Hotspur HQ

Young Tottenham Hotspur winger and attacking midfielder Luca Williams-Barnett only had a couple of minutes to impress off the bench against Crystal Palace, but he dazzled in that short space of time, providing one moment of magic beyond any other in a totally dominant 2-0 win for the Lilywhites with a bustling run down the left flank before delivering a perfect ball into Mohammed Kudus right in front of a gaping net that the right winger almost had to try to miss on purpose.

But few are caring much about the Kudus miss after the result and are more enamored with the brilliance on the ball from Williams-Barnett. Tottenham fans had been begging manager Roberto De Zerbi to give their top academy prospect a chance after watching him shine as one of the club's best players in the preseason, and all he did in his first chance at Premier League action this season was, in a few short minutes, do the same exact thing he was doing to preseason defenses.

Williams-Barnett looks like the next big thing for Tottenham, and after Spurs fans have watched former top striker prospects Troy Parrott and Will Lankshear score goals and win games for their teams since leaving N17, the last thing they want to see is a missed opportunity with the even more talented Luca Williams-Barnett in 2026/27.

Wilson Odobert might be the odd man out

After the game against Crystal Palace, Roberto De Zerbi told reporters that WIlson Odobert will be able to return to training in January 2027 after his torn ACL last season. Although Odobert took some time to get going after a significant transfer fee from Burnley, just before his injury, he was playing the best football of his career and looking like a dynamic creator and part of the solution out wide.

The Tottenham Hotspur attack is obviously more crowded now with the additions of Savio and Omar Marmoush from Manchester City. And Mathys Tel is in a better position now than he was done. That already had Odobert looking like the odd man out, and now both James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are healthy from their major knee injuries, too. Then, there is the addition of De Zerbi's pet favorite Mykhaylo Mudryk.

As if Wilson Odobert were not already up against it, the ambipedal and even more explosive and talented Williams-Barnett leaves everyone wondering where Odobert will play and if he will play at all, or if he will have to be loaned or simply never cut it at Spurs. But Odobert is a good footballer and worth keeping in mind in the rotation; he just won't have much margin for error, even coming off a big injury.

Roberto De Zerbi informed reporters after Tottenham Hotspur's incredible 2-0 victory over a short handed Crystal Palace that left winger Mykhaylo Mudryk will likely be ready to return to action after the November international break later this month. Mudryk only got 16 minutes of action against Nottingham Forest after years of being away from the game, only to predictably suffer an ankle injury immediately upon his return to action.

The loan punt on Mudryk was met derisively by spectators across the Premier League, including those around N17, especially since Spurs fans thought they were going to get a much stronger replacement for Richarlison at striker who could actually score goals. And instead they landed another pet favorite of De Zerbi's in Mudryk.

Except unlike Sandro Tonali or Jan Paul van Hecke, Mudryk does not have an established track record of success in the Premier League, and really, aside from a few notable games at Shakhtar Donetsk under De Zerbi as a prospect, he's accomplished a whole lot of nothing in world football other than being a historic level transfer bust for rivals Chelsea.

Mykhaylo Mudryk faces a lot less pressure

The thing is, even though nothing has changed for Mykhaylo Mudryk specifically between the 0-0 draw with Forest at the beginning of September, a lot has changed for Tottenham Hotspur and Roberto De Zerbi.

Tottenham have now won three games in a row after starting the 2026/27 Premier League season without a win, and De Zerbi is on top of the world, with many Spurs fans feeling that they can be legitimate title contenders at this rate, especially if they are able to stay the course until winter and sign a real difference maker at the 9 - like Eli Junior Kroupi from Bournemouth.

There is a lot of faith in De Zerbi right now, as Tottenham look like a machine tactically and are playing in the vein of De Zerbi. And the signings he demanded at all costs have been flourishing, with Tonali and Van Hecke looking like arguably the best players in the Premier League in their respective roles and positions.

So Mudryk is going to get the benefit of the doubt when he comes back from injury. He has not done anything, of course, but De Zerbi has, and there is going to be more faith in De Zerbi and in his pick, Mudryk, than there was before. And if Mudryk does fail, nobody will hold it against De Zerbi because of all the good he has done. In that way, psychologically, the pressure is off the Ukrainian, too, which is the best possible news for a young man who has been through a lot of tumult since coming to England.

Tottenham had every right to purge themselves of the Thomas Frank era as soon as the Dane received his marching orders in February.

