Hotspur HQ

Tottenham Hotspur had only just hired Fabio Paratici again in a formal executive role to start the 2025/26 Premier League season, but mere months later around the winter transfer window, the Italian sporting director made the decision to leave the club in the middle of the season and take charge for a club that was, at the time, in even more dire straits in Fiorentina.

Paratici abandoned the Tottenham sporting project after seeing the writing on the wall under the incompetent leadership of Johan Lange and Vinai Venkatesham. He could see how bad things would get for Spurs, and with Tottenham not yet in the Premier League relegation fight, he took on the tall task of rescuing the historic Viola from Serie A relegation at a time when they were among those places.

Well, fast forward to late April, and Fiorentina are 15th in Serie A while Tottenham are 18th in the Premier League and right on the verge of going down. Whereas Tottenham Hotspur kept holding onto Thomas Frank for months after Fabio Paratici, who never wanted the Danish manager in the first place, told Lange and Vinai to get rid of him and signed no established players other than major flop Conor Gallagher in the winter transfer window, Paratici's signings have directly helped Fiorentina climb out of the relegation hole.

Fabio Paratici is embarrassing Spurs

One of those signings actually included taking Manor Solomon, on the books at Tottenham, on loan from La Liga Champions League contenders Villarreal. He also bagged another former Premier League attacker in Jack Harrison, along with his former Juventus center back Daniele Rugani, among others. While there is nothing impressive about the players Paratici brought to Firenze, the fact of the matter is that he made the moves he needed to in order to help Fiorentina get out of the relegation hole.

Meanwhile, Lange and Vinai sat pat with a lot more resources and only went after Souza and Conor Gallagher while screwing around with the idea of bringing in a finished Andrew Robertson, who could still make his way to the N17 this summer 2026 transfer window from Liverpool as a free agent.

Paratici is closer to average than great among sporting director in world football, but the fact that he is already doing so much better for Fiorentina than what Johan Lange and Co. are doing at Tottenham seals home just how terrible of a job the current group of execs at Spurs are doing.

Thomas Frank just might be the worst manager in the history of Tottenham Hotspur. Thanks to Frank, Spurs are on the verge of relegation from the Premier League, as interim manager Igor Tudor was unable to swiftly clean up his mess and even the hyped up Roberto De Zerbi is finding it difficult to undo the mess of Spurs first manager of the 2025/26 season.

Although Tottenham were 17th in the Premier League last season and already in grave danger, they were Europa League champions and played more attractive football under Frank's predcessor Ange Postecoglou. And it is telling that Spurs finished Frank's reign as a much, much worse team than they were when they started with some of Postecoglou's ideals still sticking to the squad.

Despite how horrid Frank was for Tottenham Hotspur, the English media have always been fans of Frank, who was their darling as the entirely replaceable head of the Brentford Moneyball operation that has actually been significantly more successul in 2025/26 without Frank in charge.

Thomas Frank is Championship bound

And so Thomas Frank does now have a suitor interested in hiring him. According to Jack Price of outlet Football League World, Birmingham City are interested in hiring the former Tottenham manager. Birmingham, by the way, are 14th in the EFL Championship.

It may not be funny to every Spurs supporter, but you have to admit the absurdity of Frank being Spurs manager then getting fired and his only suitor so far is a team in the Championship while Spurs are fighting relegation to the Championship that was caused by Frank.

Because the reality behind the joke is that Frank's level is the Championship. He may have been a successful "yes" man for Brentford, but everything was spoon fed to him by the Bees front office brass and their analytics. He was a "yes" man for the Tottenham board, too, except he didn't actually have the talent to manage Spurs tactically or play like a top club.

Brimingham City, a team that is buried in the mid table of the second division, is exactly Frank's level. Even though Tottenham and Frank may be opponents next season if the Danish manager were to take the Birmingham job, these two clubs are obviously not on the same plane of existence. A suitor like Birmingham is exactly where Frank belongs, and this news really shows how far off Frank was from the level of where Tottenham ideally should be.

After drawing 2-2 with Brighton in a match they really should have won, Tottenham Hotspur had to count on local rivals Crystal Palace - the last team they beat in the Premier League, all the way back in late December - to get a win over another rival in West Ham United.

Unsurprisingly, Oliver Glasner and Palace were unable to get the job done, drawing 0-0 with West Ham to help the Hammers give themselves another point above the Lilywhites in the table. Though, at least, by drawing, Palace did still give Spurs a shout at getting out of the bottom three, because a win combined with a Hammers loss next weekend would take Tottenham back up a point above their London adversaries.

During the match, though, former Tottenham right winger Brennan Johnson had a golden opportunity to put Crystal Palace up in the early going, but he missed an open header to leave the chance begging. Had Johnson bagged that opportunity, then palace would have won 1-0 over West Ham, sending Spurs fans into ecstacy with a much easier task at getting out of the relegation zone.

