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The blockbuster defensive and mdfield summer signings for Tottenham Hotspur have already proven to be smashing successes, with Jan Paul van Hecke, Sandro Tonali, and Mateus Fernandes arguably being the three very best players on the team during this three game winning streak. And before his injury, Savio was cooking defenses with his speed and skill, taking on all comers as one of the leading dribblers in the Premier League while creating enough chances to almost rival Lamine Yamal on the wings.

However, Tottenham have not gotten any better at scoring goals despite improvements literally everywhere else, and the best way to integrate the other big attacking signing from Manchester City, Omar Marmoush, is still a puzzle that befuddles the Spurs faithful and their manager Roberto De Zerbi.

After starting Marmoush as the 9 against Chelsea with Dominic Solanke out of the starting 11 all together, Spurs had to start Marmoush at the 10 with James Maddison out and went back to Big Dom up top. Lo and behold, Solanke was horrible despite the rest of the team dominating, and while Marmoush did decently well all around with three key passes and three dribbles completed, the Egyptian international did not come close to threatening the Crystal Palace goal despite only facing 10 men with a stalwart midfield and defense behind him in support.

Omar Marmoush is dealing with a lot of unknowns

Figuring out Marmoush's best position in the Premier League after a dominant Bundesliga career has been a challenge for both Pep Guardiola and now Roberto De Zerbi, as two great managers at two massive clubs are struggling to get the skilled forward to produce.

This Saturday, Tottenham Hotspur will face a tougher defensive side in Leeds United, and it is unclear how De Zerbi will line his attack up. Marmoush figures to be a better option than Solanke after what was seen against Crystal Palace, but there's no guarantee the former Man City man starts either. And if he does start, the No. 9 seems like the default position with James Maddison presumably ready to start, as both Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus are outplaying Marmoush and essentially undroppable.

How Roberto De Zerbi lines his attack up, where he starts Marmoush, if Marmoush starts at all, and how the future 60 million pound signing does on Saturday against a great defensive team will reveal a lot about where De Zerbi sees Marmoush, how he views him tactically, and what the future holds after the November international break for a talented player mired in quite a bit of uncertainty.

Fun fact, folks: our upcoming opponents, Leeds United, haven’t won a Premier League game that kicked off before 3 p.m. (GMT) since August 2022.

It’s a run of 21 games, a Premier League record.

Combine that with their current winless run of five games, and it’d appear as if we’re heading for a classic case of “Dr. Tottenham...”

There’s brewing discontent at Elland Road as a result of their recent malaise, with some supporters suggesting that Daniel Farke, who’s tactical switch midway through last season, ensured they stayed up with relative ease.

A summer window in which they bought James Trafford, the highly-rated Tarik Muharemović and purple patch fiend Harry Wilson elevated expectations, and they haven’t been matched as of late. Still, Leeds sit 12th in the Premier League table after nine games.

It’s no disaster, but you just get the impression that fans are waiting to pile onto Farke. Perhaps the calls for his head will be particularly vociferous if Spurs waltz up to West Yorkshire and extend their winning run to four games. A newfound swagger is emanating from the Lilywhites, and they’re facing Leeds at the right time.

Spurs must be wary of Leeds’ set-piece threat

Forget Arsenal, Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off is a duel between the two of the Premier League’s new set-piece kings.

While Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea have been the two most proficient sides from dead-ball situations this season, no team is currently more reliant on set-pieces for attacking success than Leeds.

According to Opta, Farke’s side have scored 44.44% of their Premier League goals from set plays—joint-highest in the division along with Everton. 44.23% of their shots have been generated from such situations, as has 42.51% of their total xG (both league highs).

Spurs are no slouches in this regard either, and they came to the fore for the Lilywhites against Crystal Palace’s 10 men. De Zerbi’s side are gradually improving against deep-lying defences, but the Italian doesn’t have all the profiles he needs that give him the best chance of compromising defensive compactness.

Leeds will be rough and rugged on home soil this weekend, and will continue to emphasise on set-pieces as a primary method of chance creation. Encouragingly, we don’t have the same issues defending dead balls as we did under Ange Postecoglou.

Andreas Georgson has sophisticated the Lilywhites in this area of the game at both ends of the pitch. We’ve conceded just two set-piece goals so far, and surrendered 2.56 xG—the joint-seventh-lowest in the division.

