Hotspur HQ

For weeks, Tottenham Hotspur supporters have been aware of top executive Fabio Paratici potentially heading off to a new challenge to head up footballing operations at Fiorentina, who have literally been the worst team in Serie A this season one year after being a breakout side and are somehow an even bigger disappointment than Spurs. In fact, no team in European football have underperformed as badly as the Viola this season.

When news first emerged of Paratici's desire to abandon the Tottenham sporting project for Fiorentina's, Spurs fans were immediately concerned that he was escaping a sinking ship to get away from the dual incompetence of Johan Lange and the potentially untenable Thomas Frank at manager.

Now that David Ornstein has confirmed that Fabio Paratici will be leaving Tottenham Hotspur for Fiorentina officially once the winter transfer window ends in a report that really should have been information already clarified by Spurs to their fans amidst so much credbile reporting of his departure, we are finally seeing the full picture of what is really happening.

Fabio Paratici has lost his mind

That is because journalist Paul O Keefe has the real scoop on the situation, informing fans on social media that Paratici's head is actually gone. He is leaving for Firenze because of a new romantic relationship, while his sporting ideas have become quite absurd.

To wit, O Keefe says that Paratici wanted to fire Thomas Frank and make Igor Tudor is pick as the interim manager to replace him. If that sounds like one of the very few managers who would actually be a down grade on Frank, then, well, that is because it is.

Tudor is an unsuccessful, clueless coach with a much worse track record than Frank, because at least Frank had a lot of success at Brentford. And Frank is at least somewhat corrigible despite being passive aggressive and a bit of a doofus. Meanwhile, Tudor is a disciplinarian who does not win, does not innovate, and has not proven he can do anything particularly well at the top level.

It sounds like Paratici just wanted to give one of his buddies the job at Tottenham, and now it looks like Spurs inviting him to leave to Fiorentina without putting up much of a fight is. a way of smashing the escape hatch and jettisoning Paratici out in the outer space that is a return to Calcio. Paratici has fallen from grace, but Spurs are not about to be dragged down further by him, which is a good thing.

Against all expectations, Dominic Solanke came out of nowhere and was in the squad for the FA Cup Third Round game between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa on Saturday. He even came off the bench for about 15 minutes, and while Spurs ended up being eliminated with a 2-1 defeat to the Lions, it was still a huge positive to see the England international back out there.

Prior to this FA Cup cameo appearance against Villa, Solanke had appeared in just three total matches for Spurs in the 2025/26 season due to a lingering foot injury that required surgery in the Fall and was slow to heal.

Thomas Frank and Tottenham had given pretty much no updates on Solanke, acting as if it would take even more weeks for the Europa League hero to make his return. But now, Frank has more concrete and positive updates for Solanke, just as he did in the days leading up to Solanke's surprise return.

Dominic Solanke is on the up and up

As per Chris Cowlin of talkSPORT, Frank confirmed that things are getting better and better for big Dominic Solanke and that the Tottenham Hotspur striker is going to be ready to get even more action next week in the Premier League when Spurs take on local rivals West Ham United.

Frank told reporters after the Aston Villa loss, “He’s in a good place. Of course, he's not fully to fit to go 90 minutes, top sharp, but he is fit enough to get out there and get 15 minutes (against Villa). Then, we build from there and he will be in a better place next week against West Ham.”

So while Solanke is not close to getting a full 90 minutes and starting over Randal Kolo Muani with Richarlison now injured, too, after doing his hamstring over the weekend, he should then, in theory, be able to get more than the mere 15 minutes he accrued in the FA Cup defeat.

Solanke is a flawed player in his own right and probably was not worth the 65 million pounds that Tottenham paid to sign him from Bournemouth in 2024 in a record setting transfer. But he is the best all around striker Spurs have right now, unless Mathys Tel gets the chance to prove otherwise, and he showed his clutch factor in the Europa League. it is good for Spurs to have him back.

