The New York Times

Olivia Holdt hesitates. The Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder’s touch is heavy. Against Chelsea, it is fatal. It is another missed chance, number 15, if you are still counting, with less than 10 minutes to go.

It is worth counting: Bethany England’s fizzed header, Holdt’s effort off the woodwork inside 15 minutes, Signe Gaupset’s myriad attempts inside the box before half-time, Cathinka Tandberg’s glancing header in the final 15.

“Against those teams at this level, you need to take advantage of those moments,” said Spurs head coach Martin Ho after their 2-0 Women’s Super League (WSL) defeat by Chelsea. “We didn’t.”

Ho’s voice dripped with disappointment at the fact. The same disappointment permeated the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at full time and was evident on the faces of the Spurs players in their post-match huddle.

The facts are conflicting.

Spurs’ record is 13 defeats from 13 matches played against Chelsea in the WSL, the worst run of any one team against another in England’s top flight.

Yet a gap of just four points separates Chelsea in third and Spurs in fifth, widened from the one point that stood between the pair in the hours before Sunday’s kick-off. Spurs still have matches against Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United to come. Win them and they could yet be back in the Champions League conversation.

But the reality is that of the 50 matches Spurs have played against the WSL’s top four (Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United) since their promotion to the WSL, they have won two, drawn five, and lost 43.

Those baked into the Spurs fabric know the drill: when a ripple of triumph looks within reach, when Spurs look on the brink of breaking into the upper echelon, the floor melts into a river of lava. Everything conforms to muscle memory. The drawing board beckons, talking about phase one of the evolutionary cycle again as they invariably fall away.

This was the case under previous manager Robert Vilahamn, who led them to a first domestic cup final in the 2024 FA Cup and a sixth-place WSL finish (the second-best in Spurs’ history) in his first season, only for the walls to cave in by the following February. Then, Spurs embarked on an astonishing tailspin through the WSL table from sixth to 11th, a 10-game winless run that ended in tears on the pitch at Everton’s Walton Hall Park after a 1-1 draw, for the simple fact that the season was finally over.

Such a disintegration seems implausible for this iteration of Spurs under Ho, a project that seems to have finally evolved from its mushy underbelly into a clear and steadfast vision.

The first half against Chelsea demonstrated the distance travelled since Ho’s arrival in July from SK Brann.

The reverse fixture between these two sides in October was a familiar one-sided battle of attrition, edged by Chelsea’s 27 shots, 66 per cent possession, and 68 touches in the Spurs box (Spurs, by comparison, registered just five touches in the Chelsea penalty area).

Sunday’s opening stages were an entirely different affair. The home side were front-footed and dynamic, individual players clearly improving technically thanks to work from assistants Adam Jeffrey and Lawrence Shamieh over the past four months. Spurs registered just over 1.5xG by the time Keira Walsh smartly knocked her shot into the ground and past goalkeeper Lize Kop following a corner.

Ho described the goal as a “suckerpunch”, so too Chelsea’s second, as Alyssa Thompson punished Spurs for a momentary lapse in defensive judgement.

Yet it was telling of Ho’s mental transformation of Spurs as a team that those in the stadium did not flee to the exits. His side have come back to claim all three points from losing positions three times, their most comeback wins in a WSL campaign. They have yet to lose back-to-back matches all season, a stunning shift from a team that endured a 10-game winless run last season.

Much of that boils down to Ho. He is known to watch a match back twice on the night of a game — once non-stop with commentary, then once with a notebook. On the walls of the training ground, signage has been erected listing obligatory standards for both players and staff, from cultural behaviours to more specific actions, such as timeliness. One member of staff jokes that upon seeing Ho, there is a sudden impulse to salute, not out of fear, but out of sheer pride in the project.

The impact on the squad has been swift. As early as September, Tandberg spoke openly about Champions League aspirations. At that stage, Spurs had only defeated Everton (currently ninth) and West Ham United (now 10th).

It was easy, then, to file Tandberg’s sentiments as the delusion of the uninitiated, even if Tandberg is a self-described Spurs faithful. Since Liverpool’s 2014 WSL title victory, a combination of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City have finished in the WSL’s top three every season barring two, when Manchester United claimed second and third in the 2022-23 and 2024-25 seasons respectively. Excusing those two flickers of broken hegemony, the WSL’s highest echelon has been an unassailable strongbox, a figment of the rest of the table’s imagination. For all the annual hope that the competitive scales will finally even out, have any of the prevailing winds really shifted in the past four years?

The answer is no, and while Spurs are arguably putting forth the most enthralling case, Sunday was a critical reminder that work remains to be done.

“I’ve said this before and people may see it as negative, but it’s not, it’s realistic,” said Ho, who has overseen draws against Arsenal and Manchester United this season but is yet to register a win against a top-four side.

“In seven months, you can’t change a team that’s finished 11th to be competing in the Champions League.”

The steps to do so, however, are being taken. The appointment of former Arsenal chief Vinai Venkatesham as CEO last season has been invaluable. Three times Spurs have broken their club record transfer fee — for Tandberg, Toko Koga, and most recently for the January signing of 20-year-old Norway international Gaupset. Over the past two seasons, Spurs have added more members of first-team coaching and academy staff, as well as staff dedicated to communications and commercial operations on the women’s side.

“It comes down to more experience,” Ho said. “More experience in the group, across the club in infrastructure and foundation. You then need to evolve and build your squad every year. We have work to do. These players want to be in the Champions League. I do. The club does, but you have to take the right steps. We’re a little bit short at the moment, but I have no doubt in the future we’ll be there.”

Everybody recognises Cristian Romero is one of the best players in Tottenham Hotspur’s squad.

His passing range is sublime and his aggression, when it is under control, rattles strikers. The centre-back has won the World Cup and back-to-back Copa America titles with Argentina. Romero’s partnership with Micky van de Ven was the bedrock of Spurs’ success in last season’s Europa League.

