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It’s hardly a secret that Tottenham Hotspur need a centre-forward.

Roberto De Zerbi’s team are neat and tidy between the boxes, defensively improved and can offer a threat from central and wide areas when everyone’s fit, but the Italian has no one he can rely upon to put the ball in the back of the net.

And that’s an issue.

It makes the Richarlison debacle all the more frustrating. The Brazilian should’ve gone in the summer, but once it was evident that he wasn’t going to leave, our leading goalscorer from last season should’ve been in De Zerbi’s Premier League squad. Even if the intention was for him to go in January, he could've offered us a far greater threat in the opposition's box for a few more months.

Instead, we’re fruitlessly still hoping that Dominic Solanke rediscovers the form that made him serviceable during his first year in Lilywhite, and waiting for Omar Marmoush to find his groove. We’re yet to discern what exactly the Egyptian is.

If Spurs are to push for Europe in a mightily competitive middle-class, there must be an aggressive striker pursuit this winter. I know exactly who we’re all dreaming about, but we’re going to have to let that one go, folks. It ain’t happening.

Eli Junior Kroupi to Spurs dream will only end in heartbreak

There’s no denying that Spurs made a push for Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi in the summer.

After a record-breaking debut scoring campaign, Kroupi had earned himself a lofty valuation potentially breaching the £100m threshold, and for a while, it appeared as if the Lilywhites would at least test the Cherries' resolve.

That was until the sharp-shooting Frenchman underwent foot surgery in July, scuppering any hope of a summer move. He only recently returned to action, immediately displaying his quality in the 2-0 victory over Leeds United when he teed up Amine Adli for their second goal.

Kroupi has since earned his first call-up to the French national team, replacing the injured Marcus Thuram. Despite missing the opening two months of the season, the youngster’s value is merely rising.

Moreover, while Spurs appeared to be leading any ‘race’ there was for his signature in the summer, it appears as if our bitter north London rivals are preparing themselves to make a move in January. There’s been plenty of paper talk regarding the Gunners’ interest, and the relatively reliable Miguel Delaney writes that Kroupi is one of four options they’re considering for the winter.

Bournemouth certainly won’t let him go lightly, but there’s a sense that Arsenal are ready to land a huge blow in their bid to capture the elusive game-breaking attacker. Kroupi may not be Vinícius Júnior in stature, but the kid has all the makings of a star.

And I just don’t think it’s at all realistic for Spurs to land him at the start of 2027.

Tottenham Hotspur are having huge problems with their attack this season, and aside from some glimpses from Mathys Tel and the spark of Savio in terms of his dribbling and creativity, Spurs really have nothing going for them right now. Nobody has established themselves as even a remotely threatening goal scorer, striker Dominic Solanke might be the worst in the league, Omar Marmoush is a massive bust right now, Mohammed Kudus has no end product, James Maddison is never healthy, and the bench is barely there.

Spurs are having to hope for three things to turn the attack around. They are hoping Luca Williams-Barnett is ready to be more than just the savior of the future, Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert can return to make a serious impact (especially the more talented Simons), and that they can potentially sign both a great striker like Eli Junior Kroupi or Victor Osimhen and a great No. 10 like Morgan Gibbs-White or Nico Paz. Spurs want to sign players who can decide games with goals and assists both this season and for the next five years.

Mikey Moore is not part of the equation

Notice how MIkey Moore is nowhere near the equation. He had a slow start before with Rangers on loan last season, and so there is hope that he can bounce back with FC Koln in his first top five European league test. But while Koln's issues go way beyond Moore and they are a terrible team, anyone can objectively see that Moore is not getting the job done himself.

It's not an isolated issue. Moore has talent, but the hype about him being the next Neymar was always ridiculous. While Moore scored clutch goals for Rangers, he was playing second rate opposition in a Scottish league that is becoming increasingly weak, to the point where it is a step below even the EFL Championship, which is why Spurs were actually contemplating a Championship loan as a step up for the youngster.