Tottenham Hotspur supporters have been appalled by the treatment of Mathys Tel by manager Thomas Frank. He has taken a standout forward on a team with poor attacking output and sabotaged him, discarding the Frenchman from the starting lineup despite the fact that Tel has been outstanding whenever given rare opportunities to start.

Now, Tel is unsurprisingly pushing for a loan transfer out this winter, and Spurs supporters should honestly be happy that the former Bayern Munich man is not outright asking for a transfer away from such a putridly run club and one of the worst managers in European football right now.

According to Fabrizio Romano, there are several clubs making approaches to Tottenham Hotspur to sign Mathys Tel, and one of the most recent clubs is Paris FC in Ligue 1. But the kicker and the part that Spurs fans will actually like is that Tottenham currently have no intention of letting Tel go on even a loan deal this winter. Per Fab, Spurs "insist" on keeping Tel.

Mathys Tel wants more minutes

But Tel is contemplating a loan out of Tottenham because he wants to play before the World Cup. With all the talent the French national team have, especially in the attack, it will be tough for Tel to break through, but it is not impossible if he lands in the right situation.

The crazy thing is that the right situation should just be Spurs. They have no better options on the left wing, and from what we have seen from the other strikers on the roster, it is honestly hard to say that any of them are definitively better than Tel in terms of athleticism, effort, technical quality, or even that little bit extra something special.

Losing Tel would be a travesty, and Tottenham fans need to make sure the club do not entertain it. A report from Romano stating that the club insist on keeping him is a positive, but that is one matter. The other matter is Spurs actually falling through and not risking losing one of their biggest talents - and someone who should be starting every game from now on.

Even a brainless blob could piece together that Tel is infinitely more important to Tottenham than Thomas Frank. As of right now, Spurs not wanting to loan Tel out to Paris FC or some other club is good, and that mentality needs to stay that way.

Tottenham Hotspur have been in an injury crisis in perpetuity. Even dating back to the end of the 2024/25 season, Spurs were down James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski who had both suffered severe knee injuries, and all these months later in January 2026, these two vital attacking players remain sidelined with no clear time table for return.

Star right winger Mohammed Kudus is out for a couple of months, and star left back Destiny Udogie remains day to day. And just as Spurs got Dominic Solanke back from injury for the FA Cup loss against Aston Villa this weekend, the club learned of yet another multi month injury. And that is not even getting into the status of another recently injured striker in Richarlison, who did his hamstring.

Center midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur went down with a hamstring injury of his own at mid week in a 3-2 loss to Bournemouth, and while the injury held an uncertain prognosis at the time like most injuries, the majority of Spurs fans assumed he would miss a maximum of a few games.

Rodrigo Bentancur is cooked

Instead, Bentanacur is going to be out for a long time, even longer than Kudus. According to a new report from Argentinian outlet TyC Sports, Bentancur actually suffered a torn hamstring in that game and is going to require surgery. He will now miss at least three months recovering from the ailment, which will then put his status in doubt for the upcoming 2026 World Cup with Uruguay, which is devastating since, unlike at Spurs, he is an important starter in midfield for his national team.

Bentancur is no longer an important starting midfielder for Spurs because he has been pushed out a little bit. Thomas Frank was favoring the veteran, but his poor performances brought young Archie Gray more into the fore, and Gray has been getting more and more action lately, with fans happier to see him starting than the elder statetsman of the deep lying passing midfielders.

Gray has his own issues to iron out, but the U21 prospect is a phenom and could be a special player in the middle of the park with more bravery and progressive passing than the often cowardly Bentancur. With Bentau now injured for the foreseeable future, Frank has no excuse and no reason to turn away from Gray, who is now THE focal point of the deep lying passing at Spurs and the base of the midfield. The kings to the kingdom are fully his, and he has to run with this opportunity now.

Tottenham Hotspur have already sold Brennan Johnson to start the January transfer window, and they have made a few key loan maneuvers, including switching forward Manor Solomon over from Villarreal to Fiorentina, where executive Fabio Paratici will eventually join him.