The 27-year-old has bailed them out on multiple occasions this season, including when he scored stoppage-time equalisers against Newcastle United and Burnley. However, it is an uncomfortable truth that he is the villain as often as he is the hero, and head coach Thomas Frank must privately regret giving him the captain’s armband.

Romero’s red card for a foul on Casemiro in the 29th minute of Tottenham’s defeat to Manchester United on Saturday ruined Frank’s game plan.

Buoyed by last weekend’s second-half performance in their 2-2 draw with Manchester City, Spurs showed flashes of promise before their leader was sent off. Pape Matar Sarr and Xavi Simons picked up the ball in dangerous areas, Dominic Solanke dragged Harry Maguire out of position, and Destiny Udogie kept flashing crosses into the box.

Romero created trouble for himself by trying to turn on the ball with his backheel just outside the penalty area while under pressure from Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha. He wildly swung at the loose ball and caught Casemiro’s left ankle. It is a moment that perfectly encapsulates Romero’s playing style. He is capable of producing moments of beauty, but they can, and often do, end disastrously.

Sections of the fanbase might love Romero for his public criticism of senior figures and sang during the game: “Romero is right, the board is s***e”.

But he is setting a poor example to his team-mates.

He has been sent off six times since he joined Spurs from Atalanta in August 2021 — initially on a season-long loan before it was made permanent for around £42million ($57m) the following year — more than any other Premier League player in that period.

This is the third time Romero has been suspended this season. He missed November’s defeat to Fulham after accumulating five yellow cards, and the following month received a red card in stoppage time against Liverpool for kicking out at Ibrahima Konate. Richarlison had just scored, and all of the momentum was with Spurs, but Romero’s dismissal shattered their chances of finding an equaliser.

The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel, which reviews refereeing decisions, judged that he should have been sent off in both games against Brentford for fouls on Brazilian forward Igor Thiago. Romero’s latest disciplinary issue means he will miss four matches, including the north London derby against Arsenal on February 22, at a time when Spurs have a long injury list.

Udogie came off in the second half at Old Trafford after pulling up while running down the left wing. Van de Ven is the only first-choice defender who is fit, and this was his first appearance since missing two games with a groin injury. Frank is low on options for Tuesday’s fixture against Newcastle.

Romero does not have the tactical or emotional discipline required to be an effective captain. He is too erratic and prone to making rash decisions. How many times after making a mistake does Romero ignore tactical instructions and charge up the pitch in desperation to score a goal or wipe out an opponent? Archie Gray, 19, showed more maturity against United in the way he man-marked Bryan Mbeumo.

Maybe Romero was the perfect vice-captain under former head coach Ange Postecoglou because his fiery on-field persona balanced the calmness of Son Heung-min. After Son left in the summer to join MLS side Los Angeles FC, there was no obvious alternative apart from Guglielmo Vicario. Nobody could blame Frank for giving Romero the armband.

Tying him down to a new long-term contract felt like a significant victory following interest from Spanish side Atletico Madrid. If the opportunity to sell Romero arises in the summer, Spurs should seriously consider cutting their losses and reinvesting the money in a more reliable defender. Frank has spent the past week defending Romero’s behaviour on and off the pitch. Could you imagine Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk or Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva behaving in the same way?

When Frank was asked about Conor Gallagher before Spurs faced Manchester United, he described the midfielder’s character as “unbelievable”. “He is a player who can build a top culture going forward,” Frank said. “His work-rate and how he can carry the team on his back, more or less, though it’s not only about one player.” If Spurs had tried to sign Romero from another club in the winter transfer window, would he have passed their personality checks?

Maybe we should not have been shocked by Frank’s comments on Friday that he had “no idea” if Romero would remain with Spurs next season.

It was a slighty out of character admission from the Dane, who regularly spoke about his desire to keep key players, including Ivan Toney, Christian Eriksen and David Raya across his six-and-a-half-year spell with Brentford.

Frank said he was not going to take the captaincy from Romero, who apologised to his team-mates and the coaching staff, but they must be frustrated. Spurs have not won a top-flight game since December and started positively against United.

With defeats, injuries and suspensions piling up, Tottenham’s domestic campaign is spinning out of control.

They are only six points above the relegation zone following West Ham United’s victory over Burnley. They are level on points with Leeds United and Crystal Palace.

Frank took encouragement from the way his side kept battling against United when it would have been “so easy to crumble”, yet this was their 10th defeat of the campaign.

Instead of helping them, their captain is making the situation worse and will now not be available until Spurs travel to Liverpool on March 16.

Michael Carrick won his fourth game in a row as Manchester United’s interim head coach, his side overcoming Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Old Trafford.

Both teams had an impressive start to the game before Cristian Romero was shown a straight red card for a studs-up challenge on Casemiro in the 29th minute. The hosts took the lead just nine minutes later, with a well-worked corner ending with Bryan Mbeumo putting his side ahead.

Spurs did improve at the start of the second half, but United were unfortunate not to be given a penalty for a challenge on Harry Maguire when a corner was delivered into the box. They also had a goal disallowed for offside when Matheus Cunha fired past Guglielmo Vicario in the 67th minute. However, it would not matter, as Bruno Fernandes met a cross to nudge the ball into the back of Vicario’s goal and wrap up the win.

Here, The Athletic’s Carl Anka, Jay Harris and Conor O’Neill break down the key talking points from the game.

Is a bad season turning into a good one for Man Utd?

The 2-0 victory now makes it four wins in a row for United under Carrick, with the club now holding the Premier League’s longest winning streak at the time of writing.

Wins over Manchester City and Arsenal were earned from hard work, counter-attacks and some excellent long-range shooting. Last week’s victory over Fulham was a little more nervy than expected, but the team got themselves through.

