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Tottenham Hotspur have one of the best young center midfielders in world football, but you would not realize it if you were a neutral outside of the focus of the club. Lucas Bergvall was instrumental in Spurs winning the Europa League last season, and the 19 year old was so good that even Real Madrid were being linked to him.

Bergvall, though, has been mostly discarded from the starting lineup by new manager Thomas Frank this season, as he is one of several young talents who, instead of being nurtured hired by a manager with the expectation of helping youth, has been actively held back from shining this season.

Things may get worse for Bergvall. As he recovers from a minor injury, Bergvall could be displaced from the starting lineup for the rest of the season by Conor Gallagher, who just joined Spurs for 40 million euros after the injury to Rodrigo Bentancur. Although Gallagher is a theoretical replacement in the squad to Bentancur as a veteran midfielder, his playing style as a No. 8 is closer to Bergvall's than Benta's.

Conor Gallagher is a looming presence

In the press conference prior to Tottenham Hotspur's big rivalry matchup against West Ham United in the Premier League, manager Thomas Frank told reporters that center midfielder Lucas Bergvall "could be available" to face the Hammers.

The thing is, Tottenham fans are not really buying what Frank is telling them. First of all, they have seen too many positive updates turn to nothing as far as injuries or returns go. Secondly, Frank has left Bergvall out of the starting lineup or contention for significant minutes so often that it is second nature to doubt him. And thirdly, Gallagher is able to play on Saturday to make his Tottenham debut and is expected to do so. Frank tends to favor veteran players in all cases, including Bentancur and Joao Palhinha over Bergvall, so it is likely he will also prefer a 40 million euro transfer from Atletico Madrid.

Bergvall is in a tough place. He has only started 10 Premier League games this season with 6 additional appearances off the bench. His starts have increased with five between January and December - half of his starts this season in the last two months - but that seems to be now on the down swing with Gallagher coming in.

Tottenham fans, unfortunately, know better than to trust Frank here. He may be giving Spurs supporters hope that they will see their teenage gem in the lineup on Saturday against West Ham, but it is, until proven otherwise, nothing more than empty words and false hope.

Tottenham Hotspur have had very few truly positive performances in the 2025/26 Premier League and Champions League seasons, but even under Thomas Frank, Spurs can always count on rivals West Ham United to help them feel good about themselves.

After gifting Spurs their most talented player in Mohammed Kudus, who was carrying the attack before an unfortunate injury the preceding weekend, the Hammers got absolutely rocked by Spurs 3-0 in September.

Now, with Spurs reeling after more disappointing performances, including a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in the FA Cup the previous weekend, they have to get things right this coming weekend with their second matchup of the season against West Ham.

Tottenham could have two 'new' starters

They will not have Kudus available due to injury, but new signing Conor Gallagher could be in Thomas Frank's lineup to help the cause. And perhaps even more importantly than that, with Richarlison freshly injured for surprisingly the first time this season, another recently injured striker could make his biggest return yet.

Dominic Solanke cost Tottenham Hotspur 65 million pounds in the summer 2024 transfer window, and while he did not quite live up to that hefty, record breaking billing in his first season as a Spur, he was a positive overall and played a vital role in winning the Europa League with clutch goals and excellent all around performances.

There is no question that Solanke is the best striker in the Tottenham squad when fully healthy and at his best, and he is absolutely a higher quality footballer in the year 2026 than Richy. Now, Solanke has been out for months with a tricky foot injury, failing to start a single game in the 2025/26 season with just three appearances.

But Solanke did return to the pitch last weekend against Aston Villa for a few minutes off the bench in the FA Cup. Ahead of Saturday's big game against West Ham, Tottenham manager Thomas Frank spoke about Dominic Solanke and stated that he is making good progress, strongly hinting at more minutes ahead for the England international.

Frank told reporters, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, "Destiny and Dom got a good week of training so are closer to playing more minutes."

We have heard Frank say similar about Solanke before, but hearing it just days away from the game itself is an entirely different equation. Randal Kolo Muani is another talented striker on the Tottenham roster, but despite a great game against PSG and a few other decent performances, he has yet to grab the job by the scruff of its neck.