Things would ultimately worsen under Igor Tudor, forcing Roberto De Zerbi to clean up a hopeless mess. However, it was Frank who set the wheels in motion for Spurs' demise, despite the club's 17th-place finish the season prior. Ange Postecoglou did allow losing to become habitual, but Europa League glory in Bilbao rendered his Premier League sacrifice worthwhile.

Frank hopelessly failed to scale up from Brentford. His work in west London was admirable, but he was responsible for some of the most cowardly performances I've ever seen in these parts. His style was the anthithesis of what this club supposedly represents: "To Dare Is To Do".

As bleak as his reign was, we remain grateful for the appointment of assistant Andreas Georgson under his tutelage. Without him, Spurs' position would've been even more perilous by the time Frank got the boot, and we're continuing to bear the fruit of his labour amid our upsurge with De Zerbi at the helm.

Spurs remain set-piece reliant but encouraging signs vs. Crystal Palace

Spurs poached Georgson from Manchester United last June and appointed him as our set-piece coach. The early Frank days were dominated by his new assistant, with the Lilywhites prolific from set pieces.

Our gradual, then rapid demise in the new year meant there were limited opportunities for Georgson to showcase his finest work, so we finished with the joint-seventh most set-piece goals in the Premier League (19). Impressively, only Arsenal (eight) conceded fewer from dead-ball situations than we did (12).

So, amid the summer overhaul, the retention of Georgson was important, and he's continuing to prove his worth on the touchline.

Spurs are starting to play some of their best stuff in years, comparable to the early Ange Postecoglou era. An unproductive start has made way for three wins on the bounce, and we ended the weekend in the top half of the table. However, our set-piece reliance remains in tact.

Only Leeds United (44.4%) have scored a greater proportion of goals from set pieces this season than Spurs (40%), while Brentford and Leeds are the only two teams that generate a greater proportion of their xG from such situations.

Chance creation from open play has been an issue for De Zerbi's side, even during their upsurge. However, there were encouraging signs against Crystal Palace on Saturday after a sticky start.

Archie Gray's header from Mohammed Kudus' corner didn't quite open the floodgates as many expected, given that the visitors had already been reduced to 10 men. We generated a measly 0.33 xG from open play in the first half, but found our groove after the restart as sustained pressure took its toll. We generated 1.62 open-play xG in the second-half, although our second goal came from the second phase of a set-piece.

De Zerbi insisted that this team isn't "ready yet to play against a low block (or in) small spaces,” and it didn't help that the Italian was without chief playmaker James Maddison. Another low-block compromiser, Pedro Porro, didn't enter proceedings until the start of the second half.

There's a lot to like about the direction the Lilywhites are heading, but we've got to accept that De Zerbi is currently without some of the profiles needed to break down a deep-lying defence, including a reliable goalscorer up top. And as the division pays more respect to what De Zerbi is doing in north London, we should expect more teams to rock up to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with the sole intention of frustrating the hosts.

“Maybe in two to three months we can reach the right level to play better," the boss suggested.

Tottenham Hotspur completely dominated Crystal Palace 2-0 this past weekend to make it three straight wins in the Premier League, but even though just about everyone in the starting 11 was awesome and Spurs are getting better and better, it legitimately feels like striker Dominic Solanke is getting worse and worse.

Solanke was the only player on the field for Spurs who did not have a good game, and, in all honesty, he was terrible. He created just one chance when every other midfielder or attacking player created three or four, he did not win a single dribble, and he had just one shot on target on four shots with four or five unforced errors in possession to lose the ball.

All season long, Solanke has been squandering chances, sloppy in possession, and unable to beat defenders one on one or create chances for the other forwards. Whereas the other players are doing their best to make everyone around them better, Big Dom has been an asset to nobody. There was hope that his late goal against Manchester United with the captain's arm band after several bad misses in the 1-1 draw would galvanize him to play better, but, instead, Solanke has looked no better than before as the main liability in a team that is just a great No. 9 away from potentially being the best team in the Premier League.

The end result with Dominic Solanke is untenable

Tottenham Hotspur fans could not help but notice how listless and lethargic Dominic Solanke looked, almost as if he were a clone of the worst striker most Spurs fans have ever seen in a Lilywhite kit, Randal Kolo Muani.

