Hotspur HQ

Tottenham are currently blessed with one of Europe's best left-backs, and no, I'm not referring to the once-outstanding Andy Robertson entering his twilight.

The former Liverpool stalwart joined the club as a free agent in the summer, having come close to arriving in January. Robertson's signing divided the fanbase, with those in favour pointing towards the Scot's intangibles and those against taming expectations given the left-back's body of work over the past couple of years.

He's certainly lost a step, and in truth, the 32-year-old has been more of a hindrance than a help on the field at the start of his Spurs career. Still, Robertson is an easy character to admire, and his blossoming friendship with fellow old head Ben Davies has been one of the wholesome subplots of the season so far.

And Roberto De Zerbi will continue to call upon him, even with an outstanding first choice atop the pecking order. Why? Well, as superb as Destiny Udogie is when fit and firing, the Italian's injury woes have a knack for undermining a majestic groove.

We can only hope the bug stays away from Udogie moving forward.

Destiny Udogie's fitness is a crucial sub-plot in Tottenham's season

De Zerbi has been forced to carefully manage Udogie's minutes so far this term, and he again didn't complete 90 minutes on Saturday. He was withdrawn after Bryan Mbeumo's opener, with Micky van de Ven proving that he can offer an alternative solution when Robertson's not available, which was the case in Manchester.

Udogie was excellent at Old Trafford. It was the sort of performance we grew familiar with at the start of Ange Postecoglou's tenure—those utopian opening 10 games.

The Italian is such an imposing figure who can overwhelm attackers physically and surge gloriously when he has the ball. He's a clever runner in the final third, but also combines well with teammates. I thought he was brilliant in the Carabao Cup defeat to Liverpool, and this showing was of a similar ilk.

It just feels like he's a sustained run of form away from once again being recognised by the masses, not that it matters. We're the only folk who'll enjoy the fruits of his labour, and thus need to appreciate him.

Whether he can stay fit is the million-dollar question. Since his arrival, Udogie has suffered 11 different injuries and missed 46 matches for club and country, per Transfermarkt. We can only hope that De Zerbi's cautious management, encouraged by an overhauled medical team, aids Udogie in the long run.

It's night and day between a purring Udogie and his veteran reserve.

Life has just been that little bit bleaker without Xavi Simons donning Lilywhite.

The Dutchman's debut season in north London was ultimately imperfect, yet there were multiple glimpses of just how bright our future could be with Xavi functioning as the creative heartbeat. Our No. 7 quickly grasped what it meant to wear the shirt, endearing himself to a fanbase that expected so much.

An absence of playmakers has hindered the start of Roberto De Zerbi's first full season in charge, with Xavi unavailable due to the ACL tear he sustained in April, James Maddison struggling for fitness and Dejan Kulusevski still awaiting his return from a complicated patella injury sustained a lifetime ago.

Reports suggest Xavi is making swift progress in his recovery from a long-term setback, and is expected to be back fit in the new year.

In the meantime, the Dutch maestro will be keeping himself busy back at school.

Xavi Simons enrols at esteemed Harvard University during injury recovery

The 23-year-old confirmed over the weekend that he's enrolled in a business course at the esteemed Harvard University.

“During my recovery, I’ve been trying to use my time in the best way possible,” Xavi wrote on LinkedIn. “Football is still my main focus, but I also want to keep learning and improving away from the pitch. I’m happy to share that I’ve been accepted onto the Crossover Into Business Program at Harvard Business School."

The Program describes itself as a “semester-long program in which professional athletes develop their business acumen by working with MBA student mentors.” An array of NBA and NFL athletes have previously enrolled, as well as women's tennis star Victoria Azarenka.

Real Madrid's Eduardo Camavinga was also briefly a Harvard student, taking a short course in the 'business of entertainment, media and sports' after he was left out of France's World Cup squad.

Simons added: “I’ve always been interested in more than just football. I want to understand the business side of the game better, learn from people in different industries, and keep developing as a person.

“Getting back on the pitch is still my number one priority. At the same time, I want to use this period to keep learning and invest in myself beyond football.”

Xavi has spent time out in the States during his recovery, spending time with the Baltimore Ravens and Boston Celtics as part of his specialised rehabiliation programme. He was back in the United Kingdom at the weekend, though, watching on in the stands at Old Trafford as De Zerbi's 10 men claimed a late point.

