Hotspur HQ

Never before have I tuned into the Ballon d'Or ceremony live, and I'm not sure if I ever will again.

I sat through hours of Thierry Henry hosting awkwardness, untimely commercial breaks and extensive Spanish-spoken speeches on Monday night, but it was all worth it.

The show concluded with the announcement of the Men's Ballon d'Or, with three leading contenders sitting in the front row at the London Palladium. There sat Kylian Mbappé, riding high off his El Clásico heroics; Lamine Yamal, last year's runner-up and World Cup winner; and Harry Kane, backing his 73 goals for club and country to do the talking.

While Yamal and Mbappé embarked embarked on nauseating election-like campaigning in September, Kane refused to engage. His PR tour was modest at best, and voters bought the humility.

Fittingly, it was Ronaldo Názario who uttered the two words that Tottenham and England's record goalscorer couldn't quite believe. The "one-season wonder" had just been crowned the world's best; a legacy immortalised.

Tottenham reacts to Harry Kane's Ballon d'Or

As he stood in front of an audience laden with greats past, present and future, Kane was shifty. He didn't quite know where to put his hands amid an attempt to rationalise what he'd just achieved.

A speech was prepared on flashcards, surely taking him back to his days at Chingford Foundation School, revising for his GCSEs. Kane was keen to laud those responsible for thrusting him into his current lofty standing, and he ensured that Tottenham Hotspur got their shoutout.

“I want to say thank you to Tottenham Hotspur as well," Kane said. "I wouldn't be where I am here today without Tottenham, for sure. You allowed me to live my dream. All the ups and downs along with way on that journey has led me to this moment.”

One of our own. How else would the club pay homage?

Kane's achievement was recognised universally, with English icons Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard among those to congratulate their compatriot on social media. His partner in crime at this summer's World Cup, Jude Bellingham, commented a goat emoji on England's Instagram post, lauding their star sharpshooter.

Then came the Spurs boys. "Deserved more then anyone, huge congratulations my partner," Son Heung-min wrote, enough to make any grown man weep. It was Kane's partnership with the South Korean that helped him evolve from outstanding finisher into one of the sport's great all-rounders.

Jan Vertonghen and Erik Lamela were also present in Instagram comments; Dele Alli couldn't hide his joy, while Pedro Porro, James Maddison, Mathys Tel, Dejan Kulusevski, Conor Gallagher and Dominic Solanke offered kudos, too.

As Kane celebrated like a Polar Bear in Texas at a London nightclub after the ceremony, he was joined by close friends Ryan Mason, also in attendance at the Palladium, as well as Matt Doherty, Eric Dier and Ben Davies.

What a night. He's no longer ours, but us Spurs supporters have every right to rejoice.

Tottenham Hotspur secured just their second Premier League victory at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, as Roberto De Zerbi tactically outclassed Xabi Alonso in the Lilywhites' 2-0 triumph.

The Italian's sophisticated ideals have come to the fore after an unproductive start to his first full season, with back-to-back victories suggesting that things are starting to "click" in N17 after a dramatic summer overhaul.

Spurs rocked up at the Bridge almost a year to the day when they produced the most cowardly of displays in a 1-0 home defeat to their London rivals. A Thomas Frank-led outfit seemingly had no intention of winning that contest, shrivelling in front of their own supporters and allowing the visitors to have their wicked way.

Had Chelsea won more emphatically, we may well have been saved from three months more of Frank-inspired purgatory.

So, it was the Dane's mess that De Zerbi had to clear up upon his arrival in March. There's no overlooking just how bad Frank's reign was, and the extent of the disdain, as pleasant as a man he is, Spurs supporters have towards the former Brentford boss can't be understated.

Frank's stock soared in west London, and Keith Andrews' stellar work as his successor has arguably damaged his reputation more than his miserable spell with the Lilywhites. Still, another Premier League job is bound to arrive the 53-year-old's way soon enough.

Thomas Frank among contenders for Crystal Palace job

Frank's name was thrown in the mix when Álvaro Arbeloa was feeling the heat at Fulham a month ago, but the Spaniard's seat has cooled after the Cottagers notched victories over Hull City and Coventry City.

So now it's the turn of Pierre Sage to feel Frank's shadow loom. Sage succeeded Oliver Glasner in the summer following two impressive spells at Lyon and Lens, but Crystal Palace have been far too easy to play against during the first two months of his reign.

The Eagles have conceded a league-high 19 goals and are down in 17th. A 5-0 defeat at A23 rivals Brighton & Hove Albion could've been enough for Steve Parish to cut ties, and there have been more calls for his head after their limp defeat at home to Newcastle United on Sunday.