Instead, he jumped up to Koln despite a terrible preseason and a poor Matchday 1 performance against Brentford. Against Premier League or any top filght opposition, Moore looks out of his depth, and it seems like Tottenham Hotspur understand that. They have a more promising prospect in Luca Williams-Barnett, and with rumors linking them back to Gibbs-White and Paz, it appears Spurs understand that Moore is not a part of the future calculus. This loan to Konl is about getting him enough value to sell him somewhere else.

Tottenham Hotspur are in a difficult spot again after losing 1-0 to Leeds United prior to the November international break, and they now head into these two weeks off needing to both regroup and be brutally honest about their weaknesses.

Some of their biggest named players whom Roberto De Zerbi was counting on to be crucial to the cause have been deeply disappointing. These three players need to step up really soon or be worried about their futures after the 2026/27 Premier League season - or even as early as the winter transfer period.

ST Dominic Solanke

Dominic Solanke is first on the list for the chopping block if you ask most Tottenham Hotspur fans, and there are many fans who would much rather see Richarlison back in the official squad than Big Dom. That's never going to happen after the ridiculous falling apart between Richy and Roberto De Zerbi, who are both two of the most stubborn personalities in the Premier League, but that statement serves as a reminder of how far Solanke's stock has fallen. Even when Spurs play well, Solanke plays poorly, and he is genuinely one of the worst strikers in the Premier League.

AM James Maddison

James Maddison is a great player and crucial to Spurs, but he is never healthy. And Spurs can't keep counting on a player who can't play, pay him high wages, and give him a roster spot. If Maddison can't make a big impact over the next couple of months, Tottenham may have no choice but to replace him with a younger, even better attacking midfielder who is more available - someone like Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest.

FW Omar Marmoush

Manchester City signing Omar Marmoush has not worked out as well as his teammate Savio, who was the player Tottenham Hotspur wanted for longer. Marmoush should be offering more goals and a better presence up top, but he has been as ineffectual in front of goal as his old Man City teammate, who is a more traditional winger, while offering half the electricity and consistency of the Brazilian international. Marmoush would be getting even more negative press if it weren't for Dominic Solanke being even more inept. The probelm is that Spurs are on the hook for 60 million pounds at the end of the season for Marmoush, but if he can't turn it around, Spurs might have to try and get Manchester City to agree to terminate the loan for a small fee.

Cutting one's nose off to spite one's face seems to be a common practice among the cohort of younger managers currently circulating within the game.

Roberto De Zerbi is one of those managers, and his actions are costing his team. We can discuss how good a manager De Zerbi is all day, and how good he is at Tottenham is still very much up for debate amid a poor start to the season on the back of a club-record transfer window.

But what we do know about De Zerbis is that he is not the friendliest boss to work for. It's his way or the highway, and there is a list of former players who will attest to that. If he doesn't like you as a player or an individual, you are likely to find yourself cut from the team by any means necessary.

It has become a trend in modern football. Younger managers appear to feel threatened by a player who is not playing ball in one way or the other, and the resolution is always to cast them aside, to have them train alone rather than dealing with the issue properly.

Rather than treating the player like an employee or, God forbid, a human being and try to resolve the differences properly, the cord is too often cut. There are always meetings, but you will find that those meetings involve the head coach demanding an apology or an agreement on his terms, and when he doesn't get one, it's plan B. It's very rarely a meeting that puts compromise on the table.

In De Zerbi's case, or at least the latest case, Richarlison has found himself in the crosshairs. The Spurs boss explained the situation by saying: “Richarlison, he said too many times that he wanted to leave.”

Now, that's not a particularly uncommon situation in football, and more experienced managers find a way to get players to put themselves in the shop window for an exit, and the club benefits from that form.

Instead, De Zerbi has removed Richarlison as an option by exiling him from his squad, and the result is that Spurs now have only two options at the top end of the pitch.

That includes Dominic Solanke, who has rarely shown promise since his big-money move from AFC Bournemouth, and Omar Marmoush has looked particularly poor since arriving on loan from Manchester City in the summer.

Top clubs typically either have two reliable options or three less reliable options to have sufficient competition for the striker role, but Spurs now have neither, and they have a capable player in Richarlison exiled from their squad.