Brennan Johnson was atrocious vs. West Ham

And in truth, Johnson was horrible yet again, and he has been horrendous ever since the Eagles made him their record purchase from Tottenham Hotspur in the winter transfer window. Although Spurs made the mistake of not signing a new winger to replace Johnson in the squad - and how Ademola Lookman would have helped in this relegation fight with injuries somehow mounting further - they were 100 percent justified in selling Johnson, especially for the 35 million pound price point that he went for.

Johnson did nothing all around for Crystal Palace in this 0-0 draw with West Ham. He created no chances and completed no dribbles, drawing one foul and missing two shots. His most notable contribution to the game was a yellow card, which has become a running meme to this point.

Tottenham sold Johnson because he could not play like a real winger. His chance creation output was poor, and his lack of ability on the ball was jarring, offering zero threat in one on one situations or as a progressive player out wide.

Crystal Palace saw that once again in this match against West Ham, and Tottenham fans can only watch as Johnson dropped the ball, even as a finisher, and conclude that he was the right sale. It's just too bad he proved that point against a relegation rival in West Ham.

Even though Tottenham Hotspur did not win against Brighton and ended up surrendering two goals, Antonin Kinsky's second start in a row between the goal posts went very well. Kinsky was unlucky to have conceded last weekend in a 1-0 loss to Sunderland, and neither of the two goals the Seagulls put past him were remotely his fault.

On the other hand, Kinsky looked right at home on the ball. His command of the box and distribution continue to imrpess the Tottenham faithful, and for a young goalkeeper who has barely played this season, the Czech shot stopper has looked a lot less shaky on the ball and in other aspects of the game besides making saves than incumbent Guglielmo Vicario.

And as Tottenham fans have figured out this season as the remain sitting in one of the three Premier League relegation places, those other things besides the saves that are on the stat sheet make a huge difference in wins and losses. In fact, those kinds of mistakes on the ball and in the air can be even more devastating in the table.

Tottenham's GK controversy rises

Vicario is wanted badly by Inter Milan as their Yann Sommer replacement, and every single transfer rumor out of Italy and England seems to point to the inevitability of Vic going to the Nerazzurri this summer. There is a chance Roberto De Zerbi tries to convince the veteran Italian international to stick around, sure, but you have to think that with Antonin Kinsky playing well twice now, the chances of De Zerbi even wanting Vicario back have to be waning.

Guglielmo Vicario has no real future upside to Tottenham Hotspur, and they could make a pretty penny by selling him. That is important for a team seemingly destined to kick down to the EFL Championship, which would then also mean that a dream Vicario replacement like James Trafford would be entirely unachievable. And you can forget about Dutchmen Robin Roefs and Bart Verbruggen, too.

Tottenham may already have their Vicario replacement in Kinksy. He has responded so well from those harsh slips against Atletico Madrid, and, to be honest, it would be cruel to fault him for unlucky mistakes in a massive game when the young man had not even played for months - and great players on Barcelona had been slipping in that very same pitch, too.

Kinsky impressing lately makes Vicario even more expendable, and there have always been Tottenham fans who feel Kinsky is the better keeper anyway. And now, they will also feel a bit of vindication.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi finally gave Xavi Simons the start, and the young Dutch star rewarded Spurs with a goal and an assist to help them get a 2-2 draw against De Zerbi's former employers Brighton. Without Simons, though, Spurs would have definitely lost this game, as the rest of the front line was atrocious - no surprise, Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani have been two of the worst strikers in the league lately - and the defense doesn't know how to close the deal.

So while Spurs were more positive than they were in their previous losses to Sunderland and Nottingham Forest when they didn't even score a goal, the Lilywhites remain in one of the three Premier League relegation places and look almost certain to go down.

Compounding that sentiment was what happened elsewhere in the relegation fight. Because, once again, a team just ahead of Spurs was impressive and got the job done in a big way at the same time that Spurs could not.

Nottingham Forest extended their lead on Tottenham Hotspur further by beating up on Burnley 4-1, another team in the relegation battle - albeit one ranked much lower than Spurs and not really in the competition.

Morgan Gibbs-White should have been on Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur were able to actually put some goals past the opposition this weekend, scoring twice behind the reintroduction of star man Xavi Simons into the starting lineup. Though the goals were no thanks to the strikers, as Roberto De Zerbi rolled with two No. 9's again, this time discarding Richarlison from the trio last week.

It was Dominic Solanke who started in the middle and Randal Kolo Muani on the right hand side, with Spurs fans befuddled as to why the leading scorer of the three and the only one remotely anywhere near the word "form" was discarded. Richarlison is a great weapon to have in a relegation fight, and unlike Solanke and Kolo Muani, in particular, he seems to actually be bothered about the prospect of Spurs going down.