Last season, Kolo Muani frustrated Tottenham fans by never being in the right position, lazily moving about the pitch, and showing zero interest in creating chances for his teammates. Maybe Solanke isn't packing it in on the team like Kolo Muani and it would be unfair to say he is as bad as Kolo Muani or does not care about Tottenham, which was the case with the Frenchman last season, but in all honesty, the end result is almost negligible.

Statistically, Solanke is a disaster. He barely scores goals, he creates almost no chances, he is so stiff on the ball that he can't beat defenders, and he is just nowhere he needs to be in the box when the chances do come. It's the same story as with Kolo Muani last season, and one more game of this will be past the tipping point of untenable for Tottenham.

Tottenham Hotspur left back Andy Robertson looked much better against Crystal Palace in the 2-0 win at home, and it was arguably his best performance in a Lilywhite kit this season. While Robbo did not have a goal or an assist, he created several chances, peppering the penalty area consistently with decent crosses, providing much better accuracy of the final ball than he did in the 2-0 win over Chelsea. And with Spurs dominating possession and not facing nearly as talented of an attack as they did against the Blues, Robertson was stronger defensively, winning possession without getting caught out.

Robertson in this form makes sense as a starting option against opponents that do not have explosive forwards who can take advantage of his lack of speed at this stage of his career, and he is making it easier for Spurs to avoid the thought of rushing Destiny Udogie back.

The talented Italian international is obviously Spurs best option at the left back position when fully healthy, and every time he has been able to start this season for the Lilywhites, he has offered a different dimension going forward with more robustness and athleticism in one on oneson the defensive end.

There's no need to rush Destiny Udogie back

Of course, the age old problem with the former Udinese recruit is the fact that he is so rarely healthy for Spurs. He was able to get some minutes off the bench against Crystal Palace, but since it wasn't a whole lot of action, it is doubtful that Udogie is fully ready to start this weekend against Leeds United.

But with Leeds being more of a counterattacking team and not having the quality in attack to really burn Andy Robertson defensively, the Peacocks, like the Eagles, are still a great matchup for Robertson to start.

With Robertson in good form, Tottenham Hotspur have no reason to rush Destiny Udogie back sooner than he is ready. They can rest him through the November international break and then bring him back into the action in December after easing him with minutes off the bench. Spurs know that they need Udogie for the long haul and against the true top opponents in the Premier League like Manchester City and Arsenal. Robertson is a perfectly fine option against the Palaces, Leeds Uniteds, and Ipswich Towns of the world. He was great on both ends of the pitch this past Saturday afternoon at home.

It’s that time of year again. It’s dark before 5:00 p.m, Christmas paraphernalia is displayed way too early, and Premier League managers dress like eskimos. This means we have a better idea of which teams are contenders and who are pretenders. Hotspur HQ’s monthly power rankings below sort those clubs accordingly. No surprise, Arsenal are leading the pack, but where does Tottenham’s undefeated October place the team?

Title contenders

The United States leads the world in defense spending. Number two is Arsenal. What else explains their 0.77 expected goals conceded per game? There is no debate. Arsenal are the class of the Premier League right now, regardless of their inexplicable Carabao Cup loss at Fleetwood.

A 4-0 victory over Aston Villa in the season opener. A 5-0 demolition of Coventry City and a 3-0 domination of Arsenal in September. In October, a 5-0 dismissal of poor Crystal Palace and now a 1-0 win over Manchester City. Brighton are steamrolling opponents, and they’re doing it with 57-year-old journeyman Pascal Gross running the show in midfield. Wait, steamrolling isn’t the right word. They’re pecking opponents.Â

Manchester City

Last week, The Athletic published an article titled, “How the Man City case threatens the Premier League: ‘Asterisks are not good for the brand.’” It explores how Manchester City’s punishment for financial breaches and how the possibility of asterisks on their achievements could affect English soccer. But the horse has left the barn.

In the mind of football fans—at least those who don’t support Man City—everything the club has done and will do is tainted. It’s hard to place them in anything but their own category since, pending appeal, they might be forced into relegation. Anyway, they’ve lost their last two league games. Â

European glory

It’s not embarrassing to have losses only to Arsenal and Man City. Liverpool have even beaten Brighton this season. But their inability to take points off their fellow heavyweights is why title contention is slipping away from Andoni Iraola’s side.

Brentford didn’t lose a game until October 17, and that was probably only because of a Yeho Yarmoliuk red card. Liverpool scored twice in the second half after Yarmoliuk was sent off to finally quell the pride of west London (sorry, Chelsea fans). The only other team with just one loss is Arsenal. Brentford are legit.