Young Tottenham Hotspur defensive midfielder Mateus Fernandes has only played at least 60 minutes in two of the six Spurs games this season, he's only started in three Premier League matches, and he has only played the full 90 minutes in that 2-0 loss to Newcastle United on Matchday 2.

At the beginning of the season, Fernandes was shining even in an unideal role as a No. 10, but with James Maddison slow to heal after yet another injury - a dislocated shoulder this time, suffered on Matchday 1 vs. Brentford - Fernandes had to keep playing as an attacking midfielder. And as that went south quickly, De Zerbi subbed the new signing off at half time against Aston Villa, and then after calling him out specifically following the game, he didn't start him against Manchester United.

Now, the other young gem midfielder for Tottenham, Lucas Bergvall, was incredible against Man United and has quietly been resurgent for club and country over the past few weeks. But Fernandes was one of the best midfielders in the entire Premier League last season on an awful West Ham United side and is Spurs 85 million pound man.

Mateus Fernandes is too good to rot on the bench

James Maddison is obviously going to come back into the starting 11 next week against his childhood club Coventry on Monday Night Football, and the former Leicester City man is going to be a massive, massive boost at the No. 10 position. He is light years beyond Conor Gallagher and the others in terms of feeling out the position, creating chances, weighing passes, and generating goals and assists. He is a no brainer to start, and after looking sharp in another 20 minutes off the bench in the first Premier League game after the Fall international break, he is ready for 60 minutes vs. the Premier League newcomers.

But in addition to starting Maddison in the midfield, Tottenham have to get Mateus Feranndes back in the 11, too. Lucas Bergvall is hard to bench when he has the hot hand, but with Rodrigo Bentancur suspended after his red card against Manchester United after Luke Shaw's latest annoying antics, the midfield depth is thin. And it makes more sense to have Bergvall as a difference maker off the bench than to keep relegating Fernandes to a backup role.

Fernandes, again, looked great to start the season, even when Spurs were playing worse as a team than they are now. Roberto De Zerbi owes it to himself and to Tottenham to start Fernandes, and fans are rightfully disgruntled that he isn't getting enough minutes as a No. 6/8. Spurs can look even better wtih Fernandes and Maddison helping Sandro Tonali pull the strings in midfield.

Tottenham Hotspur are still winless after six Premier League games, but in primetime with the whole world watching them at Old Trafford against Manchester United, Spurs outplayed the Red Devils and would have won if it were not for some more terrible play in the final third from Dominic Solanke in front of goal and even Conor Gallagher in dangerous positions in terms of end product.

But Spurs impressed everyone by dominating Man United before Rodrigo Bentancur's controversial red card at the hands of more instigation from resident Old Trafford goon Luke Shaw. Gary Neville and other pundits were raving about how well set up Spurs were tactically. Savio and Mohammed Kudus were tough to beat out wide, Sandro Tonali and Lucas Bergvall were ruling the midfield, and Archie Gray and Destiny Udogie did a much better job of supporting the attack from the flanks.

The only thing missing for Spurs, yet again, was the finishing, and Solanke missed two very obvious scoring chances, with Gallagher and Kudus also messing up great situations for Gray and Savio to have put the ball in the back of the net.

Roberto De Zerbi is doing his best in a tough situation

Now, Tottenham Hotspur fans are familiar with this scene and have been trying to tell the whole world - and each other - that the problem is not Roberto De Zerbi or even that Spurs are being outplayed. They just can't quite get that decivisness, and whlie some of that is on De Zerbi for the players he recruited, he couldn't help that the Cody Gakpo deal fell apart or that Omar Marmoush hasn't gotten off running - or that James Maddison still isn't fit enough to start.

For all the fitness issues that have been apparent for key players like Maddison, Mohammed Kudus, and Pedro Porro, Tottenham have still been better in every game since the horrible Matchday 1 defeat to Brentford or even that second half against Newcastle United.

But what Tottneham did for about a good hour against Man United - and even the resiliency they showed to equalize with 10 men - proved that Roberto De Zerbi is in command and doing a great job of controlling what he can control. Anyone watching that game who still thinks De Zerbi is even remotely the problem at Tottenham is biased against the manager, because they balled out on the big stage; they just need their striker to actually finish the easiest of chances.

