The New York Times

There have been plenty of bad performances, awful results and toxic moments at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium so far this season. But until Saturday, there had been nothing quite like this.

It was not just about the performance, where Spurs looked utterly devoid of confidence in a painful first half, after which West Ham should have been well out of sight. Not just the ending, where Callum Wilson bundled in a 93rd-minute winner from a corner to make it 2-1. And not just the result either, with Spurs’ fifth home league defeat of the season, leaving them on a run of two league wins from their last 13 games. They have taken two points from four league games — all against nominally easier opposition — in 2026.

What truly stood out here today was none of that. Because at this point, bad performances and bad results have been comprehensively priced in by the Spurs fans. No one is showing up to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium right now with high expectations about dazzling football, or any real hope of seeing Spurs racking up goals, or even grinding out results. Tottenham fans have been nothing if not clear-eyed and realistic about what they have been watching.

So, the real story here was not the performance or the result, as bad as they both were. But rather the further damage done to Thomas Frank’s standing with the home fans. After Wilson’s winner, there were — louder than ever before this season — clear chants of, “You’re getting sacked in the morning” directed at Frank, largely coming from the south stand.

After the final whistle, Frank walked out onto the pitch to shake hands with the officials, and staff and players from both teams. Every time Frank moved out of a crowd of people and became visible to the fans, he was booed. It felt especially pointed that when a few of the Spurs players went over to clap the fans at the end, they were rewarded with reciprocal applause.

There has been plenty of booing from Spurs fans this year, some of it directed at results, some at performances, some at officials, some at the players in general, some at players in particular. But the striking development of this month has been that the booing has been directed clearly, unambiguously and personally at Frank himself. That has been true at away games for some time — at Brentford, at Bournemouth — and today it was true at home too.

It feels as if the relationship between Frank and the Spurs fans, which has never been especially warm, is now broken forever. It is hard to see how it can recover from this. The only way would be with Spurs going on a long run of wins, but no one who has watched them play recently would bet on that.

This toxicity will surely prove corrosive to Frank in the end. Because even the positive case for Frank being Spurs manager rested on his ability to rebuild the culture, to bring people together, to transform the environment into one where everyone pulls in the same direction. And he is certainly a good people person, very popular behind the scenes, someone who tries to go about things the right way. But when almost every single Spurs game ends with discord, booing, pain, public rows, public anger — whether between Frank, the players, the fans or a combination — then how good can the culture be? What does it say about the aligned environment?

Everyone left here on Saturday evening knowing they will be be back again in just 72 hours to see Spurs host Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. And yet, as big as that game feels, the real test will come at Turf Moor next Saturday. Losing to West Ham was awful, but if they lose again at Burnley — three points behind West Ham — it is hard to see how the manager’s position could still be tenable. That game now feels like the decisive moment, one of the last chances to prove that this is, in fact, progressing.

One of the most striking things about Tottenham this season is their ability to keep finding new nadirs. You never know when the next one will be. And it might be that Turf Moor — even more so than this Saturday — turns into the nadir that truly defines Frank’s tenure.

Frank put a brave face on it when he gave his post-match press conference. He talked up the support he has been given by the Tottenham hierarchy, saying how “aligned” the whole club is. He compared his work to the long arduous task of turning a “supertanker” around, and insisted they are turning in the “right direction”.

Many fans will wonder how Frank can be so sure Spurs are moving in the right direction, or indeed any direction at all. For many, the experience of watching the team make the same mistakes week after week, with no obvious progress, no obvious solutions, will instead feel that this particular tanker has got stuck like the Ever Given in the Suez Canal.

Despite many earnest attempts, that ship never did successfully turn around. Instead, it had to be refloated and salvaged by a flotilla of helpful tugboats. The question, as more and more Tottenham fans lose faith in the captain of this ship, is who or what will be able to stop it running aground permanently.

Callum Wilson struck a late winner for West Ham United to boost their survival chances and pile pressure on Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank.

Spurs have not lived up to expectations in the Dane’s first season in charge, and his side looked to have secured a point after Cristian Romero’s bullet header cancelled out Crysencio Summerville’s deflected first-half goal.

But Wilson, on as a substitute, scored after a corner in stoppage time to leave Tottenham in 14th place, with 27 points, and their opponents 10 behind them in 18th.

Here, our writers break down the key talking points of the match…

What went wrong?