It was during the pre-season tour of America that Mason Mount offered European qualification as the aim for 2025-26. He would not elaborate if he meant Champions League or Europa League football. Ruben Amorim was also non-committal when asked which anthem he intended his team to listen to during midweek games next season. It was only under Darren Fletcher that someone explicitly stated United could qualify for the Champions League. The fact that the caretaker manager did it following defeat in the FA Cup third round raised eyebrows. How could this side go from what was looking like another historically relevant low point to a top-five league position?

Yet here we are, four matches later, and things are looking good. Casemiro was afforded a standing ovation when he was substituted off in the 87th minute for Manuel Ugarte. He is one of several players who look reinvigorated by the change in coaching staff.

Carrick even found time to give Tyler Fletcher his United debut late in stoppage time. United are playing with courage again. Academy players are getting game time in a way they had not earlier in the season. And United are winning football matches again.

The Stretford End closed things off by offering “oles” with every completed pass United players made in the Spurs half. A bad season is turning into a good one. Carrick and his coaching staff have done well to turn things around.

Carl Anka

What does this result mean for Frank?

Before Tottenham’s trip to Old Trafford, Thomas Frank was clutching onto the positives of a four-match unbeaten run, even if that included an underwhelming draw against Burnley. Last weekend’s second-half comeback against Manchester City to earn a point should have been a confidence boost, but it was wrecked by Cristian Romero’s actions on and off the pitch.

Spurs have not won a game in the top flight since December, and their performance in the first half before Romero’s red card offered encouragement. However, Frank is left to pick up the pieces once again and must be wondering how this job seems to become more difficult with each passing week.

This is probably one of the rare occasions in the past couple of months when Frank’s tactical approach is not to blame, but not many people will care about that. This was their 10th defeat of the campaign, and it was further compounded by another injury to Destiny Udogie, who had only just returned from a hamstring injury. With Djed Spence still recovering from a calf injury, Spurs might be without both of their left-backs when they host Newcastle United on Tuesday. That is a squad-building issue, and the blame needs to be pointed at the recruitment department, including sporting director Johan Lange and the recently departed Fabio Paratici.

Things will probably only get worse for Spurs, as they face Arsenal after Newcastle. Frank needs to find a way to survive, but his resources are stretched thin, and the faith from fans is lacking. For the second season in a row, under a different head coach and executive board, Spurs find themselves in a crisis of their own making.

Jay Harris

Has Romero diminished his hero status at Spurs?

Spurs fans called Cristian Romero their “rebel leader” this week after his latest online outburst directed towards the club’s senior figures. Thomas Frank had to navigate a tricky press conference on Thursday, where he was asked 25 questions linked to the defender’s conduct. Frank confirmed Romero would remain as captain and insisted the issue had been “dealt with internally”.

Spurs needed a commanding performance from the Argentina international to move on from a distracting week, but what they got was the complete opposite. In the opening stages at Old Trafford, the away fans started chanting, “Romero’s right, the board is s***e.” Twenty minutes later, they were shaking their heads in frustration at his latest red card, which will rule him out of their next four games, including the north London derby on February 22.

Romero was tussling with a couple of Manchester United players just outside his own penalty area when he tried to chop backwards on the ball instead of clearing it. It proved to be a fatal mistake as he turned and wildly swung at the loose ball before crunching into Casemiro.

Referee Michael Oliver immediately sent Romero off. It looked harsh at first glance, but replays showed he caught the Brazilian on his ankle.

Romero’s red card ruined Frank’s game plan. Spurs played well in the opening half hour, especially when they worked the ball out wide to Destiny Udogie, but winger Wilson Odobert was sacrificed for Radu Dragusin. Within a few minutes of Romero trudging off the pitch, Bryan Mbeumo gave the hosts the lead.

Since Romero made his Spurs debut in August 2021, he has been sent off more times in all competitions — six — than any other Premier League player.

Romero has saved Spurs on multiple occasions this season, but it is time to accept he is the villain as often as he is their hero.

Jay Harris

Did United react well to the red card?

Romero’s dismissal did not guarantee a positive result for United. It was in late November that Everton managed to score and win at Old Trafford despite playing with 10 men for more than 80 minutes.

Amorim earned criticism following that defeat, with many asking why he continued to adhere to a conservative 3-4-3 that saw his centre-backs get the ball in the final third more than his best attackers.

Fast forward to the present day, and United, now under Michael Carrick, wasted no time in piling on the pressure. Romero was sent off in the 29th minute and Mbeumo had put his side 1-0 up in the 38th.

The goal came from a familiar source; Bruno Fernandes would deliver a corner from the left that would find Kobbie Mainoo at the near post. Mainoo would flick the ball back towards the edge of the penalty area, where an unmarked Mbeumo would hit a curling shot into the bottom corner.

Scoring from a corner or a free kick has become the go-to method for breaking down teams that look to defend deep in 2025-26. It is now 15 set-piece goals for United this season, a record only bettered by Arsenal.

The opening goal kept a weakened opponent in a vulnerable position — and put the hosts into a strong one.

Carl Anka

Was there any reason to worry about United’s set pieces?

When United’s former set-piece coach Carlos Fernandes departed alongside Ruben Amorim last month, some supporters feared the team might lose the edge they had developed from dead-ball situations. Those concerns have proven emphatically unfounded.

Last week, Casemiro opened the scoring against Fulham with a header from a free kick, and today, Mbeumo added United’s 15th set-piece goal of the season, converting from a corner. That is the second-highest total in the Premier League, bettered only by Arsenal (17), and this was arguably the pick of the lot.

With Bruno Fernandes standing over the corner, Kobbie Mainoo darted from the centre of the goal towards the near post. Fernandes picked him out with a low, driven delivery, which Mainoo deftly flicked from near the goal line into the path of Mbeumo, who was unmarked on the edge of the penalty area. Mbeumo’s sweeping finish was a deserved reward for a well-rehearsed, aesthetically pleasing routine.

