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James Maddison proved in one game against Coventry that he is still an important player to Tottenham Hotspur, especially with Xavi Simons out with a torn ACL tear. The former Leicester City star scored an amazing goal against his childhood club in the 3-1 win on Monday Night Football over the newly promoted Premier League squad, and he absolutely bossed it with his passing. When Maddison plays, it's clear his vision and technical ability exceed those of his teammates.

But just as quickly as he returned, Maddison left, getting injured in the 50th minute against Chelsea wtih a groin issue. He was not at all needed last weekend as Spurs toasted a 10 man Crystal Palace to claim another fine 2-0 rivalry victory in the English top flight.

Maddison figures to be back against Leeds United, but Tottenham are still at a point where they are in two minds with the veteran attacking midfielder. He is a wonderful player and leader in the squad, but he's also getting closer to the age of 30 with increasing injury issues.

A No. 10 is still on the table for Tottenham

Once Xavi Simons comes back, he will be the main No. 10 for Tottenham. And Dejan Kulusevski and Wlison Odobert are other 10 options. Kulu, though, can play other positions, as can Odobert, and the latter is more of a rotational player than someone in play for starts.

As Totteham Hotspur attempt to be more ambitious and pursue actual silverware under Roberto De Zerbi in terms of Premire League titles, the fans are looking beyond the obvious need for a No. 9 to complete the squad and score more goals. No, there are a lot of fans dreaming about going back in for Morgan Gibbs-White again after his 15 goals last season and continued brilliance for Nottingham Forest while rumors of discontent continue to rage. Or they are wanting to fulfill actual interest in Nico Paz, a Ballon d'Or sleeper and the most gifted player in Serie A, grown out of the Real Madrid academy.

Tottenham have money to burn after years of hoarding it, and they stand to make even more money by consistently making the Champions League and finishing in actual title threatening positions in the Premier League. Paz and Gibbs-White aren't Eli Junior Kroupi and Victor Osimhen, but they are capable goal scorers as 10's who can do so much more, including creating the sort of gilt-edged chances that Spurs are not creating right now beyond James Maddison, whose injury record points to the need for a succession plan.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder and forward Dejan Kulusveski has a couple of games under his belt now, and in each substitute appearance the Swedish international has made, he has impressed the fans to a certain extent. His dazzling run on his return against Coventry showed that the speed has not left him despite the devastating nature of his injury, and his teasing shot on target against Dean Henderson and Crystal Palace last weekend displayed the ability to create space for his shot and his finishing are still very much intact, too.

Spurs are still in need of goals for all of their dominance and their new undefeated streak since the last international break, and as they head into a new international break this November, the Lilywhites are wondering where else they can scour more goals and attacking fire power from.

WIlson Odobert has returned to training and may be closer to returning than initailly thought, but he is not a real scoring option. He, like Kulu, can change games with his skill and quality, but Kulusevski is the one with a track record of double digit goals in a top five European league.

When can Dejan Kulusevski start?

And so the focus is on Kulusevski as he also makes his triumphant return to the Swedish national team squad, which may have some feelings of trepidation from the Spurs side with how fresh his injury still is in everyone's minds.

But the big lingering question for Tottenham Hotspur is when exactly can Dejan Kulusevski start again. It's a fine balance, because Spurs do not want to put too much on his plate too soon. That knee injury was so devastating that everyone thought his career might be over, and so for him to be back on the pitch and look this good before 2027 is a massive victory nobody can take for granted at N17.

If he's ready, though, Tottenham do need him. And at some point, the string of positive appearances off the bench have to lead to something more, and as Spurs continue to struggle for goals, Kulu as a possible false nine option over Dominic Solanke and Omar Marmoush begins to become a more attractive proposition.

That's the big question Spurs have to continue to map out behind the scenes with Roberto De Zerbi. At one point do they feel Kulu is ready medically and in a footballing sense to start? And will Spurs be influenced to start him sooner if Solanke and Marmoush still can't score on a regular basis?