For now, Sage remains in the job and will take charge of the Eagles' Carabao Cup clash at Fulham on Wednesday. Defeat there, though, and it could be curtains.

The Telegraph reports that Sean Dyche is the leading candidate to replace the Frenchman in the event of his departure, but they did note that Frank was considered by Palace in the summer. Surely, it's a little early in the season to pivot to firefighter Dyche? Frank ultimately wasn't suited to Spurs, but he should present a project to Parish that supporters will get behind.

If a move his made this week, the new boss could be in charge at the Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. Spurs are once again in the evening slot, and imagine the reception Frank will get if he strolls out of the tunnel and takes a left turn to the away dugout.

Pedro Porro managed to get a good amount of minutes off the bench in Tottenham Hotspur's 2-0 win over Chelsea this past Premier League weekend, and while that does not rule out Archie Gray coming back to the right back position, Spurs fans hope that they won't have to see the young midfielder out of position too much for the rest of the season.

Gray started again on Saturday at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, and he played well enough to help Spurs notch a clean sheet. Although Gray was back in the midfield last Monday night when they defeated Coventry 3-1, he has played a lot more at right back this season than in the midfield due to lingering fitness and injury issues to Porro since his triumphant World Cup.

Although Gray was honestly a liability at right back when he first started getting games at the position, the England youth international slowly but surely became a quality option there, most notably having a fantastic game against Manchester United not too long ago.

Archie Gray can become even scarier in midfield

Archie Gray has to translate the lessons he learned from playing right back to help his development in the midfield, which is obviously the long term play of how he will fit the Lilywhites. He became a lot better at driving the ball forward, eating up space, and having that verve to get up the pitch and focus on getting the ball into the box.

It's actually not as easy as it looks to do that from a wide position, but by the time Spurs faced Manchester United, Gray was pretty close to an expert at getting the ball in the box and taking up dangerous positions there, too.

That's something that we did not see much from Gray in the midfield even last season when he was playing his best football for the team, and it will be wonderful to see more examples of that when Gray does get starts as an 8 again.

And then defensively, Gray has always been a positive as a midfielder, but it felt like he really stepped up his aggression, anticipation of the ball, and overall ball winning quality as a right back. Gray being able to bring that to the table in midfield to an even greater extent will really give Tottenham Hotspur an embarrassment of riches at breaking up play and quickly turning it into dangerous offensive possession.

Go on, how many times have you watched it? Up to a million yet? I've got Gary Neville's "oh, he's done it" ingrained in my soul.

Mathys Tel wrote his name into Tottenham Hotspur folklore by becoming just the third player to score for the club in a Premier League victory at Stamford Bridge. The maligned Frenchman joins Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli in the club, after they inspired a 3-1 victory in west London eight years ago.

Outsiders will never quite grasp just how significant a win this was for Spurs. With this fixture on the horizon, so many of us were hesitant to suggest that last week's triumph over Coventry City would ignite the club's campaign. However, we're now wondering just how far Roberto De Zerbi can take the Lilywhites in his first full season, having overseen a 2-0 victory at a ground where Tottenham's dreams have died for the past 36 years.

A comical Mike Penders own goal got the ball rolling before Cole Palmer saw red and Tel scored superbly with a determined carry and strike. It was the Frenchman's first goal of the season as De Zerbi offered him a surprise start.

Now, the boss is demanding Tel to build on his special moment.

De Zerbi tells Tel where he must improve to fulfill potential

Once lauded a generational talent when he moved to Bayern Munich from Rennes as a 17-year-old, Tel has merely flashed such potential in N17. Plenty had sold their stock after a discouraging opening two months of the season, and there may well have been an eye roll or three when his name was read out in Saturday's starting lineup.

But there's something there with Tel. That cannot be denied. His issue isn't the talent; it's that he doesn't know who he is. He's not a touchline winger, but not an outright centre-forward either. He's somewhere in between.

Tel was imperfect on Saturday, too. Bright at times but often frustrating, I wouldn't have known what to make of his showing until he did what he did to seal our victory.

“He has to push, to push, to push, to keep going, because he's a talent," De Zerbi said about the 21-year-old after Saturday's triumph (via Chris Cowlin). "He has to clean the last 30 metres, the last decision, the last pass, the shot. He has an unbelievable shot."

De Zerbi's not wrong there. Tel, as we saw against Leeds United twice last season, is an excellent striker of the ball—not too dissimilar to Omar Marmoush.