Solanke's all around game and big box presence will be huge for Xavi Simons and Conor Gallagher in midfield, as well as Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert on the wings. Tottenham had pretty much given up hope on Solanke this season, so if he can start as soon as the West Ham game and start playing significant minutes, maybe, just maybe, Spurs can take off striker as a black hole of a need this season.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank is sitting on one of the hottest seats in world football, and after Real Madrid sent Xabi Alonso, whom many Spurs supporters want as Frank's replacement, packing after a Clasico defeat in a Final, the Lilywhites manager will now have even more scrutiny placed on him without a distracting manager to focus on.

Spurs have to start winning games in succession and not just lucking into a scrappy victory here and there. The club are buried in the bottom half of the Premier League and statistically as poor as they were last season with no hope of a trophy as in 2024/25 under Ange Postecoglou. And since Spurs have been signing some pretty well known players for Frank, he really has no excuses at this point.

There are a number of problems plaguing Tottenham this season, but none are bigger than the attack. It has been anemic under Frank, and while Spurs could have better strikers and left wingers, a lot of that is on Frank for not playing his best player on the field. For example, Mathys Tel is always THE standout attacker for Tottenham when he plays, yet Frank sticks the future superstar on the bench so much that the Frenchman is now practically begging for a six month loan just so he can play.

Thomas Frank has to do better himself

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the next Tottenham fixture against local rivals West Ham, Thomas Frank finally admitted that the offense is clearly lagging behind, "It's a culture that's getting a little big stronger. I can see the small signs of the culture in the training. Very intense and focused, working very hard on the offensive part of the game. We know the defensive side looks better and the set pieces but we need to improve the offensive side."

Not only is Frank stating the obvious about the Tottenham Hotspur attack, but he is also stating the obvious about himself. Because so many of the flaws with Tottenham offensively this season go back to Frank.

He has taken the wrong approach with his starting lineup, marrying himself to the restrictive and inconsistent Richarlison just because of experience and goals he soaks up from the much better players servicing him chances. He has not done the most to help young stars Xavi Simons, Mathys Tel, and Wilson Odobert while running his best player, Mohammed Kudus, into the ground to the point of injury.

Yes, injuries have badly hurt Frank's ability to use his best attacking lineup, and it is true that Tel and Odobert are not true Premier League stars yet. But Frank has to work with what he has been given, and what he has been given is much better than what he has gotten out of them. Everyone knows it.

There are so many young players who have suffered under the management of Thomas Frank, who has kept Tottenham Hotspur in the bottom half of the Premier League and has shown no real growth in his understanding or his tactical plan through his first months as Spurs manager.

Tottenham are now about to make matters worse for the young players, even as the recent signing of 25 year old center midfielder Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid is an overall positive for a squad that lost more depth with the injury to demoted backup Rodrigo Bentancur.

Gallagher figures to start immediately for Frank, who does favor his veterans. Tottenham did not spend 40 million euros this winter transfer window from a player out of an elite European club to keep him on the bench.

Thomas Frank could hurt two stars in one

But Spurs fans will worry that Gallagher will have a ripple effect on the team. If Frank starts playing Gallagher as an attacking midfielder, which was his role earlier in his Premier League career (prominently so at Crystal Palace), then obviously Xavi SImons is going to get hurt by moving out of the playmaking role he has started to really grow into.

Simons would then most likely move to the left wing, which is a transfer need for Spurs this winter, too. We have seen Frank utilize Simons on the left wing this season, and that has predictably not gone too well for either the player or the team as a whole.

If Frank does this, then the next player to suffer will be Mathys Tel, and, goodness, has he suffered enough this season. See, Tel's problem is not his own quality or performances, as he is a supremely talented young forward who has honestly been brilliant this season when actually given the chance to shine by his manager.

Those chances, however, have been frustratingly few and far between, and even when Tel scores like against Leeds United or Manchester United or then has a great game off the bench as an all around attacking threat, he is not rewarded with starts but rather has the rug pulled out from under him.

Amidst a transfer request for a loan out of Tottenham this winter in order to get the minutes he so richly deserves, Tel could now be harmed by the Conor Gallagher transfer if Thomas Frank is not careful. Mathys Tel is the best option Spurs have on the left wing, but if Frank starts moving Gallagher to the 10 and Simons out left, he will hurt the team and Tel's standing even more, potentially driving out an excellent young footballer - better than Gallagher - out of the club.