It was clearly developed on the training-ground, and at half-time, Michael Carrick credited his backroom staff for devising the routine, singling out Jonny Evans. There has been plenty of upheaval at United this season, but their ingenuity from set pieces has been a comforting constant.

Conor O’Neill

How well did United’s front four work together?

Even before Romero’s dismissal, United’s front four combined well and threatened. They almost struck inside the first minute, after Mbeumo flashed an effort wide from inside the box after Bruno Fernandes played him in.

United lined up with Mbeumo as the centre-forward, Fernandes operating as the No 10, and Amad Diallo and Matheus Cunha deployed as the right and left attacking midfielders respectively.

Those positions were only rough guidelines, with Carrick affording them the freedom to rotate across the pitch, which is reflected in the player’s touchmaps below. Diallo stuck most rigidly to this position, but he, too, popped up on the other flank on occasion. Just before the red card, Bruno instructed him to swap positions, as they looked to target the space behind the full-backs.

Those rotations helped pull apart Tottenham’s defence, but it was the quality of the front four’s combination play that gave United real potency. Their interplay was synchronised, built on quick, one-touch passing and an instinctive sense of where the other three would be.

Amorim’s system had been notorious for its rigidity. Carrick has loosened the reins in attack, and that freedom has already begun to pay dividends.

Conor O’Neill

What did Carrick say?

We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.

What did Frank say?

We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.

What next for United?

Tuesday, February 10: West Ham (Away), Premier League, 8.15pm UK, 3.15pm ET

What next for Spurs?

Tottenham Hotspur had the chance to bring three players into their Champions League squad on Friday, refining their list ahead of their two-legged last-16 tie in March.

Conor Gallagher came in, quite naturally, given Spurs just bought him from Atletico Madrid last month. So did Mathys Tel, who started the league phase outside the squad, came back in to replace the injured Dominic Solanke, before dropping out again. And the third place went to Radu Dragusin, the back-up centre-back who has just returned from almost one year out with a knee injury.

But there was no place back in the squad for either of Spurs’ two long-term injured creative midfielders. Neither James Maddison nor Dejan Kulusevski — neither of whom has played one competitive minute for Thomas Frank — were included in the list. Which means that any return to action this season will have to be in the Premier League, rather than in Europe.

This has Spurs fans wondering when they will see those two players again. And while Maddison has spoken at length about his recovery from surgery after his anterior cruciate ligament injury last August, less has been known about Kulusevski’s long recovery from knee surgery of his own.

The main issue that Kulusevski has faced is that his has been an especially rare and unusual knee injury. Rather than a more conventional ligament injury, Kulusevski injured his right patella during the Premier League match against Crystal Palace on May 11 last year after a collision with Marc Guehi.

Kulusevski was playing that game in part because he was still recovering match sharpness after six weeks out with a stress fracture in his foot. Quite understandably, he wanted to be at his best for the forthcoming Europa League final 10 days later. But the injury meant that he needed an operation — one he later called “knee patella cartilage surgery” on Instagram — on May 14.

One week later he was on crutches in Bilbao for the final, shuffling around the touchline as far as he could in celebration.

But it was also a mentally challenging time for Kulusevski. He is obsessed with football and being a footballer. Everything in his life is geared towards that. He had never had a long-term injury before, had never been out for more than six weeks. And now he found himself recovering not just from a serious injury, but a rare one too. It was difficult to accept.

At first Kulusevski was focused on setting specific targets for his return to action. But those targets kept being pushed back further and further into the future. There was private optimism, even in October, that he could still be back by the end of 2025. Given the complexity of the injury, it has taken more time than anyone expected back in May for Kulusevski to be ready.

So Kulusevski has decided to change his mindset. He is no longer thinking directly about specific targets for his return. Doing so invites more pressure, and the possibility for disappointment if the target is missed again. Instead, Kulusevski is now focusing on taking one day at a time, not looking too far ahead, but working as hard as he can every single day. He is motivated by trying to keep increasing the intensity of his training every single day. And he is determined that when he comes back, he will do so in peak physical condition. The worst thing would be to come back and not be ready to compete.

Quite naturally Spurs fans want a definitive answer on when one of their club’s most important players will return. Kulusevski was one of the best players under both Antonio Conte and Ange Postecoglou. But not all injuries and recoveries come with that degree of certainty. And Kulusevski was unfortunate enough to get an atypical injury.

Kulusevski is trying to focus on his daily work, rather than external pressure. But to an extent external pressure is unavoidable. There was plenty of interest in Sweden when he invited Graham Potter — the new Sweden national team manager — into his box for Spurs’ 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund last month.

Sweden have their World Cup qualification play-offs next month: Ukraine on March 26, and if they win then either Poland or Albania in Solna on March 31. It will be a huge moment, and would be Kulusevksi’s first World Cup were he to reach it. But the clock is ticking if Kulusevski is to make it. It is a sign of his importance to the national team that he has not yet been ruled out.

His club manager Frank — for whom he is yet to play — has generally not said much about the long recovery process. But at his press conference on January 8 he did go into more detail than before about his recovery.

Frank revealed that the priority was “to remove the pain in the knee”, and that Kulusevski had an injection to that end around the turn of the year. And that within a few weeks, if it had settled, it would be possible to assess his comeback. Kulusevski’s reaction and potential return to the grass is still being assessed.

Frank also admitted that it was a “complicated injury”, but said how much faith he had in Kulusevski to overcome it, “If there is one person that can accelerate that, it is Dejan,” Frank said. “He’s a top pro and has a top mentality.”

Kulusevski is having to be patient. And so, too, are Spurs fans.

Mathys Tel, Conor Gallagher and Radu Dragusin have been added to Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions League squad but Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison remain out, while newly-injured pair Ben Davies and Rodrigo Bentancur have also been excluded.