Stymie Leeds on this front, and Spurs will be on course for their fourth successive victory.

Can it be autumn forever? Sure, the changing leaves are pretty and the pubs are cozy, but what I really mean is this: Tottenham haven’t lost a game since September 19, when it was still summer. Despite sitting atop the Premier League, Arsenal have lost more recently. Fleetwood and Tottenham supporters will forever be allies.

Still, Tottenham have plenty to improve upon, including settling on an optimum starting 11. Every game there seems to be some experiment. Mateus Fernandes in the 10. Actually, how about Conor Gallagher? James Maddison is healthy, let’s throw him in there. And Archie Gray seems to play everywhere except for striker. And now that you mention it…

Injuries are obviously a big part of manager Roberto De Zerbi’s team selections, and in the last six weeks he’s done a fine job figuring out how to put the available pieces together. As for this weekend, Tottenham have one job, to defeat Leeds United. They’ll keep the good times rolling by factoring in the following three players.

Will the real Pedro Porro please stand up?

There’s a reason why Pedro Porro is rumored for a transfer to Real Madrid or Barcelona. The World Cup winner is arguably Tottenham’s best player and certainly one of the best fullbacks in the world. But Porro has played 269 minutes in five Premier League games this season, good for just 54 minutes per appearance. He’s started in only three of those games. With such few minutes, he has had little impact on Spurs’ recent success.

That said, there is no world in which Tottenham are better with Porro out of the lineup. If fit enough, he absolutely needs to be the starting right back on Saturday, and if the transfer rumors are true, then Spurs need to wring every bit of value out of him while he’s still in North London.

Dejan Kulusevski is ready for more minutes

It’s a heartwarming story, Dejan Kulusevski returning from a knee injury after almost two years, but this is professional football. As the immortal Herm Edwards once said, you play to win the game. The winger can help Tottenham do that. Should Kulusevski play 90 minutes? Almost certainly not. He has logged just 20 minutes this season, but one of Tottenham’s best, most creative players isn’t going to get match fit by jogging in a pinnie on the touchline. Let the man start and make the halftime substitution if needed.

Luca Williams-Barnett needs more than a cameo

Future Ballon d’Or winner Luca Williams-Barnett—sorry. Let me try that again.

The next Lionel Messi Luca Williams-Barnett—I beg your pardon. One more time.

Backup attacking midfielder Luca Williams-Barnett—no! That doesn’t feel right, not after creating what should have been the assist of the season in his Premier League debut against Crystal Palace.

Free LWB! Let the kid play, especially if James Maddison isn’t fit to start. Williams-Barnett is Tottenham’s future. Let’s start that future now.

Tottenham Hotspur travel to Elland Road on Saturday lunchtime to face Leeds United as Roberto De Zerbi's side look to extend their winning run to four league matches. Recent victories against Coventry City, Chelsea and Crystal Palace have helped Spurs climb the league table, but there are still areas that require improvement if they are to continue this impressive form.

With a potentially difficult task awaiting them in Yorkshire, these three attacking players will need to be at their best to help Spurs navigate a notoriously tough ground to visit. Here are three Tottenham players who need to step up the most against Leeds.

Dominic Solanke

Solanke is undoubtedly one of the most important players Spurs need to see more from over the course of this season. The striker has struggled to produce consistent performances in front of goal, scoring just twice in eleven games so far, and De Zerbi will be relying on his centre-forward to lead the line at Elland Road.

Although his header rescued a point against Manchester United and he scored against Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup, Solanke has often been on the fringes of Tottenham's performances. He's managed just four shots on target in the league this season and, despite forcing a strong save from Dean Henderson and producing a crucial block against Crystal Palace, he failed to really threaten in a game Spurs completely dominated.

With Leeds likely to provide a stubborn defensive test on Saturday, Solanke must take advantage of whatever opportunities come his way and demonstrate why he deserves to lead the line.

Omar Marmoush

Marmoush is another Spurs forward who will be looking to make a more significant impact against Leeds. The Egyptian international has shown glimpses of his quality since arriving from Manchester City in the summer, including his excellent strike against Coventry, but he's another player who has lacked a genuine goal threat so far this season.

The forward has showcased his versatility by featuring in the #10 role, off the left flank and up front so far this season, but is yet to truly showcase the quality fans know he possesses from his time in Germany and Manchester. With players like Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison returning to fitness and Mathys Tel finding form, there's also plenty of competition for places.