Tottenham Hotspur reacted quickly to the news that Rodrigo Bentancur would be out for multiple months with a torn hamstring, signing Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid right under the clutches of Aston Villa.

Although there are mixed opinions about Gallagher to Spurs, most of the reactions have been positive. Spurs have struggled in the middle of the park quite badly this season, and while Gallagher is highly unlikely to help their creativity and progressive passing from deep, he offers a lot of other positives that Tottenham are currently lacking, such as a goal scoring touch from the middle of the park and key leadership.

Gallagher was signed for 40 million euros from one of the best teams in European football to do more than just sit on the bench, and you have to figure that he is going to be an immediate starter for Thomas Frank going forward this season.

Tottenham need to keep Conor Gallagher as an 8

There are debates about where he will play, but the best option for Tottenham is to keep him as a No. 8 and not move an even bigger new signing from the summer, Dutchman Xavi Simons, from his current post in the No. 10 role.

Simons has come around strong in recent weeks as the player Spurs thought they were getting when they spent about 60 million euros to coax him over from RB Leipzig. He started off slow under the cowardly tactics of Frank, but even the embattled manager could not stop Simons's shine for long.

So Simons up top and Gallagher as one of the two midfielders behind him is pretty much sealed, as these two players were a combined 100 million euro investment between the last two Spurs transfer windows.

The last midfielder of the trio becomes the real question, then. There are merits to starting Lucas Bergvall, but as a No. 8 himself, he will likely rotate with the more experienced Gallagher, whom Frank will likely prefer, given he seems to barely know what Bergvall's strengths are at this point.

Archie Gray has come around as the starter in recent months over the rather poor Bentancur, but Frank does favor experience. And with Simons and Gallagher being more attacking options who will want to get ahead and score or assist, Joao Palhinha will likely be the favored third midfielder for Frank.

Tottenham Hotspur have made one of the biggest splashes of the January 2026 transfer window thus far, sliding in at the last second to steal away former Chelsea and Crystal Palace man Conor Gallagher from under the noses of Aston Villa, paying a whopping 40 million euros to Spanish giants Atletico Madrid in order to make the move happen.

Gallagher was a strong player in the Premier League for the Eagles and was decent enough for the Blues, and there are quite a few Spurs supporters who are rosy optimistic about this signing. They feel that Gallagher brings experience, leadership, work rate, and a bulldog mentality to the No. 8 position that Spurs need, and his veteran presence will help players like Archie Gray going forward.

The thing is, Atletico Madrid fans have seen Gallagher up close and personal in the 2025/26 season, and they will have a much less rosy view of what Gallagher brings to the table than even the Chelsea fans before them.

Atletico Madrid saw Conor Gallagher's fatal flaw

Gallagher has only started four games in La Liga for the Rojiblancos this season, and given Atleti do not exactly have a world class midfield, that is concerning. The new addition to the Spanish capital last season has been a bench player and a non factor since his arrival in Madrid, accruing less than 700 league minutes so far this season as Atleti had almost fully phased him out before loudly shopping him in the transfer market.

In terms of percentiles, Conor Gallagher actually rates pretty well despite his limited minutes with a 93rd percentile ranking in non penalty goals, an 84th rating in progressive carries, and a spot in the 74th and 96th percentiles in tackles and interceptions, respectively.

But look at where he is in terms of his creative output. Gallagher, once touted as a No. 10 in the Premier League, is in the lowly 40th percentile in shot creating actions and in the 31st percentile in terms of progressive carries among all midfielders, including defensive midfielders and players who are not at top clubs like Tottenham Hotspur or Atletico Madrid.

Those are pretty untenable numbers at the elite level, because big clubs like Spurs and Atleti require all their non defensive midfield, Joao Palhinha types to be progressive with their passing and able to create chances. (And even Palhinha has worn thin on some Spurs fans for lacking in those regards.)

Gallagher does not make Spurs materially better in their biggest areas of need, and that is something Atleti can readily attest to. Spurs will want to focus on all the positives of how Gallagher can add goals from midfield, dribble well with his athleticism, and win possession at a high level. He is surely better than Rodrigo Bentancur. But is the solution to what ails the Spurs midfield, truly? That is more doubtful.