Even though he was facing his toughest matchup of the season against the likes of Matheus Cunha and Amad Diallo at Old Trafford for Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United, Archie Gray turned in what was probably his best overall performance of the 2026/27 Premier League season, even above the 0-0 clean sheet against Everton.

Gray was dominant defensively at the right back position, posting season highs with three tackles and three interceptions to lead Spurs in defensive interventions on the afternoon. The 20 year old center midfielder also drew a couple of fouls, and he has now boosted his season averages to 3 combined tackles and interceptions per game and 1.4 fouls drawn per game.

A lot of Tottenham players came into the 2026/27 Premier League season under the microscope after such a poor 2025/26 season, and while Gray was actually one of Spurs best performers last season, he had a huge point to prove this campaign after the sale of Djed Spence to Inter Milan following his heroic World Cup thrust the young midfielder into an unfamilair position as the main backup right back for Pedro Porro.

Archie Gray is clicking at right back

And with no signings at right back after Spurs bunked what would have been a brilliant swoop for Neco Williams and Porro suffering badly with fitness issues after the World Cup, Gray has been thrust into a weekly starting position. Porro is out until at least the Chelsea game later this month, so Gray drew that huge start against the Manchester United attack.

As expected, Gray has largely been shaky at right back, especially to start the season, but since that Everton game, he has turned it around and become better at not only defending but also balancing his duties so that he can actually get in and around the box and support the attack.

Gray was excellent against Manchester United in all regards. He was Tottenham's best ball winner, and he also could have had a goal himself with a run into the box, though Mohammed Kudus selfishly whipped a shot instead of having the intelligence and awareness to leave it for Gray to have a better shot on goal behind him.

Nevertheless, Gray is finding his form at right back at the perfect time, because Tottenham Hotspur still have not recovered Pedro Porro, who may not even be ready for the Chelsea game. Spurs should probably still look into another right back in the winter, but they will be less desperate to do so now that Gray is clicking.

With an obligation to buy clause in his loan contract between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, center forward Omar Marmoush will cost Spurs 60 million pounds when the 2026/27 season ends, and, so far, the Lilywhites are not getting anything out of the former Eintracht Frankfurt star - nor does it seem like Roberto De Zerbi is earnestly trying to make the most out of one of his most skilled attacking players.

Once again, Spurs started De Zerbi's apparent pet favorite Dominic Solanke despite the former England international's obvious struggles this season. And although Big Dom scored the game tying goal in the final minutes of the match vs. Manchester United at Old Trafford, even he knows that he should have bagged a hat trick with the kind of service Sandro Tonali and Savio, especially, were feeding him on the night.

Marmoush got into the game in the second half as a substitute, and he worked very hard for the team with a pair of tackles, showing, even if far fewer minutes, a much more robust work ethic and all around game than the main starting striker for Tottenham Hotspur.

Omar Marmoush is better than Dominic Solanke

In truth, Marmoush hasn't been all that great for Spurs since shining upon his debut against Newcastle United, as he has also lacked decisveness in front of goal like Solanke, who at least found the back of the net against Man United.

But Marmoush is a better player than Solanke and has been better than Solanke this season for Tottenham, too. He is much more likely to beat his man one on one and has created more chances than the 29 year old from Bournemouth, as Marmoush is averaging an excellent 2.6 dribbles completed per game and has been one of the best dribbling center forwards in the Premier League this season.

Roberto De Zerbi and Tottenham are spending quite a bit on Omar Marmoush, and they have seen him carry a team before back when he was at Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, single handedly carving up defenses as strong as Bayern Munich's.

Tottenham could be doing so much more with Marmoush, and it is very confusing to see that the Egyptian international has taken a back seat to Solanke, who has been Spurs biggest liability in all of his starts, including the one in which he scored against Manchester United, as he could have and should have put the game to bed earlier.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Dominic Solanke drew the start over Egyptian international Omar Marmoush on Saturday against Manchester United, and while he started the game very poorly with a couple of clear missed chances, including a pretty much open net, he stayed on the pitch and was the one to reward Roberto De Zerbi's faith with an equalizing header in the 92nd minute to help Spurs rescue a point 1-1 vs. Man United at Old Trafford.