Gallagher, the €40million (£34.7m; $46.6m) signing from Atletico Madrid, counts as an association-trained player and effectively replaces Brennan Johnson in the squad-list for the knockouts. Johnson joined Crystal Palace for a fee approaching £35million (€40m; $47m) last month.

There is also a place for Tel, who was omitted from Spurs’ initial squad for the league phase in September, along with Bissouma, Dragusin, Kulusevski and Maddison.

Tel was subsequently added as a replacement for the injured Dominic Solanke in December, before being removed again last month for the final two matches following the England forward’s return to fitness.

Bentancur and Davies are expected to miss the majority of the rest of the season with hamstring and ankle injuries, respectively.

Neither Maddison nor Kulusevski has played this season due to serious knee injuries, but Dragusin is fit again after starting the campaign with a cruciate ligament injury.

UEFA rules stipulate that teams can name a squad of up to 25 players for their competitions. Eight of those 25 need to be ‘locally-trained’ and they are split into two different categories.

Club-trained players must have been registered with the club for at least three seasons between the ages of 15 and 21, while association-trained players must have been registered with a club in the same association (country) for at least three seasons between the ages of 15 and 21.

Spurs have only one club-trained player in their European squad, third-choice goalkeeper Brandon Austin, when they are require to name four. As a consequence, they must leave three places in the squad empty, and will only be able to register a reduced roster of 22 players in the knockouts.

Tottenham finished fourth in the Champions League initial phase and will be seeded for the round-of-16. They will face one of Juventus, Galatasaray, Club Brugge and Atletico Madrid in a two-legged tie, with the decider in north London.

Tottenham’s Champions League squad for the knockout phase (A-List only):

Thomas Frank, the Tottenham Hotspur head coach, says Cristian Romero’s latest outburst on social media has been ‘”dealt with internally” by the club.

In an Instagram post, uploaded around half-an-hour after Monday’s 7pm transfer deadline, Romero said it was “unbelievable but true and disgraceful” that Spurs “only had 11 players available” for the 2-2 draw with Manchester City a day earlier.

Spurs lost a number of players to injuries last month, leaving Frank admitting last week that his squad was weaker at the end of the window than the start – in spite of the additions of Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid and young full-back Souza.

Romero was named Spurs captain by Frank in the summer following the departure of Son Heung-min to Major League Soccer.

Asked his view on his skipper’s post, Frank said: “If you want to know what he meant, you of course need to ask him. That’s the right way to take that question.

“Cuti is a very passionate character and player who wants to leave everything on the pitch and is very ambitious. He wants to win every single time. Sometimes when you are like that, sometimes there can be an outburst. It happened this time and it’s something we of course dealt with and dealt with internally.

“There are a lot of ways of doing things,” continued Frank, who declined to say if Romero had been fined by the club.

“Cuti has been very good for us this season and the past seasons. I think that is very important to be aware of. I wouldn’t have done it. That is my message.”

It is not the first time the Argentine, who came off at half-time against City due to illness, has appeared to criticise the Spurs hierarachy on social media. After the 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth in January, Romero said “it should be other people coming out to speak” but “they only show up when things are going well, to tell a few lies”. He later re-uploaded the post without the part about “lies”.

Last season, after a painful defeat to Chelsea in December 2024, Romero appeared to take aim at Spurs’ lack of ambition in an interview with Spanish broadcaster Telemundo Deportes, comparing their spending unfavourably with the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

“The last few years, it’s always the same – first the players, then the coaching staff changes, and it’s always the same people responsible,” he added.

In another apparently pointedly-timed post, Romero paid tribute to Frank’s predeccessor Ange Postecoglou hours after the Dane’s appointment was announced in the summer, saying the Australian succeeded “despite the many obstacles that always existed and always will exist”.

Asked about Romero’s repeated blow-ups, Frank said: “First and foremost, I don’t know if it’s four (separate incidents). Maybe you got better numbers than me. I know after the Bournemouth game and this game (Manchester City), those are the two (incidents) I can relate to. Of course, like with a lot of things, we’re dealing with it internally in terms of what we’re taking care of it. That’s my main message to that.

“I think it shows that Cuti is extremely passionate, he wants to win, he wants to do everything he can together with his teammates to achieve great things, but you need to ask him (what it means) next time you speak to him.”

Romero is available for Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off against Manchester United at Old Trafford, and is expected to be partnered at centre-half by Micky van de Ven, who has missed the last two matches.

“Micky is good, he trained today,” said Frank. “He is available for selection for Saturday. Djed (Spence) is getting closer. He will be a little bit touch and go but there is a good chance he could be ready.”

Fabio Paratici has revealed Fiorentina’s late owner Rocco Commisso didn’t persuade him to leave Tottenham Hotspur to become the club’s new sporting director. It was the other way around.

News of Paratici’s decision to leave Tottenham so soon after he was formally brought back into the fold by the club as Johan Lange’s co-sporting director in October came as a real surprise this winter.

Speaking at his unveiling at the Viola Park, Paratici said it’d be “banal” to reduce his decision to return to Serie A to the “weather and the pasta”.

“The Premier League right now is football’s NBA,” he said. “At the same time, as an Italian, I had the desire to come back and compete in Serie A. It’s a top league, very tough.

“To do this job with a club like Fiorentina was a source of real motivation. To do it with these owners, who are very serious, and infrastructure that’s super international, a brand known all over the world and people who share my ideas on the game was more than enough for me to come back and work here.

“I decided to join Fiorentina on the 15th or 16th of December. Fiorentina had six points at the time. (The club’s general manager) Alessandro (Ferrari) came to London to meet me and I decided there and then to join Fiorentina.

“It may have seemed like a rash decision but it was actually a brave one. Brave because when you make a rash decision you don’t know what you’re doing. When you make a brave one it’s because you’ve weighed it up and mulled over the reasons to take it.