AFC Bournemouth star striker Eli Junior Kroupi is back in the spotlight for Tottenham Hotspur fans after registering an assist in an amazing all around performance off the bench as the Cherries defeated Spurs upcoming Premier League opponent Leeds United last weekend.

Tottenham are still not getting it done in front of goal, and while they completely dominated a 10 man Crystal Palace last week, they did not get a single goal from a midfielder or a forward. And Dominic Solanke, who started as the No. 9 again, was dreadful and the only player in the Spurs starting 11 who did not have a good game against an overmatched Palace side.

Spurs are getting restless with their attacking options. Mathys Tel scored a brilliant goal against Chelsea, and while Omar Marmoush has been struggling to make a serious impact thus far, at least he score a nifty goal in the 3-1 win over Coventry.

Victor Osimhen moves the needle

Tottenham Hotspur are realizing, though, that Marmoush's best position is what it was at Eintracht Frankfurt, playing off a reference point at striker like Hugo Ekitike. And Dom Solanke is clearly not that reference point for them.

Eli Junior Kroupi is the dream. In not much time, he scored 13 goals for Bournemouth last season, and teenagers who score that many goals in the Premier League tend to become world class almost as a universal rule of thumb. And he is such a phenom that even PSG have taken notice of his quality, not to mention the other Premier League Big Six clubs that will rival a youngster whom Bournemouth still do not want to seem to sell at any price.

So Tottenham can't lock in on Kroupi, because he might not even be available this winnter. And if Spurs want to secure Champions League football and push for a sleeper run at Arsenal's league title, they need a top striker now.

Enter Victor Osimhen. The Galatasaray star was the best striker in Serie A just a couple of years ago, joining forces with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to bring the Scudetto back to Napoli for the first time since Diego Armando Maradona graced the land of Calcio. Osimhen ended up in Turkey because of another foolish contract dispute on the Partenopei's part, and since then, he has been just as good despite being out of the spotlight in the Super Lig.

Osimhen is a world class finisher and someone Roberto De Zerbi no doubt has great respect for, having coached against him during the rise to his peak when RDZ was at Sassuolo and Osimhen Napoli. His wages may be an issue, but he has to be willing and revved up to make a Premier League move and step back into the spotlight before his prime ends. And he's one of the few strikers with the talent and the track record to move the needle for Spurs as possible 20 goal guy.

Mohammed Kudus soaked up official Man of the Match honors for Tottenham Hotspur last weekend when they obliterated Crystal Palace 2-0, but while the Ghanaian international played a great game, many fans felt that Jan Paul van Hecke, Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, and even fellow winger Mathys Tel had even stronger Man of the Match cases against the Eagles.

Although Kudus had a great assist on a corner for right back Archie Gray to open the scoring, the most enduring moment of his match against Palace was a horrible miss late in the game to deny Luca Williams-Barnett what would have been an unforgettable assist on his Premier League debut. As it stands, LWB is still getting his plaudits and is in play for more minutes this weekend against Leeds United, so no harm done there - and obviously Spurs won convincingly regardless.

But fans are a bit disappointed with Kudus's inability to score goals in their uniform. As Roberto De Zerbi recently pointed out, Kudus used to be an up and coming goal scorer for Ajax before coming to the Premier League, and he scored more goals in his first season with West Ham United than he has since then.

Mohammed Kudus isn't supposed to be the finisher

Tottenham Hotspur are not getting goals out of Kudus, who has none so far this season despite quite a few amazing chances falling to him, especially in recent weeks against Manchester United and Crystal Palace And as great as he was last season, Mohammed Kudus still only scored two goals for Spurs in his debut campaign.

The thing is, Kudus's misses and lack of goals truly becomes this frustrating because the players whose jobs it is to score are not getting it done. Kudus's main role in the squad is to take players on, create chances, destabilize the defense, and work hard on the wings. He does that great, as evidenced by what he has done positively in this winning streak. If Dominic Solanke and Omar Marmoush were getting it done in front of goal, this conversation would not matter as much.