As Tottenham try to bring in other players besides left back prospect Souza, who will soon officially join Spurs this winter, they are also negotiating some potential sales for players like Yves Bissouma in midfield.

But the player pushing the most for a transfer out of the N17 is young center back Radu Dragusin. Fresh off a major injury, Dragusin does not see a path to playing time as the fourth center back behind stars Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, as well as the reliable Kevin Danso.

Tottenham reject Radu Dragusin's dream

So Dragusin wants a move out this winter, preferably back to Serie A, which is a league he fit much better than the Premier League. The former Juventus prospect has been linked to Juve, but the Italian giant with the most interest in him is AS Roma - and he seems to be pushing publicly for a move to join the Giallorossi.

According to a new report from Football.London, Tottenham Hotspur have actually rejected the latest transfer offer from Roma for Radu Dragusin. It is actually a loan offer for the center back, but Spurs still did not want to grant the 23 year old his wish to join the "Gladiators" - as if being a gladiator was such a high ranking status at that time.

Anyway, the answer to why Tottenham want to hold onto Dragusin is pretty obvious. Not only have they not actually seen how he fits under Thomas Frank - or whoever replaces Frank in the nearer future than even the club would like to admit - but, most importantly, they can't really afford to sell more players right now.

Souza is coming in at left back, but Ben Davies is still important cover there. So for all intents and purposes, Spurs only really have the four center backs in the squad when you include Dragusin with Danso, Romero, and Van de Ven.

Tottenham do not want to go thinner than that. And if they are going to lose the depth with Dragusin, there is no point in loaning him for six months and getting no money back right now when these six months are the six months they would need him. They could maybe justify selling him in the summer when Luka Vuskovic takes his place after his loan deal is done, but a loan this winter does not make as much sense for Spurs.

Tottenham Hotspur were outclassed yet again on Saturday afternoon, eliminated from the FA Cup in the latest humiliation that clearly proves to Tottenham Hotspur fans that Thomas Frank is not the right man to lead this now sinking ship.

But despite the poor all around performance of Spurs as a team, there were a few individuals who did distinguish themselves positively in a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa that, once again, really underscores the differing trajectories of these two clubs.

Xavi Simons was obviously the main positive for Tottenham and is a star of the future at the N17, but a more veteran acquisition from the Bundesliga this summer was also a standout in the middle of the park in the second half.

Joao Palhinha was falling off

Joao Palhinha started the season hot but recently fell off, casting his future in doubt with the option to buy him on loan from Bayern Munich for about 25 million pounds. While his defensive prowess earned him praise, the Portuguese international also received wide spread criticism for his poor play on the ball and lack of progressive carrying or passing.

Well, after a jaw dropping bicycle kick in the 3-2 loss to Bournemouth, Palhinha once again distinguished himself positively on Saturday afternoon with a grand all around performance against Aston Villa, particularly in the second half when Tottenham Hotspur were finally starting to claw their way back into the game.

Palhinha was obviously magnificent defensively with a whopping five interceptions and so much hard work to try and break up play as everything else was falling apart. But he was also quite good offensively, which was a positive change of pace for the veteran midfielder. He had two key passes, two dribbles completed, and two fouls drawn in an all around performance that was all parts active, progressive, and, yes, even creative.

Tottenham have a tough decision to make with Joao Palhinha whenever the 2025/26 season ends, because he is 30 but is still showing he has plenty in the tank athletically. And while it is debatable the trade off between offense and defense, there should be little doubt that his highs have been higher than either Yves Bissouma or Rodrigo Bentancur as veteran Tottenham midfielders - and his lows are far less low than Bentancur's disaster classes or Bissouma's inane laughing gas antics.

Palhinha has to keep playing like this and showing offensive involvement, but between the bicycle kicks and this show of determination and heart in an otherwise dreary defeat, the man is absolutely on the right track to changing his course back to a positive one.