A strong performance against Leeds would help cement his place in the starting XI, and his pace and directness could prove to be the difference on an afternoon when chances may be at a premium for Spurs.

Mohammed Kudus

Kudus completes this list after producing a Player of the Match performance against Crystal Palace, where he recorded his third Premier League assist of the season to set up Archie Gray's opener. The Ghanaian international completed his first 90 minutes after returning from injury earlier this season and should have got himself a goal, but horribly miscued his shot wide late on following some dazzling wing play from Luca Williams-Barnett.

There still seems to be plenty more to come from Kudus, particularly in front of goal. Goals from forward areas continue to be an area of concern for Spurs, and Kudus will need to improve on his record of just eight goals across the last two seasons. However, the 26-year-old scored in this fixture last season and will be hoping to do so again on Saturday.

At his very best, he will cause Leeds all sorts of problems and be a crucial outlet for Spurs, while also having the ability to create opportunities for the likes of Solanke, Marmoush and Tel in forward areas. If Spurs are to get another win under their belt, they'll need Kudus to continue where he left off against Palace.

In the summer 2025 transfer window, Tottenham Hotspur finally landed two young, blockbuster players in Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus, and both look like building blocks for this team when healthy. But they also missed out on more players who could have helped the team. Even though Eberechi Eze was a bullet dodged, as was Bryan Mbeumo, Spurs could have used some of the other Premier Leaguers they could not get their hands on, like Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest. Then in the winter, they could get nowhere close to Antoine Semenyo in the sweepstakes for a great forward.

This past summer transfer window, Tottenham landed more marquee talents, with Roberto De Zerbi's incessant push to secure deals and his charismatic pull being defining features. Tottenham were able to finally beat marquee Premier League teams, landing Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali to rebuild their midfield over the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, and Manchester City. And from Man City, they signed two talented forwards in Savio and Omar Marmoush.

Finally, Spurs showed that they are willing and able to play with the big boys, and they are playing some of the best football in England right now. Unfortunately, they are not in Premier League title contention just yet, because what escapes them is the type of player they were not able to sign this past summer transfer window: a marquee No. 9 who can score goals.

Eli Junior Kroupi is different gravy

Kroupi will be a big topic in the winter transfer window, though. Bournemouth will continue to insist on not selling, but if Tottenham Hotspur or another club can make them an offer they cannot refuse, presumably well above the 100 million pounds they spent on last summer's record transfer Sandro Tonali, then they could very well land him.

The other problem is that Arsenal, PSG, and other elite clubs around European football will go hard after Eli Junior Kroupi. Elite strikers at a young age like Kroupi with the potential to win a Ballon d'Or one day are a different caliber of player entirely on the transfer market to even Mateus Fernandes, Savio, or Tonali, and Tottenham have to prepare for the tactical and financial fight of their life if they want to pry Kroupi from Bournemouth ahead of the reigning Champions League and Premier League winners in PSG and Arsenal.

Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder James Maddison is crucial to the team, as evidenced by how their best scoring day of the Premier League season came against his childhood club Coventry when he was firing on all cylinders. Maddison scored a brilliant opening goal that day, and he was on point as a creator, irresistible again with his passing and touches.

Maddison started the following week in Spurs impressive 2-0 win over rivals Chelsea, but he could only last 50 minutes. Coming into the game, he missed practice sessions with an apparent injury, and then he hurt his groin in the second half, leading to him being pulled from the game.

Not only was Madders held out of the starting lineup this past weekend in Tottenham's 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace, but he did not even get minutes off the bench. But that precisely what has made Roberto De Zerbi's approach in his first full season as Tottenham manager so refreshing.

Roberto De Zerbi isn't rushing James Maddison

Instead of doing what managers of the past would have done, De Zerbi is making sure he is taking things slowly with his players. He knows the likes of Pedro Porro and James Maddison are important to Tottenham Hotspur achieving their broader goal of returning to Champions League football, but he is also creating a more resilient team that can withstand not having them in the starting 11 against, say, Crystal Palace.

Tottenham need Maddison healthy for the long haul, and by giving him an extra week of full rest before the final game before the November international break against Leeds United this coming weekend, Roberto De Zerbi has saved Maddison a lot of trouble and potentially yet another injury aggravation.