“In my case Fiorentina have a serious set of owners, a very serious set of owners who are of great value.

“Rocco didn’t have to persuade me. I was the one who had to convince him to take me on.”

Commisso passed away on January 17 before Paratici could formally begin his new role. In the interim, Commisso’s son Giuseppe has become president. Paratici will report to him, CEO Mark Stephan and Ferrari.

“I’d like to thank Tottenham, my former club, for the opportunity they granted me to join Fiorentina, return to Italy and the opportunity to spend five wonderful years in the Premier League,” Paratici added.

“It was an incredible experience. They made me feel at home and stood by me in tough times so I feel obliged to thank Tottenham.”

Paratici brings with him Lorenzo Giani, the scout he hired in his first spell at Tottenham, and is reunited with players Moise Kean and Nicolo Fagioli, with whom he worked at Juventus.

“Fiorentina are not a second division team,” he said. “They are not a second division team even if we are in the relegation zone. I did not ask for guarantees in spending. That’s not how I operate.

“All I asked was for autonomy in decision making in the sporting side of the business. I’m not going to be getting rid of anyone. I am going to assess them. Wherever I’ve been I’ve always got to work with serious people. Giani is the only person I am bringing with me. I’m not bringing 10 people.”

As for his view on Fiorentina coach Paolo Vanoli, he observed: “The coach is the Lion King of the dressing room. We’re here to help and support him, not replace him. He’s the Lion King. Luckily this is a club where you can have no excuses. We get paid on time, we have everything to do our job at the highest level. We live five star, we train five star, we eat five star. There are no excuses.”

Paratici also took the opportunity to rubbish reports he has a release clause in case of relegation.

A survey of Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust (THST) members has revealed that fan satisfaction with Spurs’ ownership “has fallen to its lowest level since the survey began”, leading to a call for “sustained improvement across the club’s operations”.

The Five Principles Survey, which is conducted roughly every six months, judges the Tottenham ownership against five tests which THST agreed with the board of the club itself. More than 4,500 fans responded to this survey, an increase in responder numbers, which was released on Wednesday evening. And on all five principles, each marked out of 10, the fans gave the ownership their lowest ever score.

On ‘Commit to Winning’, the survey gave the ownership an average 1.65 out of a possible 10, sharply down from 3.5 last June. On ‘Attract and Retain Talent’, the survey gave 1.94, down from 3.3. On ‘Future-Proof Success’ the ownership got their best result of 2.96 — but sharply down from 5.9 last June. On ‘Lead with Integrity’ the score was 2.2, down from 4.0, and on ‘Fans First’ it was just 1.9, down from 3.2.

This was the first Five Principles Survey taken since Daniel Levy’s dismissal as chairman in September 2025, since when the majority-shareholding Lewis family have taken a more visible role with the club. The results taken together further underline the significant gulf in trust between the fans and the ownership right now. These results have already been shared with senior club figures.

“These scores represent an all-time low in supporter confidence in the club’s ownership,” said a THST statement released on Wednesday evening. “Not one of the five principles comes close to an acceptable level, and every area has deteriorated significantly since last summer. Even the Europa League success of 2025 provided only a temporary uplift. Supporters are now judging the ownership on long-term strategy, squad quality, competitiveness, and delivery – and the verdict is clear.”

Tottenham appointed former Brentford head coach Thomas Frank in the summer after Ange Postecoglou was relieved of his duties, despite winning the Europa League. The club are 14th in Premier League with 29 points from 24 games and out of both domestic cups, though they finished fourth in the league phase of the Champions League, automatically qualifying for the knockout stages.

“Fans want success that is sustainable, credible, and ambitious,” THST’s statement continued. “They want a club that matches its world-class infrastructure with world-class decision-making, and that genuinely puts supporters at the heart of its future. Whilst the club acknowledges that it cannot exist without its supporters, the actions it has taken in the past have not always been commensurate with this statement. We ask that the club follows through this commitment in its interactions with supporters at all levels. Every communication should be considered through the lens of supporters to ensure they feel that they play a vital role in the success of the football club.”

Spurs are next in action on Saturday when they visit Manchester United.

Tottenham Hotspur captain Cristian Romero has a reputation for being an aggressive defender with a taste for flying into tackles, but it is away from the pitch where his rash actions could cause a significant headache for his club.

Less than 24 hours after Spurs’ impressive comeback in a 2-2 draw with Manchester City briefly lifted the mood around the club, Romero created more drama. For the second time in the last few weeks, he appeared to criticise his employers on social media.

Now manager Thomas Frank and the club’s board will face a difficult decision over whether or not to sanction him for his latest outburst.

Following Tottenham’s 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth on January 7, the Argentina international apologised to Spurs fans before appearing to point the finger at senior figures at the club. “At times like this, it should be other people coming out to speak, but they don’t as has been happening for several years now,” Romero wrote on Instagram. “They only show up when things are going well, to tell a few lies. We’ll stay here, working, sticking together and giving our all to turn things around.”

The 27-year-old landed another blow on Monday evening shortly after the transfer window closed. Due to an injury crisis, head coach Thomas Frank was forced to name four academy graduates on the bench against Man City, along with 19-year-old left-back Souza, who only arrived from Brazilian side Santos a couple of weeks ago. Romero was replaced at half-time by Pape Matar Sarr as he was struggling with an illness which also affected him during last week’s 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.

“I wanted to be available to help them even though I wasn’t feeling well, especially since we only had 11 players available — unbelievable but true and disgraceful,” the post said.

Romero did not directly name anybody, but it seems likely, given his previous messaging, that he was venting his frustration towards the club’s power brokers for what has happened over the last few weeks.

Spurs finished in the top eight of the Champions League league phase, and will progress automatically to the round of 16, but have not won a Premier League game since December and were knocked out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa in the third round.