Tottenham Hotspur had one last bullet left in the chamber this season, and that was the hope that they could buckle down and treat the FA Cup as their main competition with it being their only shot at following up Ange Postecoglou's 2024/25 Europa League triumph with a follow up trophy in 2025/26.

But once again, Spurs were outclassed and outmanaged, falling 2-1 to top three side Aston Villain the Third Round of the FA Cup. They showed urgency in the second half and played better, but another woeful start to a game doomed them.

There was not a whole lot to admire about Tottenham again in this one, but a few players did stand out individually. And quietly, Xavi Simons continues his streak of positive games, only broken up by an unfair suspension brought on by the Liverpool brigade.

Thomas Frank is the common denominator

Simons was impervious on Saturday afternoon despite a putrid performance by many of his midfield teammates. The Dutch No. 10 had three key passes, three fouls drawn, and two interceptions in an all around display of excellence, especially creatively.

Spurs fans have been desperately waiting for a big game from Simons like this one and for him to string a few of these together. Hopefully, this is the start of something. But as impressive as Simons was, his latest breakout performance at the heart of everything good for Spurs was the reminder of a harsh truth that the club's brass must reconcile with.

Because as good as he was, you could not help but thinking watching Simons and Tottenham as a whole, how much better and more impactful he would be as a playmaker and even as a potential goal threat from the No. 10 if he were not saddled by one of the worst managers in the Premier League in Thomas Frank.

Imagine how much more expressive and expansive both Simons's and Tottenham's football as a whole would be without Frank restricting it and playing so negative and defensive. Imagine Simons coached by a more innovative manager with Mathys Tel, Dominic Solanke, and Wilson Odobert to link up with in a young, well rounded attack with Solanke unselfishly anchoring it as the veteran man.

One can only dream, because, as of right now, Simons and Spurs supporters still have to be stuck with Frank, as the upper management has no intention of even thinking about firing him; they have lost the ambition and imagination the fans still have.

No team has been as unlucky with injuries as Tottenham Hotspur, and it seems like every week, there is a new injury problem that pops up. Spurs already entered the season without star attackers Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison, and those guys are still out with no real return date in sight.

Meanwhile, striker Dominic Solanke has been a long term absence, too, and Mohammed Kudus recently suffered an injury that will cost him at least a couple of months. Destiny Udogie is always in and out of the lineup with injuries and remains out.

In the last game, center midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur suffered a potential multi game injury, and while he is no longer an important starter to Spurs, it is still a tough blow to the team's depth at a position that is not exactly an area of strength.

Tottenham get bit again

To that end, another veteran player at a weak position has just gone down in Spurs most recent game, too. Richarlison was seen pulling up with a hamstring injury, and Thomas Frank confirmed after the game, via BBC Sport, that it is indeed a hamstring injury for the Brazilian striker.

Although Richarlison is not really having a great season and has been inconsistent all around, he is Spurs leading goal scorer and one of their only two healthy strikers alongside Randal Kolo Muani - a talented loan signing who is subtly showing signs of mentally checking out of Spurs.

Tottenham can ill afford all these injuries, and although being out of the FA Cup after this loss to Aston Villa means fewer games for Spurs, the Premier League fixture set, along with all the meaningless international matches, means the congested schedule is conducive to more and more injuries, particularly to overworked veteran players.

Richarlison has been worked hard by Thomas Frank, who loves him despite his issues. And now with Richy, Frank is going to have to increasingly turn to his other players, such as Kolo Muani and Mathys Tel. The latter may be the real silver lining for Spurs, since Tel is contemplating leaving in order to get more minutes ahead of the World Cup for France.

Despite those silver linings, losing a player is never good, and Tottenham are going to have more depth problems to worry about with Richy out of the equation. Next up, Tottenham will battle local rivals West Ham in the Premier League, followed by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

Tottenham Hotspur are going to have to sign a new attacking star in the January transfer window. They already needed to sign one coming into the new year, but with star right winger Mohammed Kudus now injured for potentially multiple months, Spurs need for a winger has reached desperation levels.