“I believe in Mathys, maybe more than he believes in himself. I think it's a journey of this club. I think Tottenham is lucky, and me as a coach, I'm lucky, because we have a great group of players, as a quality, but also as people," De Zerbi continued.

After Tottenham’s improbable 2-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, the cameras panned to a beaming Jan Paul van Hecke. The centre-back had just led Tottenham to another clean sheet, their third this Premier League season, and it was the sixth game in which Spurs have allowed no more than one goal. This much is now clear: Tottenham have an elite defense, and I don’t know how to handle the resulting positive emotions.Â

Overall, Spurs have conceded 9.43 expected goals, good for a 1.35 xGC per 90 minutes. That solid performance places them as the fifth-stingiest defense in the Premier League. But back out their horrific opening day performance against Brentford and Tottenham are suddenly elite.

In defense that day, Spurs were missing World Cup winner Pedro Porro and an injured Mickey van de Ven. Breakout World Cup star Jedd Spence was on his way to Italy. In the midfield, Sandro Tonali was recruited to be a box-to-box stalwart, but he had possibly the worst match of his career. Consequently, Tottenham conceded 3.96 expected goals, on par with your local beer league team.

In the ensuing seven league games, Spurs have conceded just 5.47 xGC, or 0.78 xGC per 90 minutes. For context, Arsenal have indisputably the best defense in England and arguably the best in Europe. They’ve recorded 0.79 xGC per 90 this season. Tottenham’s resurgent defense is led by Van Hecke, the do-it-all Dutch star.Â

Jan Paul van Hecke is finally living up to his £52 million transfer fee

After a rough debut in a Spurs shirt, van Hecke’s stats, per DataMB, indicate an all-round beast:

Passes completed - 87th percentile

Forward pass completion - 63rd percentile

Progressive passes completed - 98th percentile

Progressive carries - 99th percentile

To be fair, van Hecke’s individual defensive metrics aren't that strong. He sits in just the 39th percentile in duels won, for example, but sitting below him in that category is Luka Vuskovic, the ballyhooed centre-back that Tottenham essentially traded to Brighton for van Hecke. In almost identical minutes, Vuskovic laps van Hecke only in aerial duels won, a role that van Hecke isn’t asked to fill in manager Roberto De Zerbi’s possession-based system. van Hecke's ability to control possession is major reason why the defense is so solid.

More than stats, though, why I am considering getting a van Hecke tattoo is a stop he made against Coventry City. It’s a moment already forgotten in the 3-1 victory, but when the result was still in the balance the ball bounced around in front of Tottenham’s net. It looked like it would fall to the feet of a Coventry attacker, but van Hecke launched his body into the scrum and headed the ball away, ending the threat. He does whatever it takes to win.

It’s a far cry from January 19, 2025. On that dreary day away at Everton, then-manager Ange Postecoglu started a back three of Ben Davies, Radu Dragusin, and Archie Gray. By the 30th minute, Spurs were down 2-0 and, thanks to an own goal by Gray, down 3-0 at half. They’d go on to lose. It’s also a far cry from February 22, 2026. That’s when, led by blink-and-you'll-miss-him interim manager Igor Tudor, Spurs lost 4-1 to Arsenal in one of the most embarrasing losses in recent team history. Dragusin again got the start at centre-back. (He is safely at Fiorentina now.)Â

As the self-appointed xG police, I must point out that Tottenham’s offensive issues are endemic. Despite utterly dominating Chelsea, Spurs generated just 0.74 xG, yet another game of less than 1.0 xG this season. But maybe that’s okay, for it as surprising as it is invigorating knowing that, this season, Spurs have a chance to win any game due to their stout defense. All hail, Jan Paul van Hecke.

Less than a week after Tottenham Hotspur fans rejoiced James Maddison returning to the starting 11 and putting on a masterclass in the No. 10 role with a world class goal and a few chances created in the team's first win of the season vs. his childhood club Coventry on Monday Night Football, the former Leicester City star has gone down injured yet again.

It had been nearly 18 months since his last start after tearing his ACL in the 2025/26 season, as Maddison suffered a dislocated shoulder on Matchday 1 vs. Brentford that slowed his return further. And as if to only double down on the injury prone label, Maddison came into the Chelsea game with surprising injury doubts after missing multiple practice sessions. He started but looked hobbled during the game and pulled up in the 50th minute with a groin injury, having to be taken off in frustration by Conor Gallagher.

Tottenham won 2-0 over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge anyway, and knowing how important Maddison is but also how delicate he has become, it is highly likely Spurs shut the No. 10 down for a little bit rather than risk further injury to the groin.