Do you smell that? Yes, that’s the sweet, sweet scent of European competition, for our Tottenham Hotspur sit eighth in the Premier League table. Last month, I placed Tottenham 19th and my comment was, “No comment.” I’m glad the boys used my piece as inspiration.Â

Chelsea are much higher than this in the Premier League standings, but in a power ranking you can’t lose to a resurgent Tottenham team and be above them. You also can’t beat this season's Manchester United team and expect extra credit. I also can’t believe in Chelsea with this version of Cole Palmer. He needs to do a Michael Jordan-esque retirement and come back fully healthy.Â

I wrote this last month:

"Bournemouth are one of three Premier League teams without a win, though they possess just a -2 goal differential. They’ll be fine this season, especially when wunderkind Junior Kroupi returns from a foot injury. However, you can’t rise in these esteem rankings if you can’t garner three points. You play to win the game. "

Me

Lo, their points total aligned with their goal differential, they’ve rattled off three consecutive victories, and Junior Kroupi returned recently and last weekend made an all-world assist. They’ll be fine.

Is Unai Emery the best manager in the Premier League? Take a look at this lineup from the season opener against Brighton. Now, Villa are unbeaten since September 19 (and haven’t dropped points in the Champions League). What’s more, Nicolas Jackson is proving how insane it was for Chelsea to banish him for Liam Delap two seasons ago.Â

Midtable slop

I honestly don’t know how manager Alvaro Arbeloa turned around Fulham's season. Heading into mid-September and after losing to Crystal Palace, his team was arguably the least inspiring side in the league and he himself was a proverbial dead man walking. Oh wait, I know how he turned around the season. Fulham got to play in succession the imploding Manchester United, the three promoted sides, and an Aston Villa team leggy from a Champions League game. I think Fulham are still one of the worst in the Premier League this season, but points are points. They had a good month.

Coventry City took zero points from their first four games. That is very bad. In the five games since, they have three victories. That is very good. If Coventry City’s season so far is a gif, then it would be this one:Â

Hull City’s four-game unbeaten streak to start the season was as surprising as their recent comedown has been expected. In October, they took just three points from four games. Still, they are competitive and taking points where they can.

Leeds United have been constructed and managed so expertly since winning promotion before last season, it seems they’d always been in the Premier League. That’s not true, of course, and it’s also not true that they can sail into safety this season. Like Hull, Leed didn’t win a game in October.Â

Newcastle United are somehow good, average, and bad at the same time. They drew with Liverpool! They dominated Tottenham! They also lost 4-1 to both Leeds and Coventry City. Those are what baseball fans call crooked numbers, and not surprisingly their expected stats place them last in the Premier League table. Should we have expected anything less after exiling Nick Woltemade and selling Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, and Bruno Guimaraes?

The depth of football in England is symbolized by Ipswich Town. As a newly promoted side in a small city, they should be getting battered, but in October their only loss came away at Manchester City. Even then, it was an entertaining 3-2 affair in which Ipswich didn’t quit. Now, if you ask me who Ipswich Town’s leading scoring is, then I’d recede into the bushes like Homer Simpson.

As of this writing, Everton are 14th in the Premier League table and 14th in expected points. Everton are the most midtable team that’s ever midtabled.Â

Manchester City relegation watch

The streets won’t forget that Fantasy Premier League season when an “Assistant Manager” chip was introduced and everyone picked Oliver Glasner, who was then leading Crystal Palace’s golden age. It’s a shame that, after a winless October, Glasner is now mired at the bottom of the table at Nottingham Forest. Their expected table position is third—that’s not a typo. Glasner’s players need to step up for him and Forest supporters. He and they deserve better.Â

Sure, Manchester United technically aren’t in the relegation zone, but that’s only because of goal differential. Sure, Manchester United have four losses, fewer than several teams above them in this ranking, but they are one of three teams with just one victory. Sure, team captain Bruno Fernandes was benched recently, but is he even good anymore?