Tottenham Hotspur have shaken things up this winter transfer window, spending more than many expected in order to sign center midfielder Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid. But in order to make sure they beat Aston Villa to the punch after the injury to Rodrigo Bentancur, Spurs felt like they had to pay 40 million euros to seal this deal.

Gallagher was a star in the Premier League for Crystal Palace and, despite his technical flaws, was actually a decent player for London rivals Chelsea. His time at Atleti did not go swimmingly well, but Spurs supporters largely seem optimistic about this signing, owing to the intensity and leadership that Gallagher displays in the middle of the park.

Though Gallagher mostly played as an 8 at Chelsea, he was utilized quite frequently as a No. 10, too, especially at Palace. And since he was a better 10 than an 8 at Palace, Spurs fans should actually be worried about how Thomas Frank utilizes Gallagher.

Conor Gallagher is not worth it

Because even if Gallagher is better as a 10 than an 8, getting the most out of Gallagher may mean sacrificing the quality of a better and younger player who should be the future building block of Tottenham Hotspur.

Xavi Simons has come on strong in recent games, and blip on the radar after a red card against Liverpool aside, he is producing his finest work as a 10 right now. Even in the FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa, Simons distinguished himself positively to the Spurs faithful.

But we have seen Thomas Frank repeatedly misuse Simons in his first season at the N17, including playing him on the left wing. And with Mathsy Tel asking for a transfer out and now no healthy right wingers, Simons may be headed for more minutes on the wing, rather than as a 10.

The Gallagher signing raises a worrisome question, specifically because Frank cannot be trusted to do the right thing. Even dual No. 10's would be preferable to playing Simons out wide in favor of Gallagher, and, of course, once James Maddison comes back from his injury - if that happens at all this season - the field will get more crowded for Simons.

Hopefully, Frank speaks to the sensible side of things and continues to play Simons in the main playmaker role, only occasionally rotating in Gallagher while mostly using the new 25 year old acquistion as a bulldog No. 8 behind him. But, well, sensible and Frank have not often gone together this season.

As we move into the second half of the season, media outlets always have to take the temperature of the seat that coaches are in. Whatever you might think of Thomas Frank, you must admit that his seat is more than a little bit warm at Tottenham Hotspur right now.

Where December started with a creditable draw at Newcastle and wins over Brentford and Slavia Prague, Spurs’ run since then has not been encouraging. The win over Crystal Palace four days before the new year has been the one bright spot, with draws against Brentford and Sunderland and losses to Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, and Bournemouth, plus an FA Cup exit at the hands of Aston Villa.Â

The rest of January could offer some respite, with winnable Premier League clashes against West Ham and Burnley. Spurs’ remaining Champions League matches are against Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt, with the latter flailing in European competition. Win those games, and finishing in the top eight of the Champions League standings (and the bye that comes with it) is a real possibility.

Thomas Frank enters February on an awfully thin tightrope

Unfortunately, February's slate looks brutal for the North London outfit. The home match against Manchester United might conceivably offer three points, but that comes sandwiched between games against Manchester City, Newcastle, and Arsenal. As much as Spurs fans would love to dent the hated Gunners’ title hopes, would anyone bet on Tottenham taking more than four points from that month, the way they’re playing now?

The temptation to jettison Frank before that run might be too much to ignore, especially in light of the coaches who are currently on the market. It’s likely too much for Spurs fans to hope that Xabi Alonso or Jürgen Klopp might hop aboard, but Enzo Maresca has just left Chelsea and might well jump at the chance to direct another Champions League squad.

Erik ten Hag has complained (with some justification) that he wasn’t given a fair shake at Bayer Leverkusen, and the Spurs job would put him back out in the public eye. Xavi has expressed his desire to coach in the Premier League, and his record as a player would command instant respect in any dressing room.

If Daniel Levy still in charge here, we know what he would do. He’d throw large amounts of money at the hottest name in the hopes that that would change the team’s fortunes. With the new people in charge, it remains to be seen whether they stick with Frank and stability or plump for another coach. The decision they make and the results that come from it will tell us what to expect from Spurs.

