech goalkeeper receiving full backing from Roberto De Zerbi.

Kinsky, infamously withdrawn after 17 minutes at the Metropolitano in February, got a second chance after Guglielmo Vicario underwent hernia surgery. While some called for Brandon Austin, De Zerbi trusted the technically proficient Czech to bounce back.

And Kinsky seized that opportunity with both hands. Sure, the end of last season wasn't perfect, but the nature of his renaissance pointed towards a mentally resolute goalkeeper whose career with the Lilywhites was far from over, as it'd been suggested after his horror show in Madrid.

There had been a time when the transfer rumour mills were laden with goalkeeper links. Vicario's demise meant a summer reset made sense, and unless Kinsky proved himself to be devoid of mental scars, it seemed likely that Spurs would acquire a new No. 1.

Among those linked was then-Freiburg shot-stopper Noah Atubolu.

Tottenham should have no regrets about goalkeeper decision

Spurs have had a pretty wretched start to the season, even if the expected is more impressive than the actual. The 1-1 draw at Manchester United was another contest we'd ought to have won, and Kinsky played a role in our late surge, denying Bryan Mbeumo a second on the counter-attack.

Kinsky's numbers are underwhelming through six games, but few would suggest that he ranks highly among our concerns. Anything but. Plus, the Czech has performed with a stoic swagger in possession, elevating our build-up play in tandem with Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi.

If there was a goalkeeper Spurs could've signed to usurp Kinsky in the summer, it certainly shouldn't have been Atubolu. Spurs were scouting the highly-rated German goalkeeper towards the end of last season, amid Atubolu's impressive campaign with Freiburg. The Bundesliga side finished seventh in the table and were beaten in the Europa League final by Aston Villa.

Atubolu was courted by the likes of Spurs and Juventus, but would end up on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt for 2026/27. However, the young shot-stopper has not had the start to the season he would've wanted.

Frankfurt are down in 14th and defensively woeful (again). Atubolu's 16 concessions are the second-most in the league, and he was particularly awful in Saturday's 6-0 beatdown at the hands of RB Leipzig. He's saved just 61% of shots faced, but does stack up pretty well on the goals prevented front. Given the quality of the shots he's so far encountered, Atubolu has been expected to concede 16 times. Still, he hasn't yet elevated a Frankfurt team that was a tumultuous, porous mess last season.

While the penalty-saving record is remarkable (Atubolu has saved six straight in the Bundesliga), this quirk appears to be no more than an exciting novelty for a goalkeeper who's struggling to fulfil his enormous potential.

I'm more than happy we stuck with Kinsky.

Tottenham Hotspur have played well this season under Roberto De Zerbi, but their first win of the campaign still eludes them. They drew this past weekend 1-1 with Manchester United, overcoming a controversial red card decision, but they are having trouble putting the ball in the back of the net despite their dominance.

Next week on Monday Night Football, the Lilywhites will take on newly promoted Premier League side Coventry, and many view that as their best chance at picking up their first win of the season. Coming into Matchday 6, Coventry had lost four games and had not scored more than one goal in any match, and, on paper, they are far less talented than Spurs.

But Spurs got another reminder that things are not always as they seem on paper, as Coventry had a field day on Monday Night Football this week to close Matchday 6. They absolutely trounced the same Newcastle United side that defeated Tottenham 2-0 on Matchday 2, somehow scoring four past the Magpies in a 4-1 victory that has sent a shocking statement to Spurs.

Coventry are not a certain victory at all for Spurs

All of a sudden, Tottenham Hotspur's best shot at snagging their first win of the campaign before they face rivals Chelsea on Oct. 24 is far less than a certainty and looking maybe even like a potential doubt, especially since Spurs struggled against that same Newcastle side that Coventry owned.

Coventry were great as a team on both ends of the pitch, defending with all of their hearts and attacking fluidly as a unit. They looked better in the spotlight against Newcastle as the underdogs than Tottenham have at any point this season, and they made Newcastle look as overmatched as the time Charlton Athletic from the EFL Championship played to Spurs in the League Cup opener this season.

Tottenham are going to have to bring their "A" game against Coventry next week on Monday Night Football, and while it's not as if Roberto De Zerbi and his crew were planning on doing anything else, what Coventry did to Newcastle on Matchday 6 is a reminder that you just cannot take any opponent for granted in the Premier League. With Coventry in this form, they are going to be so difficult for Spurs to beat, and Spurs attack may not be able to match them if they don't really start to step it up with their creativity and finishing on Matchday 7.

Tottenham are currently blessed with one of Europe's best left-backs, and no, I'm not referring to the once-outstanding Andy Robertson entering his twilight.