Omar Marmoush is a better option than Conor Gallagher

For the most part, Spurs have struggled to find a 10 to replace Maddison, and the usual suspect was the very player Spurs put into the game against Chelsea, Conor Gallagher. Once again, Gallagher didn't really do much in that role, and while his work rate makes him a useful rotational player to the team, he has no creativity and is far from the profile to replace James Maddison.

Other options are underwhelming, too. Dejan Kulusevski is not yet ready to start after his major injury. Luca Williams-Barnett is very intriguing but raw. And Mohammed Kudus is so much better on the right wing than he is in the middle, as is the case for Savio.

Omar Marmoush, however, is worth pondering as a major position change to try out in the 10, perhaps in a more advanced role behind Dominic Solanke. Roberto De Zerbi chose Marmoush as the 9 over Solanke against Chelsea, but he struggled in that game alone, whereas he played much better against Coventry with Solanke in the lineup with him.

Mathys Tel had a great goal and overall performance against Chelsea to all but confirm he will continue to start, which will make Marmoush's path to playing time harder if De Zerbi wants Solanke at striker again. Getting Marmoush in as a Maddison replacement in the 10 role is a way to potentially play all of Tel, Kudus/Savio, Solanke, and Marmoush in the attack, see what can be done without Madders, and trial a new attacking setup against Crystal Palace next weekend. It's worth a shot. After all, Marmoush can't be worse than Conor Gallagher.

Tottenham Hotspur picked up another clean sheet this past Saturday at Stamford Bridge, except, this time, it was a clean sheet victory, as Spurs shut Chelsea down 2-0, neutralizing two of the most talented and in form English attackers around in Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers.

Micky van de Ven did not have a single tackle or interception, and he's only averaging one tackle and 0.4 interceptions per game this season. But he was the main protagonist defensively again, showing that the best defense, especially against world class players like the ones in the Chelsea attack, is playing off and being patient.

Whereas Van de Ven lacked discipline in the preceding seasons and almost seemed like he was becoming the worst possible clone of Cristian Romero - because the sequel can never be as successful as even the flawed prequel - he has been much smarter and more composed as the captain this season.

Micky van de Ven is closer than the pundits think

In seven appearances for Tottenham Hotspur this Premier League season, the young Dutch center back has only been dribbled past once. That is the kind of quality that his compatriot Virgil van Dijk over at Liverpool would be proud of in terms of not getting beat.

it is a huge uptick in form in terms of his approach to the game and quality at helping Tottenham avoid surrendering goals, and it is exactly what Spurs need to see more of from their defenders, especially after how much ill discipline hampered them as they nearly got relegated last season.

But Micky van de Ven is only almost there. He has improved a lot and is already close - a lot closer to being a true elite center back than he was last season. Van de Ven, though, has to get even better at blocking shots and positioning himself for interceptions. He is doing a great job of not gambling and of positioning himself smartly so that he does not have to make the tackle to stop the chance, but there are still some times where he can make the intervention.

For example, he had a couple of plays against Chelsea where he did brilliantly to cover for Andy Robertson getting burned by Pedro Neto or Cole Palmer on the right side of the Chelsea flank, but he did not position himself correctly to prevent the shot, leaving a very aware Antonin Kinsky exposed to a scorching shot in the box. If Van de Ven can get better at decision making off the ball and positioning, he can block more shots and make Tottenham's defense even deadlier. He's so close to putting it all together.

Sandro Tonali has been cooking these last several weeks, and after a poor performance against his old club Newcastle United, the blockbuster 100 million pound Tottenham Hotspur transfer has been steadily improving his performances to the point where he has really come into his own as the midfield general for Roberto De Zerbi.

After a game winning assist against Manchester United and a strong all around display in Spurs first win of the season over Coventry, Tonali totally bossed Chelsea at Stamford Bridge with another metronomic passing display and another elite, composed defensive performance at the base of the Tottenham midfield.

And yet he was not even the Man of the Match or the best midfielder for the Lilywhites. Young defensive midfielder Mateus Fernandes, signed for only 15 million pounds less than Tonali's even 100, finally got to start in his preferred position. And while he was more 8 than 6, he actually led Spurs in pass attempts, one shy of 100, completing 92 percent of them. Far from passing sideways, Fernandes was decisive with two key passes, two accurate crosses, and four accurate long balls out of seven for the victorious road side.

Sandro Tonali can now rest, too

Fernandes playing this well in his first start in the defensive midfield is such a relief for Sandro Tonali, who is going to be a workhorse this season but also needs some rest. And to see the way Fernandes has been passing the ball around this season and what he did at the base of the midfield against mighty Chelsea, Moises Caicedo, and Jordan Henderson is a reminder that he can play as the holding man at the base, ticking the team over as a leader, too.