Roberto De Zerbi and the Tottenham fans will rightfully want more decisiveness as a finisher from Kudus, but the larger point is that Kudus's biggest weakness in terms of scoring goals is magnified by the team's greater problem in struggling to score. If Solanke were putting away the chances Kudus himself creates, for example, Kudus's finishing wouldn't be as much of a topic.

Tottenham Hotspur were criticized by many around the Premier League, including fans of clubs like Aresnal coping with their manager not getting the midfielder he wanted the most, for spending 100 million pounds on Sandro Tonali. Even Newcastle United supporters got in on the act when the Italian international struggled against them in a revenge game gone wrong on Matchday 2, with the Magpies winning 2-0.

Since then, though, Tonali has gotten better and better, and after shedding some adjustment and fitness issues, he is firing on all cylinders as arguably the best player in the Premier League in his role, matching Declan Rice at Arsenal stride for stride in terms of elite No. 6's. He's been way better than the more expensive Enzo Fernandez, and while Tottenham are playing great football as of late, it is now Newcastle who miss him badly and look to be in complete disarray.

Sandro Tonali does not look like a bad transfer now

It's always important to wait before reacting to a new signing, and right now, Roberto De Zerbi could not be happier with his decision to double down on signing one of his favorite players. His fellow Brescia native is living up to the 100 million pound price tag, and with how dominant he has been these last four weeks since Spurs have been undefeated after the September and October international break, many fans are joking that they would not mind paying an extra 100 million pounds to the people in St James's Park who were deriding Tonali only a month or two ago.

Under Daniel Levy, Tottenham Hotspur seemed to be signing quantity over quality. There is a laundry list of midfielders who were not bad players, but simply were not good enough to be starting for Spurs. Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr, and so many others were lingering in the purgatory of being rotational players forced to start frequently, and even though Rodrigo Bentancur has been very good under Roberto De Zerbi, he, too, is nowhere near the level of player Sandro Tonali is.

Tonali gives Tottenham someone who defends at an elite level, reads the game better than anyone else, and truly dictates the play in and out of possession. He has made the rest of the ships rise with his tide, and that's not something you can say about most of the midfielders who have come through the club since Christian Eriksen left. Tottenham are getting more with signing top players regardless of how the fee looks on paper to the English punditry, and that approach is paying off for De Zerbi.

Egyptian international Omar Marmoush was one of a handful of big names to join Tottenham Hotspur this past summer transfer window, and once the obligation to buy in his loan clause kicks in after the 2026/27 Premier League season ends, Tottenham will be on the hook to pay 60 million pounds to Manchester City for a player who once took the Bundesliga by storm.

But in the Premier League, Marmoush, despite flashes of brilliance, has yet to really assert himself, and Spurs are running into the same trouble that Pep Guardiola and Manchester City were. It's been difficult to find the best position for Marmoush, and while he is the No. 9 by default at N17 and has been superior to Dominic Solanke, with just one goal, he has yet to truly distinguish himself as the main man up top either.

In truth, Marmoush seems better fit to be the player around the striker who is wreaking havoc and supplementing goals with chance creation and dribbling, rather than having the profile of someone who can score 20 goals in the Premier League on his own as a center forward.

Omar Marmoush is better playing with a 9

And because of that, far from being disappointed by Tottenham Hotspur pursuing a true top No. 9 again in the winter transfer window, Omar Marmoush may actually be one of the biggest beneficiaries in the squad of a new striker. In fact, he would probably benefit the most from having a new focal point up top and playing with someone like an Eli Junior Kroupi or even a Victor Osimhen.

Marmoush's magic lies in his skill and how lively he is. Tottenham are already seeing how good Marmouhs is at beating his man, and he's had a couple of games where he has been a dangerous chance creator. And he did score a good goal against Coventry a couple of weeks ago. It's just that he's not been able to sniff out the best chances or show the most ruthless edge in the penalty box.

Having a striker who is able to poach goals and be more of a traditional No. 9 would help Marmoush have someone to play off of. He can roam free like he does when he is at his best and play off the striker on the left wing or just behind him in that supporting striker role. Marmoush's best work at Eintracht Frankfurt came in these positions when he played with Hugo Ekitike, who already proved last season when healthy for Liverpool that he is a Premier League No. 9. A guy like that could do wonders for Marmoush again.