The former Liverpool stalwart joined the club as a free agent in the summer, having come close to arriving in January. Robertson's signing divided the fanbase, with those in favour pointing towards the Scot's intangibles and those against taming expectations given the left-back's body of work over the past couple of years.

He's certainly lost a step, and in truth, the 32-year-old has been more of a hindrance than a help on the field at the start of his Spurs career. Still, Robertson is an easy character to admire, and his blossoming friendship with fellow old head Ben Davies has been one of the wholesome subplots of the season so far.

And Roberto De Zerbi will continue to call upon him, even with an outstanding first choice atop the pecking order. Why? Well, as superb as Destiny Udogie is when fit and firing, the Italian's injury woes have a knack for undermining a majestic groove.

We can only hope the bug stays away from Udogie moving forward.

Destiny Udogie's fitness is a crucial sub-plot in Tottenham's season

De Zerbi has been forced to carefully manage Udogie's minutes so far this term, and he again didn't complete 90 minutes on Saturday. He was withdrawn after Bryan Mbeumo's opener, with Micky van de Ven proving that he can offer an alternative solution when Robertson's not available, which was the case in Manchester.

Udogie was excellent at Old Trafford. It was the sort of performance we grew familiar with at the start of Ange Postecoglou's tenure—those utopian opening 10 games.

The Italian is such an imposing figure who can overwhelm attackers physically and surge gloriously when he has the ball. He's a clever runner in the final third, but also combines well with teammates. I thought he was brilliant in the Carabao Cup defeat to Liverpool, and this showing was of a similar ilk.

It just feels like he's a sustained run of form away from once again being recognised by the masses, not that it matters. We're the only folk who'll enjoy the fruits of his labour, and thus need to appreciate him.

Whether he can stay fit is the million-dollar question. Since his arrival, Udogie has suffered 11 different injuries and missed 46 matches for club and country, per Transfermarkt. We can only hope that De Zerbi's cautious management, encouraged by an overhauled medical team, aids Udogie in the long run.

It's night and day between a purring Udogie and his veteran reserve.

Life has just been that little bit bleaker without Xavi Simons donning Lilywhite.

The Dutchman's debut season in north London was ultimately imperfect, yet there were multiple glimpses of just how bright our future could be with Xavi functioning as the creative heartbeat. Our No. 7 quickly grasped what it meant to wear the shirt, endearing himself to a fanbase that expected so much.

An absence of playmakers has hindered the start of Roberto De Zerbi's first full season in charge, with Xavi unavailable due to the ACL tear he sustained in April, James Maddison struggling for fitness and Dejan Kulusevski still awaiting his return from a complicated patella injury sustained a lifetime ago.

Reports suggest Xavi is making swift progress in his recovery from a long-term setback, and is expected to be back fit in the new year.

In the meantime, the Dutch maestro will be keeping himself busy back at school.

Xavi Simons enrols at esteemed Harvard University during injury recovery

The 23-year-old confirmed over the weekend that he's enrolled in a business course at the esteemed Harvard University.

“During my recovery, I’ve been trying to use my time in the best way possible,” Xavi wrote on LinkedIn. “Football is still my main focus, but I also want to keep learning and improving away from the pitch. I’m happy to share that I’ve been accepted onto the Crossover Into Business Program at Harvard Business School."

The Program describes itself as a “semester-long program in which professional athletes develop their business acumen by working with MBA student mentors.” An array of NBA and NFL athletes have previously enrolled, as well as women's tennis star Victoria Azarenka.

Real Madrid's Eduardo Camavinga was also briefly a Harvard student, taking a short course in the 'business of entertainment, media and sports' after he was left out of France's World Cup squad.

Simons added: “I’ve always been interested in more than just football. I want to understand the business side of the game better, learn from people in different industries, and keep developing as a person.

“Getting back on the pitch is still my number one priority. At the same time, I want to use this period to keep learning and invest in myself beyond football.”

Xavi has spent time out in the States during his recovery, spending time with the Baltimore Ravens and Boston Celtics as part of his specialised rehabiliation programme. He was back in the United Kingdom at the weekend, though, watching on in the stands at Old Trafford as De Zerbi's 10 men claimed a late point.

Young Tottenham Hotspur defensive midfielder Mateus Fernandes has only played at least 60 minutes in two of the six Spurs games this season, he's only started in three Premier League matches, and he has only played the full 90 minutes in that 2-0 loss to Newcastle United on Matchday 2.

At the beginning of the season, Fernandes was shining even in an unideal role as a No. 10, but with James Maddison slow to heal after yet another injury - a dislocated shoulder this time, suffered on Matchday 1 vs. Brentford - Fernandes had to keep playing as an attacking midfielder. And as that went south quickly, De Zerbi subbed the new signing off at half time against Aston Villa, and then after calling him out specifically following the game, he didn't start him against Manchester United.