Now, De Zerbi may have just been trying to gas up a player to help his morale- or, more cynically perhaps, his transfer value - but the Italian manager did have some pretty strong words of praise for Solanke before the 2-2 draw with Brighton.

Roberto De Zerbi thinks highly of Dominic Solanke

He said at the press conference, via The Spurs Express, “Dominic Solanke is one of the best strikers in the Premier League.”

Wait, what? I'm not even sure Dominic Solanke himself would believe that. Though he was excellent in the 2023/24 season for Bournemouth before joining Tottenham Hotspur, the 65 million pound record signing has been mediocre, at absolute best, at the N17. Solanke did have a great purple patch of form this season after finally coming back from a foot injury, but, lately, he has been terrible and posing no go threat.

So it is strange to see that Roberto De Zerbi is such a believer in Solanke, and because he has started him in back to back games as his main 9 in the formation, it is fair to wonder if De Zerbi really does believe the Kool Aid on Solanke that he is making us all drink.

But what is annoying about the Solanke love is that it has come at the expense of players who have been a lot better this season. Forget Richarlison, because while he works hard and has scored more goals, his all around play has left a lot to be desired.

What about young Mathys Tel? The Frenchman was brilliant before De Zerbi arrived and booted him out of two starting lineups against Sunderland and Brighton. Tel has outplayed all the other forwards this season, and if De Zerbi's adulation for Solanke means fewer minutes for Tel, than that is a huge problem.

Overall, praise is due to Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi, because after a rough Spurs debut last weekend in a shutout loss to Sunderland, Spurs were finally the better side in a Premier League match when they took on his former employers Brighton.

Spurs still have work to do, especially when it comes to actually closing the deal for a "W", but this 2-2 draw with the Seagulls was a markedly better performance from the Lilywhites than any of their last recent matches in the Premier League.

Yet when you don't win, there is always room for improvement, and De Zerbi himself still has some things to learn in the manager's chair. His starting lineup selection was far from ideal even in his second game as manager, and he made two mistakes that he really shouldn't be repeating if he wants to set up Spurs well enough to, you know, actually win a Premier League game while on this 15 winless streak.

Archie Gray needs to be starting

He snubbed Mathys Tel from the attack for a second straight game, and while he did wise up enough to start Xavi Simons, it would be better to play him as a midfielder and have Tel either as a second striker or left winger. Before De Zerbi's arrival, Tel was the best attacker Tottenham had, and the former Marseille manager seemed to acknowledge his quality, too.

Getting Tel back in the Tottenham XI would be wise, but there is another change the Italian coach has to make when Spurs take on Wolves next weekend in what is surely a do or die matchup for the Lilywhites. He has to get Archie Gray back in the ilneup, too.

The young English midfielder was the best Tottenham Hotspur player in the previous month before Roberto De Zerbi got the job from Igor Tudor, as Gray is the focal point from the build up play and the source of the best progression this team has.

In his second game in charge of Tottenham Hotspur, Roberto De Zerbi offered the Lilywhites a real chance at hope and growth. Following a 1-0 loss to Sunderland, Tottenham were much more effective at moving the ball forward, creating chances, and getting out of their own half and into the final third than in the last 10 Premier League outings.

Although Spurs came up short and drew 2-2 to De Zerbi's former employers Brighton, they were a bit unlucky not to have broken up a now 15 game winless streak in the English Premiership. Obviously, De Zerbi coming to his senses and actually starting star man Xavi Simons helped a lot, but the emergence of a returning Rodrigo Bentancur from injury was also a huge story in the match.

Tottenham have been poor everywhere in the side this season, hence why they are in the relegation places, but their midfield has been particularly gruesome. Archie Gray and Simons are young gems, but there are a lot of veteran players who been underperforming badly or are simply not good enough for the club.

Rodrigo Bentancur actually looked lively

Bentancur, prior to tearing his hamstring a few months ago, was moreso in the former than the latter camp. Although Benta has never been world class, he was very good to start his Tottenham Hotspur career, improving from a poor finish to his Juventus career. Lately, though, the Uruguayan international had been revealing the worst habits at Spurs of the end to his Juve days, with Thomas Frank bringing out the most cowardly side of Bentancur's football.

In his first game under Roberto De Zerbi, Bentancur actually looked great. He was moving the ball forward and focusing less on sideways carries and more on progressing the ball before quickly getting away to Xavi Simons or someone else.

Defensively, Rodrigo Bentancur played the best he has all season against Brighton with a whopping six combined tackles and interceptions for the Tottenham cause. Bentancur was snapping into tackles and didn't stand on ceremony after making the interventions.