Tottenham Hotspur spent 52 million pounds on Brighton star center back Jan Paul van Hecke even though he had just one year left on his contract this past summer and was coming off a down year for the Seagulls overall. But Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi badly wanted to work with Van Hecke again, and he put his foot in the ground for the Dutch international, even knowing it would cost him Luka Vuskovic going back the other way.

After enduring a lot of criticism at the start of the season because Vuskovic was playing so well for Brighton, De Zerbi has to be looking at everyone with a sense of vindication regarding the excellence of his proverbial prodigal son.

Van Hecke turned in a record performance in the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, bossing the pitch with his passing while being unharried defensively, just as he was excellent in both regards in an even more impressive 2-0 win over rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Jan Paul van Hecke is a pillar now

Not even Roberto De Zerbi could have seen Jan Paul van Hecke becoming this much of a pillar in the defense, as he has made those around him better, especially compatriot Micky van de Ven, completely washing away any possible hint of regret at former Europa League hero and World Cup winner Cristian Romero heading over to La Liga in the summer window.

De Zerbi knew Van Hecke was amazing in the build up and would be important to his team tactically, but the Dutchman has become an even bigger contributor than that in terms of his leadership. And he gets better and better every week, particularly when it comes to his defensive quality. Van Hecke is better than he was advertised in the air and as a ball winner, and whlie he is not the fastest player, that's why he has Van de Ven to help cover for him.

The two have become quite the pairing, and Van Hecke is topping a few rating apps as the best overall player in the Premier League, in addition to leading the league in progressive passing and line breaking passing. De Zerbi knew Van Hecke would be a great player and important to his ideals at Tottenham Hotspur, but best in the league? A leader at the back just a couple of months in? Van Hecke is shattering expectations and has become more decisive than what De Zerbi must have envisioned.

Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder Wilson Odobert was expected to return in around January after tearing his ACL in the winter of the 2025/26 Premier League season, just when he was beginning to click under Thomas Frank and show his best stuff on the wings, especially on the right wing. Roberto De Zerbi even told reporters around the Crystal Palace game that his versatile young Frenchman would not be back until January.

However, it appears a return could be sooner than expected, just as with Xavi Simons. And as Odobert's injury came before Simons's own ACL tear, the attacker will be back even sooner, too. Tottenham announced on social media that Odobert is back in training with the team and working his way back into action.

it will obviously take the talented 21 year old a little bit more time of training in order to make his first appearances for Tottenham Hotspur, which, like with Dejan Kulusevski, will initially occur off the bench for a few weeks before being back in the saddle.

Wilson Odobert is almost back

While Wilson Odobert will almost certainly not be a starter for Tottenham this season even when he is back to full strength, the U23 standout is still going to be an asset to this team. And he could be important. Die hard Spurs fans have not forgotten how good he was before his ACL tear happened, as it seemed like everything was starting to click.

Odobert's versatility will help in a variety of ways and take the pressure off the other attackers, and the French youth international also brings something different to the table with his quickness, agility, and ability to glide past defenders in tight spaces either in the middle of the pitch or on the flanks. He and Mathys Tel take up similar positions and are teammates for club and country, but they are totally different profiles.

Roberto De Zerbi has an army of super subs at his disposal, including an even more tantalizing prospect in the home grown Luca Williams-Barnett, who can also play on either wing or as an attacking midfielder. And Dejan Kulusevski, until he is ready to start, is also a major super sub.

Odobert will be in that bracket of players who can come right in and change a game for Tottenham in the final 15-30 minutes, and it will be great to have him back, potentially, at this rate, as early as December, a full month earlier than many had thought.

The blockbuster defensive and mdfield summer signings for Tottenham Hotspur have already proven to be smashing successes, with Jan Paul van Hecke, Sandro Tonali, and Mateus Fernandes arguably being the three very best players on the team during this three game winning streak. And before his injury, Savio was cooking defenses with his speed and skill, taking on all comers as one of the leading dribblers in the Premier League while creating enough chances to almost rival Lamine Yamal on the wings.