Now, the other young gem midfielder for Tottenham, Lucas Bergvall, was incredible against Man United and has quietly been resurgent for club and country over the past few weeks. But Fernandes was one of the best midfielders in the entire Premier League last season on an awful West Ham United side and is Spurs 85 million pound man.

Mateus Fernandes is too good to rot on the bench

James Maddison is obviously going to come back into the starting 11 next week against his childhood club Coventry on Monday Night Football, and the former Leicester City man is going to be a massive, massive boost at the No. 10 position. He is light years beyond Conor Gallagher and the others in terms of feeling out the position, creating chances, weighing passes, and generating goals and assists. He is a no brainer to start, and after looking sharp in another 20 minutes off the bench in the first Premier League game after the Fall international break, he is ready for 60 minutes vs. the Premier League newcomers.

But in addition to starting Maddison in the midfield, Tottenham have to get Mateus Feranndes back in the 11, too. Lucas Bergvall is hard to bench when he has the hot hand, but with Rodrigo Bentancur suspended after his red card against Manchester United after Luke Shaw's latest annoying antics, the midfield depth is thin. And it makes more sense to have Bergvall as a difference maker off the bench than to keep relegating Fernandes to a backup role.

Fernandes, again, looked great to start the season, even when Spurs were playing worse as a team than they are now. Roberto De Zerbi owes it to himself and to Tottenham to start Fernandes, and fans are rightfully disgruntled that he isn't getting enough minutes as a No. 6/8. Spurs can look even better wtih Fernandes and Maddison helping Sandro Tonali pull the strings in midfield.

Tottenham Hotspur are still winless after six Premier League games, but in primetime with the whole world watching them at Old Trafford against Manchester United, Spurs outplayed the Red Devils and would have won if it were not for some more terrible play in the final third from Dominic Solanke in front of goal and even Conor Gallagher in dangerous positions in terms of end product.

But Spurs impressed everyone by dominating Man United before Rodrigo Bentancur's controversial red card at the hands of more instigation from resident Old Trafford goon Luke Shaw. Gary Neville and other pundits were raving about how well set up Spurs were tactically. Savio and Mohammed Kudus were tough to beat out wide, Sandro Tonali and Lucas Bergvall were ruling the midfield, and Archie Gray and Destiny Udogie did a much better job of supporting the attack from the flanks.

The only thing missing for Spurs, yet again, was the finishing, and Solanke missed two very obvious scoring chances, with Gallagher and Kudus also messing up great situations for Gray and Savio to have put the ball in the back of the net.

Roberto De Zerbi is doing his best in a tough situation

Now, Tottenham Hotspur fans are familiar with this scene and have been trying to tell the whole world - and each other - that the problem is not Roberto De Zerbi or even that Spurs are being outplayed. They just can't quite get that decivisness, and whlie some of that is on De Zerbi for the players he recruited, he couldn't help that the Cody Gakpo deal fell apart or that Omar Marmoush hasn't gotten off running - or that James Maddison still isn't fit enough to start.

For all the fitness issues that have been apparent for key players like Maddison, Mohammed Kudus, and Pedro Porro, Tottenham have still been better in every game since the horrible Matchday 1 defeat to Brentford or even that second half against Newcastle United.

But what Tottneham did for about a good hour against Man United - and even the resiliency they showed to equalize with 10 men - proved that Roberto De Zerbi is in command and doing a great job of controlling what he can control. Anyone watching that game who still thinks De Zerbi is even remotely the problem at Tottenham is biased against the manager, because they balled out on the big stage; they just need their striker to actually finish the easiest of chances.

Even though he was facing his toughest matchup of the season against the likes of Matheus Cunha and Amad Diallo at Old Trafford for Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United, Archie Gray turned in what was probably his best overall performance of the 2026/27 Premier League season, even above the 0-0 clean sheet against Everton.

Gray was dominant defensively at the right back position, posting season highs with three tackles and three interceptions to lead Spurs in defensive interventions on the afternoon. The 20 year old center midfielder also drew a couple of fouls, and he has now boosted his season averages to 3 combined tackles and interceptions per game and 1.4 fouls drawn per game.

A lot of Tottenham players came into the 2026/27 Premier League season under the microscope after such a poor 2025/26 season, and while Gray was actually one of Spurs best performers last season, he had a huge point to prove this campaign after the sale of Djed Spence to Inter Milan following his heroic World Cup thrust the young midfielder into an unfamilair position as the main backup right back for Pedro Porro.

Archie Gray is clicking at right back

And with no signings at right back after Spurs bunked what would have been a brilliant swoop for Neco Williams and Porro suffering badly with fitness issues after the World Cup, Gray has been thrust into a weekly starting position. Porro is out until at least the Chelsea game later this month, so Gray drew that huge start against the Manchester United attack.