Tottenham need to see much more from Bentancur before anointing him as a clear starter and an improved player under De Zerbi, but this was indeed a much better performance from a refreshed and rejuvenated Benta upon his injury return.

Spurs need solutions in midfield with experience, guts, and quality. So often this season, Bentancur had disappointed in the last of these two categories, but perhaps De Zerbi has gotten a roaring lion out of the once touted former Juventus youngster in midfield,

Tottenham Hotspur were unable to seal the deal, but against a better opponent in Brighton, Spurs looked competent for the better part of 90 minutes and certainly played much better than they did offensively in Roberto De Zerbi's second game in charge than they did in the first or in the preceding 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest.

There is still a lot of work to be done, but Spurs were better at creating chances and moving the ball in this one, already showing growth under the new manager. And no player made a bigger statement to the coach than Xavi Simons.

The most talented player on Tottenham, Simons cost the club 60 million euros and has been a starter in pretty much every win for Spurs this season. After De Zerbi brutally snubbed the Dutchman in his first game in charge and then made comments insinuating that Simons may only play about 30 minutes off the bench, Simons ended up being THE key player against De Zerbi's former employers.

Xavi Simons is crucial to Spurs

With a goal and an assist, Xavi Simons was at the heart of everything good in this 2-2 draw with Brighton for Tottenham. From an all around perspective, he ws brilliant and showed an intensity that many of his teammates have been sorely lacking. Simons totaled off two key passes, two dribbles completed, and four fouls drawn.

Even though Simons didn't get to play as a true No. 10, with James Maddison coming back from injury soon, Simons shning off the left of the formation is not a bad thing at all. And regardless of where he plays in the XI, it is far, far better for Tottenham Hotspur to have Simons involved in the lineup than not involved at all.

Roberto De Zerbi made an inexcusable error by benching Simons in his first game in charge, and in a shutout loss to Sunderland, the Dutch midfielder's presence was clearly missed. By shining to this degree as the best player on the pitch for Tottenham in a rather unlucky draw, Simons has proven to De Zerbi that he needs to be starting in every single game.

De Zerbi made the mistake of not starting Simons, but now seeing the full extent of the difference in the team's overall play, progression, and chance creation with and without Simons, you had better believe the Italian manager won't be making that same error twice.

The most must-win of must-win games beckons for Tottenham Hotspur if they're to preserve their Premier League status, but they're up against the in-form Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday evening.

Roberto De Zerbi thus takes on his former employers on his home bow as Spurs boss, having overseen a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland on debut last week.

The Lilywhites have slipped into the bottom three, and risk being cut adrift should they lose again on home soil. With fellow relegation rivals enjoying more comfortable outings this weekend, Spurs may have to win merely to keep in touch.

De Zerbi didn't quite get his team selection right at the Stadium of Light, so it'll be interesting to see what he opts for against the Seagulls. Here's how we think he could line up.

Tottenham predicted lineup vs. Brighton (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper & Defenders

Antonín Kinsky (GK)—The young Czech goalkeeper was one of the very few bright sparks last Sunday, and De Zerbi has confirmed that Guglielmo Vicario hasn't recovered from his hernia surgery in time to return this weekend.

Pedro Porro (RB)—I fear for Porro up against the one-on-one demons Brighton have out wide. Fabian Hürzeler could opt for the dribbling scholar Kaoru Mitoma or the more direct Yankuba Minteh to terrorise the Spaniard.

Kevin Danso (CB)—Danso has a huge role to play down the stretch after captain Cristian Romero partially tore his MCL last weekend.

Micky van de Ven (CB)—The broken Dutchman has got to pull himself together for these next six games. Danny Welbeck won't test his recovery speed, but he's a canny box operator who could outwit Van de Ven from crossing situations.

Destiny Udogie (LB)—I feel like Udogie has an important role to play for De Zerbi, potentially as an attacking weapon. Spurs need a spark from somewhere; perhaps their left-back will provide it.

Midfielders

Archie Gray (CM)—Gray should retain his place despite a quiet showing last weekend, and he may well benefit from having a new midfield partner.

Yves Bissouma (CM)—It's time to trust Biss again. Sure, you never know what he's going to do at any given moment, but it's worth taking a risk on his boom or bust nature at this stage.

Lucas Bergvall (AM)—This isn't the direction I'd go, but De Zerbi's comments on Xavi suggests the Dutch playmaker will only play a role off the bench. He may well stick with Bergvall as his most advanced midfielder, which doesn't bring the best out of the Swede at this level.

Forwards

Randal Kolo Muani (RW)—Square peg in a round hole. Kolo Muani looks relatively awkward down the right, but he is really fast and we've got to try and exploit that against the Seagulls.

Richarlison (ST)—Dominic Solanke hasn't offered anywhere near enough over the past few weeks, so I'd trust the technically deficient Richarlison to get us out of this mess.