Tottenham were not at their stodgiest in the first half, as there was a visible aim to play the ball forwards and attack, but they remained as ineffective in attack as they were against Chelsea at home, or Brentford or Nottingham Forest away.

When Spurs worked the ball into threatening positions, the final ball was easily cleared. In defence, they were sliced through on several occasions, with West Ham seemingly needing just one pass to break through Tottenham’s midfield.

Yves Bissouma, earning his first minutes of the season, replaced Archie Gray at half-time, which brought a much-needed midfield anchor prepared to receive and play passes through the lines.

While West Ham were content to sit back and allow Spurs time on the ball, Bissouma’s willingness to patrol the middle of the pitch and contribute to the team’s attack added a dynamism rarely seen from Spurs’ midfield this season.

Like against Bournemouth, Spurs somehow turned their momentum into a shock defeat. For much of the second period, Spurs were considerably better than their opponents and looked far more likely to grab the winner after Romero’s equaliser. But after a heroic block from Pedro Porro to prevent a Wilson goal, the Englishman was on hand to convert from the resulting corner.

Spurs fans responded by chanting “you’re getting sacked in the morning” to Frank, who was pictured looking shell-shocked in the dugout.

Elias Burke

What happened at the protest?

Away from a must-win game against West Ham on the pitch, Saturday was the first occasion since August when Tottenham fans had arranged to congregate outside the stadium in protest.

The planned demonstrations were led by fan group “Change for Tottenham”, formed in 2021. In a statement released on their social channels on January 11, they outlined their reasons for protest, including “the board’s transfer strategy”, “extortionate ticket prices” and “clarity on the director of football role”. Vinai Venkatesham, the club’s chief executive officer, addressed some of the issues in the match programme, a gesture that was received gratefully by fans who desire more communication from the boardroom.

The protests attracted between 50 to 100 people outside the Corner Pin pub just yards away from the stadium. In addition to common terrace songs, they chanted “we want ENIC out”, a chant heard less frequently by home supporters at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since Daniel Levy was removed from his role as executive chairman in September.

Hostilities within the fanbase, which have been growing in recent weeks and reached a head in the 3-2 defeat against Bournemouth, where several players were involved in heated discussions with travelling supporters, may have been eased slightly by Venkatesham’s statement and Conor Gallagher’s signing from Atletico Madrid. That perhaps explains the relatively low turnout compared to the hundreds, if not thousands, who marched up to the stadium last February before a game against Manchester United.

Change for Tottenham was formed in response to, and continues to protest against, the board, but results and performances are not helping. Tottenham have not won a Premier League game at home since the 2-0 win over Brentford on December 6, just their second league home win of the season. But after another disappointing defeat to West Ham, there’s no question discontent within the fanbase will continue to grow.

Elias Burke

How was Gallagher’s debut?

Having only finalised his switch from Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, Gallagher barely had any time to get to know his new team-mates on the training pitch before he was thrust into the starting line-up.

Gallagher has famously never missed a game through injury in his professional career, but within 30 seconds he was on the ground holding his head after colliding with West Ham forward Pablo. Fortunately, he was up and ready to go after receiving treatment, and he brought many of the attributes Spurs signed him for.

Gallagher was industrious and tough-tackling in midfield, fighting for possession and second balls as one of Frank’s defensive midfielders. Given he has had limited time to build a partnership, it is natural that his relationship with Gray looked disjointed, but he improved, while the unit did overall, in the second period alongside Bissouma.

It was not the dream debut he envisioned, especially with the result, but there was enough encouragement from his opening outing that he will be a success in north London.

Elias Burke

What does this result mean for Frank?

It would have been difficult to imagine a worse ending to this game. Tottenham worked hard to get back into it after another disastrous first half, made it 1-1 through Romero’s header, and then had chances to go 2-1 up. But then Wilson bundled in a corner in the third minute of added time.

There have been plenty of bad moments in this miserable season but none as bad as this one. Hearing the boos and jeers of the home fans after Wilson’s winner — and then again at the final whistle — will put Frank under more pressure than ever.

And will surely make next Saturday’s game away to Burnley the highest-pressure game of his tenure. Expectations have been low all season, but Frank’s Spurs still keep on finding ways to fail to meet them.

And while the nature of West Ham’s late winner was perhaps unfortunate, on another day, West Ham would have won this game in the first half.