As expected, Gray has largely been shaky at right back, especially to start the season, but since that Everton game, he has turned it around and become better at not only defending but also balancing his duties so that he can actually get in and around the box and support the attack.

Gray was excellent against Manchester United in all regards. He was Tottenham's best ball winner, and he also could have had a goal himself with a run into the box, though Mohammed Kudus selfishly whipped a shot instead of having the intelligence and awareness to leave it for Gray to have a better shot on goal behind him.

Nevertheless, Gray is finding his form at right back at the perfect time, because Tottenham Hotspur still have not recovered Pedro Porro, who may not even be ready for the Chelsea game. Spurs should probably still look into another right back in the winter, but they will be less desperate to do so now that Gray is clicking.

With an obligation to buy clause in his loan contract between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, center forward Omar Marmoush will cost Spurs 60 million pounds when the 2026/27 season ends, and, so far, the Lilywhites are not getting anything out of the former Eintracht Frankfurt star - nor does it seem like Roberto De Zerbi is earnestly trying to make the most out of one of his most skilled attacking players.

Once again, Spurs started De Zerbi's apparent pet favorite Dominic Solanke despite the former England international's obvious struggles this season. And although Big Dom scored the game tying goal in the final minutes of the match vs. Manchester United at Old Trafford, even he knows that he should have bagged a hat trick with the kind of service Sandro Tonali and Savio, especially, were feeding him on the night.

Marmoush got into the game in the second half as a substitute, and he worked very hard for the team with a pair of tackles, showing, even if far fewer minutes, a much more robust work ethic and all around game than the main starting striker for Tottenham Hotspur.

Omar Marmoush is better than Dominic Solanke

In truth, Marmoush hasn't been all that great for Spurs since shining upon his debut against Newcastle United, as he has also lacked decisveness in front of goal like Solanke, who at least found the back of the net against Man United.

But Marmoush is a better player than Solanke and has been better than Solanke this season for Tottenham, too. He is much more likely to beat his man one on one and has created more chances than the 29 year old from Bournemouth, as Marmoush is averaging an excellent 2.6 dribbles completed per game and has been one of the best dribbling center forwards in the Premier League this season.

Roberto De Zerbi and Tottenham are spending quite a bit on Omar Marmoush, and they have seen him carry a team before back when he was at Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, single handedly carving up defenses as strong as Bayern Munich's.

Tottenham could be doing so much more with Marmoush, and it is very confusing to see that the Egyptian international has taken a back seat to Solanke, who has been Spurs biggest liability in all of his starts, including the one in which he scored against Manchester United, as he could have and should have put the game to bed earlier.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Dominic Solanke drew the start over Egyptian international Omar Marmoush on Saturday against Manchester United, and while he started the game very poorly with a couple of clear missed chances, including a pretty much open net, he stayed on the pitch and was the one to reward Roberto De Zerbi's faith with an equalizing header in the 92nd minute to help Spurs rescue a point 1-1 vs. Man United at Old Trafford.

Solanke wore the captain's armband in another big show of support from De Zerbi, who is backing Solanke one thousand percent as his man up top, perhaps subtly as another way of trying to prove himself right for snubbing Richarlison out of the squad entirely.

Despite scoring the key goal, Solanke, in truth, was poor, and there is a strong case to be made that for the third time this season out of all three starts, the 29 year old was the worst overall player on the pitch for Tottenham Hotspur.

Dominic Solanke has to get better from here

After the game, Dominic Solanke appropriately struck a positive tone for what he can take forward with him after scoring an important goal to rescue a point for Spurs, but he was also blunt and honest about his failings during the game, paticularly the missed chances in the first half.

Big Dom told the Sky Sports reporters after the game, via Chris Cowlin, "In the first half we dominated. We weren't clinical enough – a story of the season. We could have been a few goals ahead. We’ll take a point. The character shown was magnificent. A few times we haven’t reacted in the right way when going a goal down but today we showed fight and grit. I should have had a hat-trick. I wasn’t clinical enough. I know that. But I kept going. I was getting in the right positions to put one away. It’s my first time being captain for a great club. To score as well. It’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my career. It's something to build on. We haven't been good enough this. Hopefully this is the start of something good."

In orer to get better, a player needs to admit what they need to improve on and where they went wrong, and it was refreshing to hear this from Solanke after the result against Manchester United, because there are a lot of prima donna attacking players in the Premier League who would not be this honest about not being clinical enough.

The key thing is that Solanke isn't getting down on himself, he is still doing the right things to get in position, and he got his goal. And Solanke will need to continue to be in those positions in order for the goals to come, because, to be honest, he really hadn't been doing a good job of of that before the Manchester United game either.