They tried to bring in Andrew Robertson and Antoine Semenyo during the transfer window, but Conor Gallagher was the only player they were able to sign who immediately improves the starting XI. Several key players are unavailable due to soft-tissue injuries, including Djed Spence, Pedro Porro, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohammed Kudus and Richarlison, while last season’s top goalscorer Brennan Johnson joined Crystal Palace for £35million.

Last week, Frank admitted that because of these injuries, the squad was weaker than at the start of January. It’s not difficult to see why a player may be frustrated by the situation, particularly having been through similar last season.

Spurs are still reeling and trying to find their feet after a dizzying amount of change at executive level over the last 12 months, which includes the departures of executive chairman Daniel Levy and chief football officer Scott Munn, with the Lewis family reasserting control of daily operations. In January, Fabio Paratici agreed to join Fiorentina less than three months after he had returned to the club full time as co-sporting director alongside Johan Lange.

Spurs have failed to build upon the momentum generated by winning the Europa League in May and find themselves languishing near the bottom of the Premier League for a second successive season.

It’s clear from the reaction to Romero’s posts that many Spurs fans see the Argentine as a hero for being unafraid to hold the club to account. It was the same in the aftermath of a damaging defeat to Chelsea in December 2024, the centre-back made comments which were interpreted as a criticism of Levy, who was still in charge at the time.

“You have to realise that something is going wrong; hopefully, they realise it,” he said in an interview with the Spanish broadcaster Telemundo Deportes. “The last few years, it’s always the same: first, the players, then the coaching staff changes, and it’s always the same people responsible. Hopefully, they realise who the true responsible ones are, and we move forward because it’s a beautiful club that, with the structure it has, could easily be competing for the title every year.”

Last summer, he described former head coach Ange Postecoglou as “a great person who deserves the best” and added, “you paved the way despite the many obstacles that always existed and always will exist.” Romero uploaded this tribute on social media a couple of hours after Spurs announced Frank as Postecoglou’s successor. It felt like a dig at the club’s decision to replace Postecoglou with Frank.

Regardless of whether Romero’s latest comments ring true to fans, they will have put Frank in a difficult position. They could deepen the disharmony within the club at a time when Frank is already under considerable pressure. The issue has become a distraction from Xavi Simons and Dominic Solanke’s inspired performances against Man City, and the topic will dominate Frank’s press conference on Thursday before this weekend’s trip to Old Trafford to face a resurgent Manchester United.

The Dane may well share his captain’s frustration at the lack of January signings, but Romero surely cannot repeatedly publicly criticise Spurs and escape punishment. It would send an inconsistent message to the rest of the squad, given Frank has spoken on multiple occasions about improving the ‘culture’ of the club. How must Yves Bissouma, who was left out of the squad for August’s UEFA Super Cup penalty shootout defeat to Paris-Saint Germain due to persistent lateness, feel watching his team-mate avoid facing the consequences?

And what message does all this send to players like Micky van de Ven, who Spurs want to tie to a longer-term contract?

After Romero’s post-Bournemouth comments, he had a meeting with Frank and Lange. They decided not to fine him. Frank then praised Romero in a press conference and said, “When you’re a young leader, sometimes you make a mistake.” But for how much longer can Spurs continue to turn a blind eye to Romero’s online outbursts?

The problem for Frank is that Romero is one of the squad’s most important players. He appointed Romero as captain just before the start of the season and the defender signed a new long-term contract a few days later. He has come to this team’s rescue on multiple occasions in recent months, including in draws against Newcastle United and Burnley when he scored stoppage-time equalisers.

Any attempt to discipline Romero could backfire disastrously and have a negative impact on the dressing room dynamic, not to mention how badly fans would likely react. Yet, if Frank, Lange and Vinai Venkatesham do not take any action (again), they could be accused of lacking authority.

Turning your anger towards your own club in such a public manner rarely ends well, and this is Romero’s fourth such ‘offence’ in the last 14 months. In the 2000s, Roy Keane left Manchester United after a “dynamite” interview on the club’s in-house television channel, while William Gallas was stripped of Arsenal’s captaincy after criticising his team-mates.

Nobody wants either of those outcomes with Romero at Spurs, but we await the repercussions. That is, if there are to be any at all.

With Tottenham Hotspur without a Premier League win in 2026, and Thomas Frank’s future coming under severe scrutiny, fans may have expected the club to invest heavily in the January window. But it did not play out that way.

Tottenham made just two additions in the window, with one unlikely to play a significant role in the first team as he adjusts to the demands and rigours of Premier League football. The other, however, could prove to be very shrewd business which serves the club well now and in the future.

Having qualified directly for the Champions League round of 16, there is still plenty for Tottenham to play for this season.

The information found within this article has been gathered according to The Athletic’s sourcing guidelines. Sources with knowledge of transfer dealings, who asked to be kept anonymous to protect relationships, have been spoken to before offering the clubs involved the opportunity to comment.

Was this window a success or a failure?

It depends on how you look at it. Leading up to the window, strengthening the midfield and wide attack options were high on Tottenham’s priority list. In an ideal world, that probably looked like at least a starting-quality left winger and a prime-age central midfielder who excels at line-breaking passes.

Tottenham did not sign either of those, largely because their targets were not gettable. Spurs were in the market for wingers at the start of the window, but their targets were snapped up by clubs higher in the food chain or were declared unavailable until the summer.

In the meantime, Frank has shifted to a wing-back formation, allowing Destiny Udogie to provide width and attacking quality from the left, and placing greater emphasis on the central defenders to break lines. They also added Conor Gallagher, an England international with Champions League experience, to bolster the numbers in midfield.

However, some fans will worry that, with Ben Davies, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall, Mohammed Kudus and Richarlison all joining Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison on the list of long-term injured this month, the squad is currently looking even thinner than it did before the window opened.

How much did they spend and how much did they bring in?