Jack Pitt-Brooke

What did Frank say?

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

What next for Spurs?

The discussion among Chelsea fans is already underway: is Conor Gallagher a traitor or will he always be remembered fondly as one of the faithful?

Gallagher choosing to join Tottenham Hotspur from Atletico Madrid this week for €40million (£34.7m; $46.4m) is a plot twist worthy of a certain high-profile reality TV show.

This is a Chelsea academy graduate who grew up 10 minutes’ drive from their training ground as a fan of the west London club in a family full of them. He went on to play 95 times for their senior side, almost a third of them while wearing the captain’s armband. Yet he has now signed for the team many Chelsea supporters consistently make it very clear they hate more than any other.

That is a pretty risky strategy if you are worried about maintaining popularity back at your boyhood club.

And Gallagher has done little to cushion the blow since putting pen to paper.

No player is going to express contrition to fans of a former club while doing a first interview after joining one of their fiercest rivals. You almost know the quotes before you see them when transfers are announced these days, the script is so predictable. But read the following through the prism of many of those who adored him in his years at Stamford Bridge and the words sting.

“I’m so happy and excited to be here, taking the next step in my career at an amazing club,” Gallagher says in a video on Tottenham’s official website, while wearing his new team’s shirt. “I wanted to be a Spurs player, and thankfully the club felt the same. It was very easy. I know how great the fans are, I’m really happy to be a part of it here and want to create special moments and memories together.”

Gallagher is not the first Chelsea player to go on to play for Tottenham. There have been in excess of 20 of them overall, including the legendary striker Jimmy Greaves. The England midfielder’s new Spurs team-mate Dominic Solanke is the most recent to leave their part of west London and end up in the blue-and-white corner of the city’s north, albeit in his case via spells at Liverpool and Bournemouth spanning seven years.

Chelsea’s past two title-winning managers — Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte — plus the rather less impactful Andre Villas-Boas, have also taken jobs there after moving on from the Stamford Bridge hotseat.

Mourinho’s warm reception when returning with current employers Benfica for a Champions League game in October shows that Chelsea followers are prepared to forgive and forget. But he had been booed and jeered by sections of the home crowd when he was in the Spurs dugout (and the Manchester United one before that, too).

If Chelsea’s most successful manager, with seven major trophies at the club to his name, gets such treatment, what lies in store for Gallagher?

Another former Chelsea midfielder, Gus Poyet, who went on to spend three years at Tottenham from 2001, offers a potential clue. His standing with the Stamford Bridge masses never recovered. Kissing the badge on his shirt during a 5-1 Spurs win against Chelsea in January 2002 did not help matters.

You just have to see how Mason Mount and Kai Havertz, who combined for the winning goal in Chelsea’s Champions League final win over Manchester City in 2021, are treated every time they play against them these days for Manchester United and Arsenal respectively to realise how they have gone from revered to rebuked because they are now with big domestic rivals.

Gallagher has been blessed by the fixture schedule in that, barring the clubs being drawn to play each other in the Champions League knockout stage, his first game for Tottenham against his boyhood club is four months away (May 17, at Stamford Bridge — and even then it would need to be moved if Liam Rosenior and company are in the previous day’s FA Cup final), which gives those of a Chelsea persuasion time to cool off.

When Gallagher last played in this fixture, as captain, at home to Spurs in May 2024 (a 2-0 win, he got the assist on the opening goal), a large banner of him was unfurled at the stadium’s Shed End with the words ‘Chelsea since birth’ on it. That homage clearly no longer applies now he is going to be representing their most-loathed rivals. Hopefully someone kept the receipt for the flag.

Gallagher cannot plead ignorance. Everyone connected with Chelsea knows which team they dislike the most. Even though Chelsea have dominated Tottenham in terms of trophies won and in head-to-head matches for three decades now, the venom directed their way is as strong as ever.

But despite all this, not every Chelsea fan outside his family will regard this transfer as treachery.

There is still a lot of sympathy towards Gallagher for the manner of his departure to Atletico in summer 2024. The now 25-year-old wanted to stay with Chelsea when there were 12 months left on his contract, but talks over an extension did not go well.

Gallagher turned down two offers from the club in June and July that year.