That means Tottenham Hotspur do not have to push so much on Tonali either. They can rest him against, say, Crystal Palace with Fernandes as the 6 and either Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur, or even Archie Gray as the shuttling half 6/8 like Fernandes was for Tonali.

The Mateus Fernandes dominance against Chelsea is an even bigger storyline for the Lilywhites than it is being sold by the Premier League punditry teams, because it means Tottenham's 185 million pound investment is already paying dividends. And that gives Spurs not only dominance when both play, but it also gives Spurs the flexibility to rest one player or the other, which, in turn, is a boost for the young stars of the future like Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall.

Prior to suffering an injury before Tottenham Hotspur's first win of the season against Coventry on Matchday 6, Savio was the best player on the team, at least in an attacking sense. With 2.8 key passes and 4.5 dribbles completed per game, Savio has been one of the most efficient wide creators and dribblers in European football, with only Lamine Yamal convincingly outproducing him when combining both categories.

Consider how badly Spurs were struggling before the Coventry win, that only makes what Savio was doing all the more impressive. But now that Tottenham have won twice by a combined score of 5-1 without Savio, the luster around the Brazilian star has diminished.

Mohammed Kudus has been vital to Spurs again

More to the point, the other left footed right winger in the squad, Mohammed Kudus, was excellent in both games. His incisiveness, skill, and grinta were all on display in both games, and while it's not that Savio lacks skill or work rate, Kudus was playing at a high level all season long in 2025/26 before his injury on an even worse Tottenham side - and now that he is fully fit, he has picked up where he left off.

Roberto De Zerbi and Tottenham Hotspur fans love both of these guys. As they should. Kudus and Savio are two of the best in the Premier League at taking a man on, beating them, and creating a chance, and in an ideal world, Spurs would play both. But the problem is that they are best on the right wing. They are not 10's, and if one were to play on the left wing over either Mathys Tel or Omar Marmoush, that would really hurt Spurs ability to score goals - and we all know how poor they have been at scoring goals, even with five in the last two games against Coventry and Chelsea.

Mohammed Kudus playing at such a high level these past two games is amazing news for Tottenham, and this team is so much better with the former West Ham United star in form like this. But with Kudus dazzling in two wins for the Lilywhites, the question about what to do with Savio and how to negotiate the playing time of both stars wingers, which was already something in the back of Roberto De Zerbi's mind, becomes an even bigger point of discussion. Because it's hard to justify taking out Kudus when he has been so instrumental, especially in this upset over Chelsea.

It is hard not to feel for Mathys Tel. The young Tottenham Hotspur left winger was the only thing remotely resembling a bright spot in the 2025/26 Premier League season after Mohammed Kudus went down with a hamstring injury, and he was the team's best player in the preseason. He even actually played well on Matchday 1 in a blowout loss to Brentford despite the criticisms, and while he struggled thereafter before his benching, you could still see the electricity and glimpses of quality.

Tel did not start since the beginning of September as Roberto De Zerbi divested from him fully with new Manchester City signing Omar Marmoush and Savio in the fold, as well as Kudus rounding back to fitness after that hamstring ailment from the last season.

But De Zerbi gave Tel a start against the odds in the must win rivalry matchup against Chelsea, and he sealed the deal with a world class late goal, marauding down the left flank, cutting into the middle of the pitch, and unleashing another trademark clutch driven shot past Mike Penders in the Chelsea goal.

Omar Marmoush has no margin for error

Tel's breakout performance with two key passes, four dribbles completed, and a great goal as Tottenham Hotspur's leading threat came at the same time that Omar Marmoush started in the middle of the attacking formation over Dominic Solanke with a poor performance. Marmoush did not create chances, beat his man, or threaten the goalkeeper. And he was even sloppier than Tel on the ball again.

It is going to be impossible for Roberto De Zerbi to justify leaving Mathys Tel on the bench in next weekend's Halloween rivalry matchup against Crystal Palace. And it's not like he would want to either, as De Zerbi is a big fan of Tel, perhaps even moreso than either Solanke or Marmoush.

The Egyptian international has to be the most worried about Tel's breakout, though. Because if De Zerbi goes back to Solanke over him as the main striker option, he may not go back to Marmoush as the striker partner or the left winger. Because with Tel playing this well and scoring such a goal to nail down a starting spot, the left wing job or the left center forward job is going to swing towards the young Frenchman rather than the signing from Man City. Tel breaking out again is not the news Marmoush wants to see. It gives him even less margin for error.