Anyone can see that when Madders is on the pitch, Tottenham are a better team with his leadership, vision, and technical quality. He makes a difference in terms of creating clear cut chances and scoring goals, both of which are major weaknesses for Spurs.

Tottenham are going to need Maddison against tougher opponents than Crystal Palace, but as Spurs fans saw this past weekend, they did not need him to win that game. And that's great news for Spurs going forward; they can withstand not having Maddison every week, which was not the case before De Zerbi. Maddison is in play for minutes against Leeds, and he will be much fresher because De Zerbi had the wisdom to hold him out.

Tottenham Hotspur grabbed a lot of headlines and turned a lot of heads over the summer transfer window when they essentially swapped one of the biggest defensive gems in world football in Luka Vuskovic plus cash to Brighton for Jan Paul van Hecke, an older player with one year left on his contract coming off a pretty disappointing season for the Seagulls.

And since Vuskovic started the year hot for a Brighton side that looks like a sleeper Premier League title contender, Roberto De Zerbi got a lot of stick for paying any price to bring his prodigal son home with him to N17, spending money and a younger and arguably better player for someone just because he liked his system fit more.

Vuskovic has continued to play at a high level for Brighton, but by any metric, Van Hecke has been even better. And with his record display complete with a goal in another dominant 2-0 win for the Lilywhites over a local rival, this time Crystal Palace after Chelsea, nobody is laughing at Spurs or criticizing De Zerbi for the Van Hecke move now.

Tottenham and Brighton both won

The problem in the world of hot takes these days is everyone is looking for a winner and a loser, but the reality is that both Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton won the Jan Paul van Hecke for Luka Vuskovic transfer swap. And by extension, both center backs have come out winners, too.

Brighton won because they landed extra money and one of the best young players in world football - a player who is dynamic all around and helping the Seagulls play out of their skins. But Tottenham also won. Van Hecke is a uniquely gifted passer of the ball and the best progressive passer in the Premier League at any position. He is a major upgrade on Cristian Romero as a player and a leader, he is helping Spurs get even more out of new captain Micky van de Ven because of their chemistry, and he has shown real defensive quality.

Tottenham needed a more proven player who is comfortable in possession and at creating chances from deep, and there was no better player in the world for what De Zerbi wanted in his mind than Van Hecke. Yes, they lost a great player in Vuskovic, but with less pressure around him and a more counterattacking system at Brighton, the Croatian is also starting for a team where the situation fits him better. Everyone wins.

Tottenham Hotspur are counting down the days until the rest of their injured players are able to return to the first team. Dejan Kulusevski is already showing his quality off the bench after a devastating knee injury, and both James Maddison and Pedro Porro look ready to start again, too. Mykhaylo Mudryk and Savio are recent signings who are expected to be back on the wings after the November international break later this month.

So the two real big remaining returns are two long term injuries in attacking midfielders Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert. And while Simons is obviously the biggest name of the bunch and the one who could really unlock an attack that is still not yet reflecting the overall dominance of Roberto De Zerbi's team, Odobert's return also brings an air of intrigue around it and feels like it should not be totally overshadowed either.

Because like Simons, Odobert was actually playing his best football in a Tottenham kit before tearing his ACL in the winter. Unlike Simons, though, Odobert never even got a sniff at playing under De Zerbi, which means the Italian manager has yet to see what the young Frenchman can do.

Wilson Odobert can be an asset to Spurs

Wilson Odobert seemed to be struggling and treading water a bit before being moved to the right side of the pitch, and even when he moved back on the left, he looked better while focusing more on being a playmaker. De Zerbi wants goals, sure, but Tottenham looked like a better team overall when Odobert was in the lineup and clicking with the other players, and there were even fans who were liking him more than Mathys Tel because of his creativity and consistency.

When Odobert comes back to Tottenham Hotspur, he isn't going to start many games. The Spurs attack is more crowded now with Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison back healthy, which was not the case last year when Odobert was playing under Frank, and they also signed Savio and Omar Marmoush from Manchester City (and Mykhaylo Mudryk from Chelsea, too). And oh by the way, a young man named Luca Williams-Barnett needs his licks, too.

Odobert, though, does not have to start to be useful to Tottenham. Spurs know better than anyone else that depth is crucial, and they saw how the attack was gutted last season with the injuries to Mohammed Kudus and then Odobert on top of everything else. With his quick feet, skills, and vision, Odobert is another versatile weapon off the bench who will help Spurs and bring the attack another different flavor for Roberto De Zerbi to work with.