Solanke wore the captain's armband in another big show of support from De Zerbi, who is backing Solanke one thousand percent as his man up top, perhaps subtly as another way of trying to prove himself right for snubbing Richarlison out of the squad entirely.

Despite scoring the key goal, Solanke, in truth, was poor, and there is a strong case to be made that for the third time this season out of all three starts, the 29 year old was the worst overall player on the pitch for Tottenham Hotspur.

Dominic Solanke has to get better from here

After the game, Dominic Solanke appropriately struck a positive tone for what he can take forward with him after scoring an important goal to rescue a point for Spurs, but he was also blunt and honest about his failings during the game, paticularly the missed chances in the first half.

Big Dom told the Sky Sports reporters after the game, via Chris Cowlin, "In the first half we dominated. We weren't clinical enough – a story of the season. We could have been a few goals ahead. We’ll take a point. The character shown was magnificent. A few times we haven’t reacted in the right way when going a goal down but today we showed fight and grit. I should have had a hat-trick. I wasn’t clinical enough. I know that. But I kept going. I was getting in the right positions to put one away. It’s my first time being captain for a great club. To score as well. It’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my career. It's something to build on. We haven't been good enough this. Hopefully this is the start of something good."

In orer to get better, a player needs to admit what they need to improve on and where they went wrong, and it was refreshing to hear this from Solanke after the result against Manchester United, because there are a lot of prima donna attacking players in the Premier League who would not be this honest about not being clinical enough.

The key thing is that Solanke isn't getting down on himself, he is still doing the right things to get in position, and he got his goal. And Solanke will need to continue to be in those positions in order for the goals to come, because, to be honest, he really hadn't been doing a good job of of that before the Manchester United game either.

Once again, the most dangerous and incisive player in the entire Tottenham Hotspur attack was Brazilian winger Savio, who started on the left side and made up for a lack of actual goal scoring, which was to be expected on his left foot there, with relentless chance creation.

Had Dominic Solanke been more up to it in the first half, Savio would have ended up with a pair of assists, as he peppered the corrido of uncertainty with beautiful, pin point low crosses. And once again, he led Spurs in take ons, skating by the Manchester United defense with a handful of dribbles completed.

So far this season, Savio has really gone underrated by the mainstream, putting up dribbles completed and key pass numbers on the wing that are so robust, they rival that of Lamine Yamal. Savio is averaging 6 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game with just a touch under 3 key passes per match.

Savio continues to be underrated

And yet it feels like even Tottenham Hotspur's own manager Roberto De Zerbi is badly underrating Savio, even as he continues to double and triple down on praise for the insanely wasteful and frustratingly below average striker Dominic Solanke.

De Zerbi said of Savio after the game to reporters, via Hotspur Lane, “Savio is a talent. He is still very young. He has to improve and make the switch because his potential is clear to everyone. He has to work to be better.”

Obviously, Savio does have room to grow, and De Zerbi definitely wants to see more goal scoring threat from him, which every Tottenham fan would agree with. Nothing De Zerbi said here was out of line, but given Savio should have had multiple assists that were taken from him from bad finishing by the No. 9 and even No. 10 Conor Gallagher, you would think RDZ would try to spotlight his new gem signing with more praise for all the hard work he did to help Tottenham put so much pressure on Manchester United, especially in the first half.

It feels like De Zerbi may not be fully appreciating what Savio is bringing to the table for his team. Savio is one of the best wingers in the Premier League right now and maybe the one guy meeting or even exceeding the expectations of his price tag this summer, and De Zerbi honestly should not be selling his impact short, especially when he has been praising inferior players like Solanke.

Mikey Moore has always been a big game player. The Tottenham Hotspur prospect first made a name for himself at the club in Europa League action during the 2024/25 season, and his best moments on loan at Rangers last season came in the Old Firm Derbies against Celtic where he came up with the decisive goods as a scorer and a provider on multiple occasions.

But for the first time, Moore got a chance to make his mark on a big rivalry in a top five European league, starting as the attacking midfielder, despite speculation he could be moved to a less preferred position on the right wing, for FC Koln in their local derby against Borussia Monchengladbach.