This is to say United are a mess. The players have seemingly quit on Michael Carrick, with much being made about how little the team runs. Carrick can’t figure out tactics for a roster that doesn’t fit together. And the supporters are (rightfully) incensed at the club’s management. The hair challenge guy should get a trim if they lose five straight.Â

Crystal Palace

I was tempted to place Crystal Palace last in these esteemed rankings, but that’s difficult when A) they have two more points than Sunderland, and B) I watched a spirited win at Selhurst Park against Nottingham Forest a few weeks ago. That makes it all the more unbelievable that they possess a negative-12 point differential. The wooden statue that is manager Pierre Sage isn’t helping, and they desperately need Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Phillippe Mateta to play serious minutes again, but the fault ultimately lies with ownership. They didn’t replenish a roster bereft of talent after the sales of Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi, and Daniel Munoz.Â

Sunderland

I wrote last month that Sunderland’s expected data and points sells the team short, and that’s still true. Their expected position in the Premier League table is 13th, a place that, right now, would put them closer to Champions League qualification than relegation. That’s little solace, though, when Sunderland have taken just five points from nine games and now face a winter fighting for survival. No one’s waiting more fretfully for the Man City verdict than the Black Cats.

Tottenham Hotspur were linked closely to Bournemouth breakout star Eli Junior Kroupi during the summer 2026 transfer window, but they quickly realized that a deal for the young phenom at striker would be impossible. Not only were Bournemouth adamant about not selling at any price with figures well over 100 million pounds rumored as clubs as big as PSG showed the most interest, but the player himself suffered a significant injury essentially negating a transfer.

Kroupi is back on the pitch for the Cherries, and he received his first real look of action in his second appearance off the bench vs. Leeds United. He played a key role in the win, assisting off the bench and looking like a real stud in just 22 minutes of action with three dribbles completed and two key passes in a dominant all around performance at the striker position.

Just 20 years old, Kroupi scored 13 goals in 1,684 Premier League minutes in his first season in the English top flight, and his record of double digit Premier League goals as a teenager puts him in elite company. Because every other player that reached that mark as a teenager - from Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney to Michael Owen and Romelu Lukaku - ended up being a world class striker.

Eli Junior Kroupi is Tottenham's best bet

So the French international is a slam dunk transfer target already for Tottenham Hotspur, and after striking out on any center forward option besides Omar Marmoush, who does not look like a true goal scoring striker at this point, Spurs are back to the drawing board. Richarlison has been cast out of the squad, and Dominic Solanke looks as much of a solution for Tottenham as Randal Kolo Muani was last season - which is to say he is not the answer for Spurs in the slightest.

Eli Junior Kroupi brings the goals Solanke does not, the upside he does not, and is more well rounded than the former Bournemouth No. 9 seemingly falsely advertised as one of the best all around strikers in English football.

Tottenham are crushing it in terms of suffocating the opposition, controlling games in midfield, and creating chances. They just cannot score. With the winter transfer window on the horizon, Tottenham's need for a striker could not be more magnified ,and Junior Kroupi could not be a more obvious option for his current quality, future potential, all around ability, and quality in front of goal.

Tottenham Hotspur right winger Mohammed Kudus soaked up Man of the Match honors in Spurs 2-0 win over Crystal Palace to make it three straight victories, and while he did play very well again, most Spurs fans thought that the real Man of the Match contenders were Jan Paul van Hecke, Sandro Tonali, and Mateus Fernandes in bossing the pitch as a whole.

Kudus completed five dribbles and won nearly a handful of fouls, too, againt the Eagles defense, and after a gutsy two way performance in the win over Chelse and an assist the week prior against Coventry, he has been back to his best form from the 2025/26 season.

But he still hasn't scored a goal to definitively tell Roberto De Zerbi that the starting right wing position as the inverted left footed winger is his to own over Savio. Kudus has played together with Savio and Omar Marmoush, but with Mathys Tel securing the left wing spot as the inverted right footer with great performances of his own, including a brilliant goal to seal a win at the Bridge, Savio is likely stuck competing for the right sided job with Kudus when he comes back from this injury.

Savio and Mohammed Kudus are still in competition

Before the injury, while Savio was not scoring goals, he was the best attacking player on Tottenham Hotspur by some distance, and only Lamine Yamal had more combined key passes and dribbles completed per 90 minutes that the new Brazilian international from Manchester City.

Savio's natural ability even exceeds Mohammed Kudus's, and after Kudus flubbed another easy chance after an amazing solo run from Luca Williams-Barnett off the bench against Crystal Palace, the Ghanaian international spurned his very best chance to have the one thing over Savio that would make him De Zerbi's No. 1 choice on the right wing.

Because Tottenham are still desperately searching for goals. They got two against Palace on 34 shots thanks to headed goals from defenders Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke, but Dominic Solanke offered nothing at the 9 and Omar Marmoush was better at creating chances and taking defenders on than scoring himself.