A lot of Tottenham Hotspur fans were not happy with Roberto De Zerbi's decision to sell Austrian center back Kevin Danso just before the end of the summer transfer deadline, sending the defender to Sunderland, one of the Premier League's biggest underdog teams last season, to ostensibly make their defense stronger. And what made Spurs fans more upset with De Zerbi and leave a sour taste in the end of a great transfer window was the fact that the manager brought in Chelsea transfer bust Tosin Adarabioyo into the fold.

But Tosin has been great whenever he is on the pitch for Tottenham. In fact, for just a few million pounds, he has looked like a bargain at the expense of one of Spurs great rivals, whom the Lilywhites just defeated convincingly a couple of weeks ago. Chelsea's defense is no better off without Tosin, who has impressed with his quality on the ball and understanding of the system under De Zerbi.

Meanwhile, Danso has been horrible. There is a serious case to be made that he has been one of the absolute worst players in the Premier League this season, and Sunderland are having to divest from him pretty quickly.

Kevin Danso would have been a disaster for Spurs

Danso looks worse for Sunderland than he ever did for Tottenham. With Spurs, he was never a convincing player or someone who looked like he could start, but he was at least a decent backup who made for some of his clumsiness with dominance in the air and resolute defending, especially at the end of games when he would put his body on the line. Spurs fans won't forget what he did for them in winning the Europa League in 2025 either.

With Sunderland, though, Danso looks hopeless. He barely wins possesion for his team and is dribbled past as many times as he wins the ball. On the ball itself, he looked horrible, completing barely 80 percent of his passes and offering no real progression while making a lot of bad errors on the ball.

Kevin Danso looks untenable at the Premier League level right now, and whlie he is not this bad of a player and was actually a great center back at Lens before his Tottenham Hotspur move, Roberto De Zerbi has been proven right again about the player. Danso would have never fit Spurs in this iteration under De Zerbi where the goal is competing at the top of the Premier League, and this is just more evidence that Spurs fans need to trust RDZ when he makes it clear who he does - and does not - want.

Tottenham Hotspur supporters will be leery about signing any players from Eintracht Frankfurt, because, so far, they haven't had good experiences with strikers from the Eagles of Germany. Omar Marmoush is currently the de facto No. 9 at N17 after a big transfer from Manchester City, but he has not come close to making the same impact he made in the Bundesliga during his time in the Premier League. And while has been better than Dominic Solanke all around, he only has one goal to his name - and being better than Solanke says very little.

Of course, the worst example of a Frankfurt striker flopping is another player who was at Spurs last season on loan, Randal Kolo Muani. He was phenomenal in 2022/23 when he burst onto the scene in the Bundesliga but was a nearly 100 million euro transfer flop for PSG. He somewhat revived himself on loan at Juventus, enough to pique Spurs interest in him last season. But Kolo Muani was so woeful that he is perhaps the worst striker to ever don the Tottenham kit, and a subsequent loan to Juve this season has not seen the Frenchman recover his form in the slightest.

Spurs are looking for a new striker to replace Solanke and Richarlison, the latter was struck out from the squad completely by Roberto De Zerbi after their little tiff before the transfer deadline. The options are thin beyond dream target Eli Junior Kroupi, who is probably too good to be true and will have clubs as big as PSG pushing hard to sign him.

Tottenham need to go beyond the obvious

Tottenham are going to have to think of some gems beyond the obvious ,and Eintracht Frankfurt actually have a young German striker worth looking into. Younes Ebnoutalib has come out of nowhere to become the new hero to lead the line in the business capital of Europe, and he has been one of the German top flight's best forwards to start the campaign.

Ebnoutalib has 6 goals in 8 appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt and is averaging a combined 2.5 dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game. He is a good finisher who is fluid and dangerous on the ball, capable of creating shooting opportunities for himself with the ball at his feet or with his movement out of possession.

In all honesty, Tottenham Hotspur should be looking for more established options with the star quality to threaten 20 goals in a Premier League season, as that caliber of player is what Spurs truly need to push for a title. Younes Ebnoutalib, though, is a promising talent at 23 and probably better than Dominic Solanke already. He's worth watching in the coming months as a deep sleeper option if the best targets like Eli Junior Kroupi are out.