It was a modest January window from a net-spend perspective. Brennan Johnson — who was sold to Crystal Palace for £35million ($48m), a club-record signing for the south Londoners — was their only permanent departure of the month. Spurs added Gallagher from Atletico Madrid on a “long-term” deal for a very similar fee of €40million (£34.7m; $46.6m), while Brazilian left-back Souza joined from Santos for a deal worth north of £10m.

Who have they signed?

Gallagher is their marquee signing of the January window, having beaten outside title challengers Aston Villa to his signature. The 25-year-old has plenty of time to develop as a player and leader at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but brings a wealth of experience at the highest level. For a player who does not just bring quality on and off the pitch but also adds to Spurs’ homegrown contingent, it appears a smart bit of January business.

He is joined in north London by Souza, who was confirmed as a Tottenham player on the 22nd January after an extended work permit application. Souza, 19, is relatively new to top-flight football, having only broken into Brazilian side Santos’ first team in 2025, but he is a highly rated talent tipped as one for the future. While he may not be relied upon to play many minutes this season, particularly with Spurs out of the FA Cup, he could flourish in the coming seasons, given time to adjust.

On deadline day they also signed 18-year-old striker James Wilson from Hearts on loan with an option to make the move permanent in the summer. He will link up with the club’s under-21 squad.

Were there any deals they wanted to do that they didn’t get over the line?

Yes, quite a few. Tottenham have been in the market for a starting left-winger in the summer, having targeted Antoine Semenyo at the start of the window, then at Bournemouth, and Manchester City and Brazil winger Savinho.

Spurs revisited Semenyo’s situation ahead of the January window, but faced competition from England’s biggest and most successful clubs. With his final contribution in a Bournemouth shirt being a stoppage-time winner against Spurs, Semenyo left the south coast to join Manchester City on January 9. They also asked about RB Leipzig forward Yan Diomande, who has had an excellent debut season in the Bundesliga, but were met with a swift rejection, with Leipzig unwilling to entertain interest until the end of the season. Diomande may be revisited as a target again in the summer, with the asking price indicated to be in the €100million range.

Tottenham were also in surprise negotiations to sign Andy Robertson, whose contract with Liverpool expires in the summer. As a two-time Premier League winner and part of the 2019 Champions League-winning side, Robertson would have brought a wealth of experience and leadership, as well as on-pitch quality, to a squad short on proven winners.

But Spurs could not complete the deal, with Liverpool failing to secure a replacement for the Scotland international in time. Tottenham may revisit the situation in the summer, when Robertson will be a free agent, provided he does not extend his contract with the defending English champions.

Are there still any obvious gaps in the team?

Tottenham need another starting-quality wide forward and a midfield controller. Mathys Tel’s emergence following Johnson’s departure will have given Frank some encouragement that he can provide quality contributions as a starter and from the bench until the summer, with Kulusevski and Kudus in line to return from injury well before then. And with Wilson Odobert enjoying his best stretch as a Spurs player since signing from Burnley in 2024, there may just be enough to tide Spurs over.

In midfield, Pape Matar Sarr’s return from the Africa Cup of Nations gives Frank another senior player to use, though he is not a natural line-breaking passer. For that reason, Yves Bissouma could prove to be among Frank’s most pivotal players, having demonstrated his passing quality against Aston Villa and Burnley since playing his first professional minutes of the season for Mali at AFCON.

Bissouma has had conduct issues with Frank and previous coaches, but if he can stay disciplined for the remainder of the season, he has the quality to lift this Spurs team in possession.

Do they have the squad to achieve their goals for the season?

That depends on their goals.

Can Tottenham, with the unit currently available to Frank, turn their form around entirely and push towards the European places? Probably not. Should they have enough quality to steer well clear of the relegation zone and finish around mid-table? Yes.

For a club with some of the most expensive season-ticket and matchday prices in the league, those ambitions do not match the supporters’ financial outlay, but their position at this stage is such that it is difficult to imagine them ascending much higher this season.

Tottenham’s one hope for some late-season excitement again comes in Europe, as they have qualified directly for the Champions League’s last 16. Could Frank take them to the quarter-finals with this squad, or perhaps even dream of going a stage further with a kind(-ish) draw and a bit of luck? Why not!

Will the manager/head coach be happy?

Frank surely would have liked at least another wide attacker and central midfielder, even if they would not have suited the club’s long-term ambitions.

If he manages to steer Spurs well out of trouble and end the season strongly, leading to assurances from the board about his future, he may reflect on the window positively, appreciating the club’s restraint in waiting until the summer for their primary targets.

But if Premier League results continue to spiral downward and Tottenham decide to replace him, he will undoubtedly have wished for more January activity.

What will their priority be in the summer?

They will largely be the same as in the January window, but they may find more joy. Robertson, who could be a free agent at that point, will likely still be a target as an on- and off-field leader. Spurs will look again for a starting wide attacker, where Diomande and Savinho could remain on their list of potential signings.

In midfield, Tottenham are likely to look again for positive, passing central midfielders. Spurs may also look to strengthen in the goalkeeping department after a particularly difficult winter period for Guglielmo Vicario.

Will they have money to spend?

Yes. Part of the reason Johnson was sold to Crystal Palace was to improve the club’s position in relation to the profit and sustainability regulations (PSR), allowing Spurs to remain aggressive and ambitious in the market.

Tottenham are a wealthy club, and under the Lewis family, whose stated ambition is to “win more matches, more often”, there is a desire to support the coach with player investment. The question will be whether they can do the right deals.

What is Tottenham’s strongest XI now that the window is shut?

Guglielmo Vicario; Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Cristian Romero, Micky Van de Ven, Destiny Udogie; Yves Bissouma, Conor Gallagher; Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons; Dominic Solanke

The full list of ins and outs

Ins: Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), Souza (Santos), James Wilson (Hearts; loan with an option)