Although Moore did not score or assist this time, the Billygoats beat the Foals 2-1, and Moore was one of the most lively players on the pitch in the victory with five dribbles completed and three fouls drawn. Both of those numbers were his best of the 2026/27 Bundesliga season thus far, and even facing tougher competition in a top European league, Moore is showing that he elevates his game on the biggest occasions, because this rivalry is a massive one for Koln.

Mikey Moore was taking everyone on

Moore is also showing something tangibly on the pitch beyond the mental aspect of stepping up in big games. The young Tottenham Hotspur attacker showed an incredible ability to beat defenders and make things happen on the ball in tight spaces and in key central areas to destabilize the defense right from its heart.

That's something Tottenham did not get to see enough of this preseason and at the start of the season against the likes of Brentford. Mikey Moore was actually worrying Tottenham fans in the sense that he didn't seem to have the ability to beat defenders or make things happen at the highest level, and whlie the Bundesliga is indeed easier to do that in than the Premier League, Moore's eight combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn against a solid side like Gladbach is impressive.

Tottenham will want to see this continue for Moore, but his quality play against Gladbach in this 2-1 win for Koln is a clear sign of growth. Moore is skating by defenders at the highest level on a big stage, and that's something Spurs really need to see from him this season on loan before they can feel like he is ready for the big time in English football.

Despite being in the relegation zone, still yet to win a Premier League match this season, Tottenham Hotspur supporters are starting to feel a bit more positive. Well, this was not the case 78 minutes into Saturday evening's trip to Old Trafford.

Spurs dominated throughout, squandering chance after chance after chance before, as everyone knew would happen, Bryan Mbeumo broke the deadlock for Manchester United. 12 minutes from the end, after a wild scissor challenge on Luke Shaw, he went head-to-head with Rodrigo Bentancur, the Uruguayan reacted and was sent off by referee Stuart Attwell.

This seemed to extinguish any hope of a point for Spurs until, in stoppage time, Dominic Solanke's deft header ensured it finished all square. Oddly, after full time, Roberto De Zerbi revealed he kissed Benatncur in the dressing room, stating "I liked the situation with Rodrigo's red card, we needed this moment in this situation".

Well, however much he enjoyed it, the 29 year old will be suspended for the next three matches, which will force a reshuffle, considering he has started four of six Premier League games thus far.

Premier League fixtures Rodrigo Bentancur will miss suspended

Monday 19 October: Coventry City (H). Kick off 8pm.

Saturday 24 October: Chelsea (A). Kick off 5:30pm.

Saturday 31 October. Crystal Palace (H). Kick off 5:30pm.

So, what will De Zerbi's midfield trio look like without Bentancur, and who does he need to shine?

Sandro Tonali

So far, Sandro Tonali is yet to justify the enormous expense Tottenham paid to bring him to the club. The Italian has started all six Premier League matches, but is yet to tangibly improve them, even if it was his cross that was turned home by Solanke in stoppage time on Saturday.

The 26 year old is not really that sort of player, but has, so far, not represented and upgrade on what Tottenham already had, really needing that to change.

Lucas Bergvall

The likes of Tonali, Bentancur, Mateus Fernandes and Conor Gallagher are much of a muchness, while Lucas Bergvall is the one capable of a moment of magic. Early in the summer, it was made clear that the 20 year old would like to explore a new challenge. However, after it transpired that Newcastle and Nottingham Forest were those interested, he perhaps realised the grass is not always greener.

The Swede though is yet to register a goal or an assist this season, after only scoring once throughout the entirety of last season, this at West Ham all the way back in September. He clearly holds himself in high regard, but now needs to start justifying this belief.

James Maddison

Of all Tottenham's long-term absentees, could James Maddison have the most transformational effect? They remain without Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert and Dejan Kuluševski, while fit again Mohammed Kudus looked lively at Old Trafford, but Maddison could be the man to change everything.

The Englishman's last eight appearances have all come off the bench, most-recently starting against Bodø/Glimt on 1 May 2025, the night he suffered a serious knee injury. Prior to this, that season, he accumulated 12 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, and a Maddison producing his best is exactly what this struggling Spurs side badly need.