The Brazilian certainly hasn't always been consistent Spurs, so this isn't to suggest he would suddenly become the starting frontman, but he is hard-working and has history of producing good Premier League performances, so his presence would certainly help the situation.

But never mind that, De Zerbi gets to sit on his perch and say he has the almighty power.

Younger managers must drop this sense of insecurity of they are to master proper squad management, and while they do not, they are often going to cost their team points.

Tottenham Hotspur are increasingly being confronted with a harsh truth about James Maddison, which had to have already been in the back of their minds coming into the 2026/27 Premier League season. As good as he is and as important as he is to Tottenham, the fact that he is so important but so rarely healthy and available to start and complete consecutive games is a huge problem.

It speaks to how badly Spurs need a playmaker to consolidate the midfield and attack, bridging both as a primary creative force for a starved and highly underperforming attack while also being a crucial supplementary scoring option for said attack.

Xavi Simons is the main starting No. 10 and will be coming off an ACL tear of his own. Once he and fellow young gun Wilson Odobert return this winter, there will be a way for Roberto De Zerbi and Tottenham Hotspur to divest from Maddison. At the same time, though, Odobert is more of a role player, and Simons, as great as he is, isn't a pure creator profile.

Morgan Gibbs-White is the man for the job

Tottenham can sign an upgrade in the winter, someone Premier League proven who can stay healthy and score goals, create chances, and also replace the backup No. 10 in the rotation down the line after the 2026/27 season ends in Conor Gallagher.

Spurs definitely have a use for James Maddison, but he is never healthy. And they have a use for Gallagher, but at his age and with his wages and now the opportunity to sell him to Crystal Palace or another mid level Premier League club with the player rehbabing his value, they have a unique opportunity they can't pass up on to sell him after the season ends.

For Tottenham, the clear best way to replace and upgrade these two is to go for Morgan Gibbs-White, who scored 15 goals last season and was one of the best players in the Premier League. And once again, the Nottingham Forest star is one of the best players in the league this year, and even with fewer goals, his all around play is even better.

Tottenham Hotspur were supposed to have signed MGW last season on a deal for his release clause, but Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis complained enough to the league and Daniel Levy was so passive that the deal was effectively blocked. But with Spurs desperate for a fully fit, scoring No. 10 who can dynamically add to this team, if Roberto De Zerbi, who has so much more pull than Thomas Frank did, pushes relentlessly, there is no reason why Tottenham can't get Gibbs-White to force his way out as a player who can score, run, defend, pass, and do it all on and off the ball.

As has been the case over the past few seasons, Tottenham Hotspur have been held back by injuries in the 2026/27 Premier League season. It is not to the extent of previous seasons, but key players like Sandro Tonali, Mohammed Kudus, Pedro Porro, Omar Marmoush, and Savio did not start the season fully fit while James Maddison (and Porro), Lucas Bergvall, Destiny Udogie, and other important players have been bouncing in and out of the lineup.

But Tottenham are going to get an important boost to their squad after resting through the November international break. According to reporting from the Evening Standard in London, via Last Word on Spurs, Tottenham are set to get Savio, James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall, and Tosin Adarabioyo all back on November 21 when Spurs return to Premier League action at home against newly promoted side Ipswich Town.

While Spurs will be heavy favorites against Ipswich, especially at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, their 1-0 loss to Leeds United after winning streak proved that the Liliywhites can take absolutely nothing for granted at this stage.

Tottenham have to bounce back

And they won't against Ipswich. It's unclear if these four players returning from injury will be ready to play right off the bat, but with an extra week of rest from the break, someone crucial like Savio should be in play. Savio was rivaling Lamine Yamal in terms of key passes and dribbles completed per 90 from the wings before his injury, and though he was not decisive in goals and assists, he was by far the most dangerous player on Tottenham.

While it may have seemed like he was not missed with how well Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus did against Chelsea and Crystal Palace, Tel's injury against Leeds and Kudus's horrendous performance, as well as his bad misses in the other games that Spurs did get results in, are reminders that Savio is still necessary.

James Maddison has obviously been missed the most, and if he can return to start against Ipswich Town, that will make all the difference in the world, having their best playmaker and a guy capable of scoring from range back in the lineup.