There are secondary scorers in this squad, but there is no primary scorer. And even the secondary scoring options like Marmoush, Kudus, Savio, Mathys Tel, and James Maddison haven't been present enough in front of goal. Kudus had a chance to, including a golden one, to get that goal against Palace and seal a spot over Savio, but he botched it and thus it remains a very open competition between two great creative wingers.

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was the second biggest story of the relegation battle last season after manager Roberto De Zerbi, as the Italian manager put his faith in the player following the injury to Guglielmo Vicario and never looked back. After Kinsky's nightmare of a night against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, it looked like he might never play another minute for Spurs, but Vic's injury and the superior man management of De Zerbi helped give Kinsky another chance.

He ended up getting plaudits from all corners, including pundits as mainstream as Jamie Carragher, as he turned into Tottenham's relegation hero and arguably the best player of the final month of the season - and the Premier League's best goalkeeper during that crucial time span, in contrast to Vicario being statistically the worst.

Vicario is now off to Juventus where he has been a mixed bag even in his new environment, while Kinsky has been less the hero and more anonymous. But as a goalkeeper or really any defensive player, being invisible is a form of flattery.

Antonin Kinsky doesn't lose Tottenham games

Last season at around this time after the brief Frank Honeymoon period had worn out, Vicario's name was endlessly on the lips of the Tottenham Hotspur faithful for a myriad of clumsy errors with his hands and his feet.

While Antonin Kinsky did have a couple of hiccups on the ball against Chelsea, he also accomplished the rare feat of a clean sheet victory at Stamford Bridge and bailed out Spurs with a couple of wonderful saves against the Chelsea forwards. And while he faced almost no shots against Crystal Palace, he racked up a second straight 2-0 victory to the Spurs cause.

Kinsky not being the center of attention or any sort of focus at all as a goalkeeper is definitely a breath of fresh air for Tottenham. There's been more discussion around the attackers and the outfield players than around the goalkeeper, because there's not much of a concern. Not a single game has gone by that Spurs have felt that Kinsky cost them a game or made mistakes that led to a loss or dropped points.

That's a level of security that Tottenham can't take for granted. Antonin Kinsky has not been as lights out as he was during the relegation battle, but everyone knew that he could not sustain that level of performance every week, of course. But what he has done is proven that he is still the right option in goal and someone who can keep Spurs in the lead, like against Chelsea, and avoid making the mistakes that burn them to a loss, which was the case with Guglielmo Vicario in goal throughout the 2025/26 season.

Tottenham Hotspur turned Crystal Palace into mince meat on Saturday afternoon in front of the home faithful, dominating a one winged Eagle 2-0 to make it three straight wins for a Spurs side that had previously been doomed to a winless start and probably the worst luck of any club in European football.

But Spurs are slowly getting healthier, dealing with far less xG madness, and clicking to an even greater extent with their new and old faces meshing wonderfully into the tactical vision that is Roberto De Zerbi's possession football.

Dejan Kulusevski did not start, of course, for Tottenham, but he was quietly another positive for the Lilywhites, providing another moment of zen with a cut inside and a nifty shot into the top corner that worked Dean Henderson into a save.

Dejan Kulusevski is still working his way back

It was but a moment and Kulu did not have much more than 15 total minutes of action against Crystal Palace, but it was a moment that showed Kulu is still carrying a threat off the bench and making an impact for Tottenham Hotspur.

After a devastating injury to his knee cartilage that nearly cost him his career and led many, including the man himself, to wonder if he would ever be the same again, watching the Swedish international cut inside and carve himself a shot on target from pretty much nothing was a sight worth praising and even cherishing from a Tottenham perspective.

But there is no reason yet to think Dejan Kulusevski can be pushed into more action than that. With Luca Williams-Barnett coming off the bench and dazzling with his own rendition of Ankara Messi on the hapless Crystal Palace defense, Spurs have another impact player to spell James Maddison, Omar Marmoush, or whoever the No. 10 is against Leeds United.

And Kulu himself is not yet fully back to his old self and probably not yet 75 percent of it either. He is having great moments in spurts but is not yet fully in his element, skating by defenders, or putting in the sort of shots and passes with the oomph that would make everyone drop the game plan.

So the plan is the same. Keep bringing in Kulu every game for 10-20 minutes, let him cook, let him have those moments where he helps Tottenham put the game away or do something dangerous, and see how he progresses before gradually adding more.