Significantly, the lifespan of this proposed new deal was just two years, plus an option for a further 12 months. Contrast that with all those new signings at Chelsea getting six- to eight-year deals during the Todd Boehly-Clearlake era, which began in May 2022. His fellow academy graduate Reece James, albeit more advanced in his career at the time it happened, was also given a big payrise and six-year deal in September 2022.

So the far-shorter length of Chelsea’s offer was hardly sending Gallagher the message that he was a serious part of their long-term plans.

As explained at the time, Gallagher came away from a meeting with the club believing there would be consequences for his first-team role if he did not sign the contract or agree to join Atletico.

Even when he acquiesced to the latter, he ended up in the farcical position of flying to Spain (to sign for Atletico) and then back again as Chelsea pulled out of a seperate €40million move for Atletico’s striker Samu Aghehowa.

Gallagher’s transfer only went ahead after Chelsea bought previous loanee Joao Felix from the La Liga club first, for £44.5million. Notably, the Portugal international was given a six-year contract including an option for another 12 months. In the following winter window, however, he was loaned to Milan for the remainder of last season and then in the summer he moved to Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia for an initial €30m (potentially rising to €50m with add-ons).

Those in Gallagher’s corner will argue that, under those circumstances, is it any wonder the player is putting himself ahead of any sense of loyalty to Chelsea’s long-standing rivalry with another London club? After all, where did that stance get him before? There’s a World Cup in five months, and he needs a strong end to the season to get back in head coach Thomas Tuchel’s England plans after missing his past three squads.

The counter to that is there was interest from other clubs, such as Aston Villa, he could have joined instead. But no agreement was reached with Villa because of their desire to maintain tight financial discipline.

Regardless of what side of the fence Chelsea fans sit on over this, Gallagher’s presence at Spurs will surely add even more spice to the fixture for as long as he is their player.

Tottenham Hotspur need “more quality, experience and leadership” if they are to compete at the highest level, according to CEO Vinai Venkatesham.

Venkatesham, who was appointed in the summer of 2025, stressed that the club’s “priority” is “to make signings that genuinely move us forward.”

He explained such progress demanded a more “proactive” recruitment strategy, in addition to “a wage structure that supports our ambition”.

“We believe in our current squad, but must add more quality, experience and leadership to compete consistently at the highest level,” Venkatesham wrote in the match programme for Saturday’s Premier League fixture against West Ham.

“Doing so requires a more proactive approach to recruitment, alongside a wage structure that supports our ambition.”

Tottenham are 14th in the league, having won just one of their last six Premier League games, and their form under new head coach Thomas Frank has provoked wide-ranging criticism, aimed not just at Frank, but the club’s board as well, who have faced frequent accusations about a lack of ambition and poor communication.

Venkatesham also addressed recent fan unrest, with a confrontation between travelling supporters and the first team players taking place following the 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium in early January.

“We know there is distance between the club and our supporters and are committed to rebuilding the connection,” he added.

Tottenham have already been eliminated from both domestic cup competitions this season, losing to Newcastle United in the Fourth Round of the Carabao Cup in October and, last weekend, to Aston Villa in the third round of the FA Cup. Spurs remain in the Champions League and are on course to qualify for the playoff round ahead of the knockout stages.

A spate of recent injuries has built further pressure. Mohamed Kudus and Richarlison are both likely out until at least March, Rodrigo Bentancur had surgery this week on a hamstring injury, and they have been added to a long-term injury list that includes Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison, neither of whom have featured at all this season. Dominic Solanke has recently recovered from an ankle injury suffered in pre-season, with the England forward making a substitute appearance in the defeat to Aston Villa.

Venkatesham stressed that the club must become “world class in performance services” to ensure players are in the correct condition to compete at the highest level.

Spurs face West Ham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.

The scenes at the end of the 2-1 defeat by Aston Villa on Saturday were all too predictable.

Metres away from the travelling Villa supporters, Ollie Watkins revelled in their FA Cup third-round win against Tottenham Hotspur in front of the home side’s Joao Palhinha, who shoved the England international away. That much seemed justified, given Watkins had made a beeline to deliberately celebrate in front of the Portugal midfielder. But once Palhinha escalated the situation, following Watkins and pushing his head towards the striker, it invited Villa players Lamare Bogarde and Morgan Rogers to join in, inciting a scuffle.

For the second time in four days, a narrow Tottenham loss ended in post-match drama — the kind of incident that does not reflect well on anyone.