Antoine Semenyo has already agreed to join Manchester City after rejecting Tottenham weeks ago, leaving Spurs to head back to the drawing board with a barren list of options. Man City wingers Savinho and Omar Marmoush seem off the table despite being dream options for Spurs. Savinho is now injury for two months himself, while Marmoush apparently has no interest in leaving the Etihad despite a lack of minutes in the 2025/26 season.

So now the new top target for Tottenham appears to be young Ivorian phenom Yan Diomande, who has been impressively manning the left wing at RB Leipzig. Diomande is one of the biggest jewels in not just the Bundesliga, but in all of European football as well.

Tottenham are not up to the task

Tottenham were already heading for a fierce transfer battle with Manchester United, having no guarantee that Leipzig will even sell this key, valuable future star this winter at all. And now, the transfer battle is about to get even tougher.

According to a fresh report from German outlet BILD, Bayern Munich are now convinced of Yan Diomande as a top option for them. He is their No. 1 target on the left wing to provide competition with Luis Diaz. Meanwhile, Bayern have dropped Malick Fofana, a former Tottenham Hotspur transfer target this past summer, off their left wing wish list, making Diomande even more likely.

Competing with Manchester United, who are nowhere near the top level these days, has been hard enough for Tottenham; they lost out on Bryan Mbeumo pretty easily to Man United this summer, after all, and were even behind United in the Antoine Semenyo sweepstakes, too.

But Bayern? Forget about it. Bayern tend to always get the Bundesliga players they want when they want them, which is why the Florian Wirtz to Liverpool anomaly was so surprising. But they have an especially good connection with RB Leipzig, too, signing players like Marcel Sabitzer, Konrad Laimer, and Dayot Upamecano from the east German club over the years.

Diomande would pick Bayern over Tottenham any day of the week when looking at the differing trajectories and power of both clubs. Spurs are in for a lot of trouble if Bayern are indeed serious about a Diomande transfer.

Tottenham Hotspur have so many young talents who are not getting the right amount of opportunities under Thomas Frank, and there are several key players who Spurs supporters now hae to worry about being driven out of the club by the incompetence of their manager.

The most worrisome example is that of French forward Mathys Tel, because the young man is actually considering a loan move, at best, away from Spurs because of how little Frank is playing him despite him being by far the biggest attacking threat in most games.

Meanwhile, a more established star is also pretty obviously angry at the club and the manager, as Frank could very well end up costing Spurs one of the best defensive players in the world in center back Micky van de Ven.

Tottenham can't sell him

There is one more, less talked about young talent who could be interested in leaving Spurs soon, either on loan or even a permanent transfer. Backup goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky has shown serious potential goal when given opportunities, and he is really not all that far off from starter Guglielmo Vicario with likely more future upside.

But with how little Kinsky plays, it is impossible to know if he will be able to reach that level without getting the minutes or opportunities. Kinsky needs to play more, and now Fabrizio Romano is reporting on his YouTube channel that West Ham United, one of Tottenham Hotspurs' local London rivals, are interested in stealing him away.

Most of the transfer rumors surrounding Kinsky are dealing wtih a possible loan, as it would be asinine for Spurs to let him go permanently, especially not to West Ham. And surely the Hammers would love to steal him away, given their need for a top young goalkeeper and their desire for revenge after losing Mohammed Kudus to Spurs this past summer transfer window.

There are actually more transfer rumors linking the starter, Vicario, away from Spurs due to his ridiculous mistakes, poor leadership skills, and lack of reliability. There are many Spurs fans who would rather see Kinsky stay and get more minutes, with Vicario sold in exchange for a better, younger keeper like James Trafford as the starter. But then, of course, Kinsky might still not get enough minutes.

A loan move involving Kinsky makes sense, but, alas, that would make Tottenham even thinner in goal with Vicario as the only legitimate option between the sticks. And he is barely legitimate.