Lucas Bergvall and Tosin Adarabioyo are more understated, but they have been exceptional whenever they have played - and Bergvall as a midfield spark off the bench with his energy in a box to box role can't be undersold.

With these four players set to return, Roberto De Zerbi can't lose again, certainly not against a much weaker side like Ipswich. He has to get the three points with weapons at his disposal, especially a player the caliber of Savio.

Tottenham Hotspur fans thought they were finally going to see James Maddison back on the pitch after his groin tweak a couple of weeks ago against Chelsea, especially since he had the full game last weekend against Crystal Palace to rest. But instead, Maddison was shockingly nowhere to be found when the starting 11 was announced, and he didn't even get on the pitch in the second half to bail out a badly sagging Spurs side that got much worse when Mathys Tel went down injured.

Instead, Roberto De Zerbi shoehorned Pedro Porro into the starting 11 for his first start since an injury prior to the last international break about a month ago. He played him at right back and moved Archie Gray to a midfield trio with Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes. That trio did not click at all, and De Zerbi didn't seem to even try to play with an actual playmaker, instead abandoning his ideals for a form of negative football that Leeds United absolutely ate alive at Elland Road.

Spurs lost the game 1-0, creating almost no chances. Their closest effort of the game was a half volley from range struck b Conor Gallagher off the bench in the second half. Only Gray had more than one key pass, and, in all honesty, he was rubbish, playing his worst game in the midfield since his breakout in the 2025/26 season.

Tottenham are not winning consistently without James Maddison

Tottenham Hotspur are not the same team without James Maddison. That was the case in 2024/25, it was clear in 2025/26 when Madders was coming off the bench during the relegation games, and it was made abundantly obvious to Spurs fans once again a few weeks ago when they won their first game of the season against Maddison's childhood club Coventry City upon his return to the 11.

The big problem, though, is that Maddison is never fully healthy. There has not been a time since his ACL tear when he has been healthy enough to play 60 minutes in back to back games, and that problem is becoming magnified by the fact that Spurs don't have another No. 10 right now and badly need him.

Now, Spurs had better options at the 10 than going back to Mateus Fernandes there, and so Roberto De Zerbi has a cross to bear for his selections against Leeds. But no matter what, with the way the Peacocks played at Elland Road, Spurs would have been worse for wear just by not having James Maddison. Spurs inability to create or withstand not having him in the time that Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons are still recovering from their own ACL tears is a major issue that hangs over this team.

Tottenham Hotspur followed up three straight victories with a horrendous showing at Elland Road, losing 1-0 to a Leeds United side that had lost 2-0 to AFC Bournemouth a week ago. Spurs have had an established problem of not being able to finish their chances, but against Leeds United, they could not even create them.

Everyone assumed James Maddison would be able to return from his latest injury issue, but he did not even take the field. And in his place, Spurs did not start a real No. 10. It was difficult to tell if Archie Gray or Mateus Fernandes was the playmaker, but it was immaterial either way with how poor Spurs were at creating chances. The way they played, they didn't really have a playmaker.

The midfield trio of Gray, Fernandes, and Sandro Tonali was objectionably bad. At least Gray was the only player on the team to create more than one chance against his former employers, whereas Tonali was downright shocking with a pass completion rate of 70 on only 37 attempts.

Roberto De Zerbi set up Spurs to lose

Roberto De Zerbi totally got Spurs wrong, choosing a very defensive lineup that could not move the ball or create anything meaningful in this clean sheet loss. Spurs looked cowardly and weak, almost like a team coached by Thomas Frank.

And De Zerbi did all this, in the end, just to squeeze both Pedro Porro and Archie Gray into the lineup. Instead of going with the logical option of resting Porro extra through the break and starting Gray at right back so he could continue his excellence in possession and make sure Spurs had another guy to rule the middle of the park, De Zerbi started Porro. And Porro was horrendous.

There is not a single action from that game that Porro did well. He was subpar defensively, he was inaccurate with his passing, he left Mohammed Kudus on an island to struggle, and he could not progress the ball. Archie Gray at right back was better than Pedro Porro at right back on this day, and with Porro starting, Gray in the midfield was meaningless.