“I don’t think so,” Spurs head coach Thomas Frank replied in his post-match conference when asked if his players are losing control. “I guess you have seen the situation through? I just saw it, to be sure I saw what I saw.

“Of course, it’s all about keeping a cool head. The players gave everything out there, (but) losing a tight game, season not going perfect, and I think Ollie is very provoking. The way he is going down to celebrate in front of the Villa fans and he is walking into Joao… he can just easily walk around.

“I think (for) everyone that has been in a competitive nature, that is difficult and can trigger things.”

With emotions also high after losing to a stoppage-time Antoine Semenyo goal against Bournemouth in the Premier League last Wednesday, Micky van de Ven, Pedro Porro and Palhinha were involved in an angry exchange with travelling Spurs fans after the final whistle.

Tottenham are in a poor run of form and playing and coaching staff alike are feeling the pressure, so expressions of frustration are to some extent natural and excusable, but there’s a continued and underlying sense of ill-discipline plaguing Frank’s first season in charge.

The first publicised incident occurred before the Premier League season had even begun.

Yves Bissouma, months after an excellent performance as Tottenham won the Europa League final, which seemed to breathe new life into a stagnant Spurs career, was left out of the new head coach’s squad for the UEFA Super Cup match against Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in August due to persistent lateness.

“Bissouma isn’t here because of disciplinary reasons,” Frank said. “He has been late several times. The latest (was) one too many. We need to give love and have demands, but there have to be consequences. There’s been a consequence. We will follow it up when we get home and park it for now.”

In that sense, Bissouma is a unique case.

He has frustrated players and coaches alike over his three-plus years at the club due to his timekeeping issues, with team-mates having private discussions with the 29-year-old Mali international midfielder at various points to try to enforce the importance of reporting for work on time, according to a source close to the dressing room who wishes to remain anonymous to protect relationships. But even with the opportunity for a clean slate under a new manager, he could not make it through pre-season before Frank lost his patience.

But he’s not the only one who has fallen short.

After a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Chelsea on November 1, a scoreline that does not reflect Tottenham’s ineptitude that day, Van de Ven and Djed Spence caused a stir by ignoring Frank’s attempts to keep the duo on the pitch to applaud the fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Though they lost, Spurs ended that day fourth in the Premier League, a point off second place, it was an incident that sparked a string of negative post-match reactions from the players.

There have also been two occasions this season when a player who has been in line to start the game involved has reported late for the pre-match meeting and been removed from the line-up as a result.

Learning how to manage players who are important on the pitch but have not met the expected standards off it is a challenge Frank is still adapting to, and the long-time Brentford manager is trying to address it by actively penalising misconduct.

But the issues are possibly even more pronounced during matches.

Only Brighton & Hove Albion have been shown more yellow and red cards combined this season than Spurs (see table below), but while they are yet to have anybody sent off, it has happened to Frank’s men twice.

Incidentally, both dismissals came in the same match — the 2-1 home defeat against Liverpool on December 20.

Xavi Simons received the first, an initial caution that was upgraded to a straight red after the VAR official advised referee John Brooks to go to the pitchside monitor to review a late challenge he made on his Netherlands team-mate Virgil van Dijk. Forward Simons is still adapting to English football after arriving from RB Leipzig of Germany for €60million (£52m/$70m at the current rates) in the summer, and has a habit of timing his tackles late, but there was no obvious malice or intent to harm the Liverpool captain.

The second involved club captain Cristian Romero, who kicked out at Ibrahima Konate in second-half stoppage time while his team were pushing for an equaliser, receiving his second caution of the game. For acting “in an improper manner by failing to promptly leave the field of play and/or behaving in a confrontational and/or aggressive manner towards the match referee after being sent off”, the centre-back was awarded a further one-match ban by the FA, which he served in the Villa defeat on Saturday.

“I think any player needs to control their emotions and be cool-headed,” Frank said in his post-Liverpool press conference. “It’s not only because you’re a captain that you need to be exceptionally cool-headed. That’s also always good, of course. We’re talking about a very passionate player that’s been very good for this club and team for many years.”

For all his quality and pedigree as a World Cup and two-time Copa America winner with Argentina, expecting Romero to ever be “exceptionally cool-headed” feels wishful, at best.