However, Tottenham have not gotten any better at scoring goals despite improvements literally everywhere else, and the best way to integrate the other big attacking signing from Manchester City, Omar Marmoush, is still a puzzle that befuddles the Spurs faithful and their manager Roberto De Zerbi.

After starting Marmoush as the 9 against Chelsea with Dominic Solanke out of the starting 11 all together, Spurs had to start Marmoush at the 10 with James Maddison out and went back to Big Dom up top. Lo and behold, Solanke was horrible despite the rest of the team dominating, and while Marmoush did decently well all around with three key passes and three dribbles completed, the Egyptian international did not come close to threatening the Crystal Palace goal despite only facing 10 men with a stalwart midfield and defense behind him in support.

Omar Marmoush is dealing with a lot of unknowns

Figuring out Marmoush's best position in the Premier League after a dominant Bundesliga career has been a challenge for both Pep Guardiola and now Roberto De Zerbi, as two great managers at two massive clubs are struggling to get the skilled forward to produce.

This Saturday, Tottenham Hotspur will face a tougher defensive side in Leeds United, and it is unclear how De Zerbi will line his attack up. Marmoush figures to be a better option than Solanke after what was seen against Crystal Palace, but there's no guarantee the former Man City man starts either. And if he does start, the No. 9 seems like the default position with James Maddison presumably ready to start, as both Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus are outplaying Marmoush and essentially undroppable.

How Roberto De Zerbi lines his attack up, where he starts Marmoush, if Marmoush starts at all, and how the future 60 million pound signing does on Saturday against a great defensive team will reveal a lot about where De Zerbi sees Marmoush, how he views him tactically, and what the future holds after the November international break for a talented player mired in quite a bit of uncertainty.

Fun fact, folks: our upcoming opponents, Leeds United, haven’t won a Premier League game that kicked off before 3 p.m. (GMT) since August 2022.

It’s a run of 21 games, a Premier League record.

Combine that with their current winless run of five games, and it’d appear as if we’re heading for a classic case of “Dr. Tottenham...”

There’s brewing discontent at Elland Road as a result of their recent malaise, with some supporters suggesting that Daniel Farke, who’s tactical switch midway through last season, ensured they stayed up with relative ease.

A summer window in which they bought James Trafford, the highly-rated Tarik Muharemović and purple patch fiend Harry Wilson elevated expectations, and they haven’t been matched as of late. Still, Leeds sit 12th in the Premier League table after nine games.

It’s no disaster, but you just get the impression that fans are waiting to pile onto Farke. Perhaps the calls for his head will be particularly vociferous if Spurs waltz up to West Yorkshire and extend their winning run to four games. A newfound swagger is emanating from the Lilywhites, and they’re facing Leeds at the right time.

Spurs must be wary of Leeds’ set-piece threat

Forget Arsenal, Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off is a duel between the two of the Premier League’s new set-piece kings.

While Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea have been the two most proficient sides from dead-ball situations this season, no team is currently more reliant on set-pieces for attacking success than Leeds.

According to Opta, Farke’s side have scored 44.44% of their Premier League goals from set plays—joint-highest in the division along with Everton. 44.23% of their shots have been generated from such situations, as has 42.51% of their total xG (both league highs).

Spurs are no slouches in this regard either, and they came to the fore for the Lilywhites against Crystal Palace’s 10 men. De Zerbi’s side are gradually improving against deep-lying defences, but the Italian doesn’t have all the profiles he needs that give him the best chance of compromising defensive compactness.

Leeds will be rough and rugged on home soil this weekend, and will continue to emphasise on set-pieces as a primary method of chance creation. Encouragingly, we don’t have the same issues defending dead balls as we did under Ange Postecoglou.

Andreas Georgson has sophisticated the Lilywhites in this area of the game at both ends of the pitch. We’ve conceded just two set-piece goals so far, and surrendered 2.56 xG—the joint-seventh-lowest in the division.

Stymie Leeds on this front, and Spurs will be on course for their fourth successive victory.