With each passing match, Tottenham Hotspur supporters grow increasingly disgruntled with Thomas Frank, whose slow starts and constant snubbing of top young talents has worn thin, along with his cowardly tactics and the results that continue to drop Spurs further and further down the bottom half of the Premier League table.

Despite making big splashes in the summer between Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons, Spurs are materially no better than they were in the Premier League last season under Ange Postecoglou, and with the FA Cup and League Cup both off the table and the Champions League an obvious no go, they won't even have a trophy to offset their lack of success in the league.

Frank has disappointed Spurs supporters profoundly, because they came into the season thinking he would be an upgrade on Postecoglou, based on what he was achieving at Brentford. Instead, he has been a disaster, and Spurs fans are already done with him, dreaming of a replacement who will actually win games and not try to throw fans under the bus for his own failures.

Tottenham fans might as well dream on

Well, the ultimate dream managerial target has suddenly become available for Spurs and the other clubs with vacancies, as Real Madrid swiftly fired Xabi Alonso after a devastating Supercup Final loss to rivals Barcelona. Many of Real's stars were difficult to work with and wanted Alonso fired from the jump, so the architect of Bayer Leverkusen's undefeated 2023/24 season was pretty much doomed to begin with.

According to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, despite his firing and all the events and drama that transpired in Madrid, Alonso's reputation in world football has not taken a hit. Per Fab, he has not "lost his appeal" among clubs in need of a manager, and he is "highly rated in the industry" as a whole. He is prepared to "return soon" to the dugout, as Romano states that top clubs are monitoring his interest and availability.

It sounds like, based on what Romano is reporting, that Xabi Alonso does not want to waste much time away from the game and is ready to immediately bounce back to a new challenge. Given what happened at Real Madrid with all the egos at a big club, Alonso may want a challenge of bringing a club with status that has fallen where he will have less pressure and more young talents willing to work hard for him.

Tottenham really do sound like a good fit for that. The club has a high profile, great young players, a lot to prove, nowhere to go but up, and people who will love his positive ideas and ambitious tactics more than some of the lazier ego driven players in Madrid who were set in their ways. Alonso is a very real possibility on the table for Tottenham, and while Spurs fans know better than to get their hopes up, if you want a pipe dream, this is the stuff worth taking a hit of.

Tottenham Hotspur are suddenly giving their already worried fan base a lot more to be concerned about this January transfer window. After selling right winger Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace, Spurs have been slow to sign any new wingers to replace what is now a dangerously thin depth pool on both the left and right wings - and they could get even thinner if Spurs are not able to convince Mathys Tel to stop his abrupt crusade to leave on loan.

There is a huge mess at the club created by Thomas Frank, and it may not get any better. Losing the likes of Tel and Antonin Kinsky on loan would be bad enough to the depth and an indicting sign of how poor Spurs are at believing in their talents, but the latest transfer news could be a blow of a whole different dimension to the club's future.

According to a new report from BILD's Christian Falk, via Bayern Munich outlet iMiaSanMia, Tottenham Hotspur center back Luka Vuskovic is now squarely on the Bayern Munich transfer radar in 2026. Apparently Vuskovic was actually offered to Bayern, but thankfully for Spurs, the Bundesliga giants are only watching the Hamburg loanee at this point and are not viewing him as a transfer priority.

Tottenham cannot lose Luka Vuskovic this early

Tottenham have already done business with Bayern pretty frequently these last few years. They obviously sold Harry Kane to them, waving goodbye to their best ever player in the process and that definitely hurt. But they also acquired Mathys Tel on loan and then permanently last year, as well as Joao Palhinha on loan later in the summer.

Losing Vuskovic would be a whole different blow, of course. Because at least with Kane, the England international had made it clear that he wanted a new chapter in his career, and it was better to sell him outside the Premier League to Bayern, rather than a potential top four rival like Manchester City or Manchester United.

Vuskovic is a teenage sensation and already one of the best center backs in Europe and one of the best players in the Bundesliga. Of course Bayern would be interested in monitoring Vuskovic as an option, as he has more raw talent than any of the current center backs on Bayern, which is saying something since Die Roten are by far the best team in the Bundesliga.