Spurs had no 10, no outlet to create for the forwards, who were isolated and poor themselves at taking on creative roles or showing urgency, especially after Mathys Tel's injury. Roberto De Zerbi so badly wanted Porro to play before he was ready in an environment in which he was going to struggle, and even then, Porro could have worked if there was a creative midfielder to bridge the midfield and attack and balance the team. De Zerbi got everything wrong, he chose the false cause of wanting Porro shoehorned in to a defensive team, and he paid the price with a loss.

Tottenham Hotspur turned in a pathetic performance at Elland Road on Saturday, undoing so much of what was good about their stretch after the September and October international break. Failing to score in this 1-0 loss to the Peacocks obviously not a new challenge for a side desperate to find a real striker who can score goals, but Spurs did not even create chances in this one.

After nearly getting relegated last season before Roberto De Zerbi saved them, their improvement in the relegation fight combined with nearly 400 million pounds spent on new signings had both fans and pundits singing the club's praises and believing in a return to Champions League places.

That optimism dissipated rather quickly when the season started and Spurs began the campaign winless, but that hope returned in a big way with how well Tottenham Hotspur played after the break, particularly when they dominated Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, which has been an infrequent feat throughout their history.

Tottenham are cut back down a size

But after this loss to Leeds, Tottenham fans can only help but wonder again if this is their level. Tottenham have not been competing at the top end of the table for a couple of seasons now, and after their winless start, fans were reminded that Spurs are very much a work in progress. And though they may be a Big Six club and finally operating like one this past summer transfer window they made under Roberto De Zerbi, they certainly played like a mid table team.

If there were belief in Tottenham as something more than a mid table side and as a Champions League contender after the three game winning streak, especially after the one over Chelsea, it has wavered again after this totally listless 1-0 loss to Leeds at Elland Road.

That sinking feeling that Tottenham are really just a bloated, expensive mid table team with serious flaws, most namely an inability to actually score goals on a reliable basis, is back and will permeate the club through another international break. But at least it will stave off feelings of complacency, with Spurs meeting a sobering reality at the hands of a Daniel Farke side that pressed and harried them into utter incompetence and embarrassment this weekend.

Tottenham did not go into a hole near the bottom of the table for two seasons overnight, and as much as they thought the winning streak was a normalization and a return to dominance under De Zerbi's bright ideas, it, unfortunately, may not have been so sweet.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi saved this club from relegation last season after Thomas Frank had this team playing the worst possible football in the country - and Igor Tudor did nothing else to change that. But from the ashes of cowardly football rose a new, exciting, possession based brand of football under De Zerbi, and after weeks of ups and downs this season when De Zerbi truly enacted it without the threat of relegation hanging over his head.

Spurs were playing amazing football these last four weeks since the previous international break, really taking it to their opponents. And they saved their best for the previous two weeks, dominating Chelsea for a rare win at Stamford Bridge before making Crystal Palace look like a team so poor they could actually benefit from Mr. Frank taking charge.

All of that was thrown out the window at Elland Road against Leeds United. Suddenly, De Zerbi and his football looked like a spitting image of Thomas Frank. Tottenham Hotspur were completely overrun, and whereas they were usually the ones to suffocate the opposition, the Peacocks did the suffocating. They swarmed the entire Spurs midfield, with Sandro Tonali unable to create anything meaningful, completing only 70.3 percent of 37 pass attempts.

Tottenham couldn't even create vs. Leeds

Defensively, Spurs did not press or play aggressively either. They let Leeds pass through them into the final third too easily and often did the old Frank trick of literally spreading back away from the ball when Leeds won possession. They did this most egregiously in the second half, too, as the game got away from them, with the home side badly outshooting Spurs in the second stanza en route to the loss.

Roberto De Zerbi's normally aggressive, exciting brand of attack minded football was totally unrecognizable on Saturday at Elland Road. Instead, Tottenham Hotspur looked like imposters of themselves in defeat, and they looked more like they did last season when they lost a lot of these 1-0 games and showed no goal threat, looking like cowards.