He was given the armband after Son Heung-min left for LAFC of Major League Soccer in the summer — arguably a reflection on the lack of natural and experienced leaders in Frank’s likely starting XI than a ringing endorsement of his captaincy credentials — and has assumed the role differently. Son was the reserved type of skipper who preferred to lead by example on the pitch rather than by making rousing speeches, but Romero is an outspoken and fearless character. That was evident at half-time in that match against Bournemouth, where he delivered a team-talk that inspired his colleagues to a better second-half performance.

Points: One for a yellow card, three for a red card

Then, hours after that loss on the south coast, Romero released a statement on Instagram where he appeared to criticise the Tottenham hierarchy. Part of it read, “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. They only show up when things are going well, to tell a few lies.” He later edited the wording, removing the “to tell a few lies” bit.

It’s not the first time Romero has criticised the board. In December 2024, he complained to Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo Deportes about the club’s lack of investment compared with the money Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea were spending.

Within the fanbase, many praised the sentiment — Tottenham sit 14th in the 20-team Premier League just past the campaign’s halfway stage and have now been eliminated early from both domestic cups this season, and there are sensible questions about the club’s direction under new leadership and ownership. Others believe it’s a side to his captaincy that needs to be toned down.

Frank and co-sporting director Johan Lange — set to be Spurs’ sole sporting director once Fabio Paratici departs for Fiorentina in his Italian homeland after the current transfer window closes in just over two weeks — had a “good conversation” with the 27-year-old that Thursday morning. Frank described the incident in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Villa cup tie as a “mistake” on Romero’s part, indicative of his status as a “young leader”. He said they continue to have “a good relationship”.

Still, it was yet another incident this season related to off-field conduct that Frank would rather not have to address when sitting down with reporters, and it’s seemingly only a matter of time until the next one occurs. The Dane is wisely trying to avoid a media circus around Tottenham’s discipline and conduct, and it’s a spiral he’s striving to maintain a handle on.

Welcome to week 22 of The Athletic’s Premier League predictions challenge, where it’s time to talk about goalless draws.

Nobody likes a nil-nil, do they? A former editor of mine once went apoplectic because we carried a report on a 0-0 match on the back page of the newspaper. He never really did understand football, but I kind of got his point.

Maybe that has left me with a phobia of nil-nils. There have been 210 games so far in this Premier League season. And how many times have I predicted one would end 0-0? The answer is … nil.

If this was the 2023-24 season, when the scoring rate soared to the highest rate in the English top flight in almost 60 years (an average of 3.28 goals per game), such a goal-oriented outlook would have been merited. There were only 11 nil-nils in that entire 380-game campaign.

But last season saw the number of goalless draws jump to 16 — and this season we have already seen that many despite having only just passed the halfway stage. We’re on course for 29, almost three times as many as two seasons ago. There were three in week 19 alone, and another two in week 21.

Why might that be? Well, it looked like several teams were running on empty towards the end of a congested festive programme, with injuries and fatigue taking a heavy toll. More generally, clubs often start a season with the intention of playing expansively, only to take a more pragmatic approach as the going gets tougher and the pressure for results increases.

But beyond that, I would argue it comes back to something I wrote about in the opening weeks of this campaign about the move towards less fluent, more attritional playing styles and an increased emphasis on dead-ball situations rather than taking risks in open play.

The scoring rate has picked up since those early stages of the campaign, with some excellent matches, but it’s still only 2.8 goals per game, so it does feel like time to open my mind to predicting 0-0 draws.

If you’re new to this column, each week since the season began in August, four of us — six-year-old Wilfred, a guest subscriber, an algorithm and I — have been predicting the results on a weekly basis.

We’re awarding three points for a correct scoreline and one point for a correct result. There’s also a bonus point for any correct “unique” prediction, so for example, I got two points in the previous round of games for backing Nottingham Forest to win at West Ham, while the algorithm got four points for predicting that Wolves would pick up a 1-1 draw at Everton.

Last week’s guest subscriber, Everton fan Ian from New York City, picked up two bonus points — the first for the Crystal Palace-Aston Villa stalemate, the second for Burnley’s draw with Manchester United.

Despite Ian’s best efforts, the subscribers remain bottom of the table, with the algorithm picking up form in recent weeks.

This week’s guest subscriber is Hannah, a 40-year-old Newcastle United supporter from Bristol. Good luck, Hannah.

Finally, eagle-eyed readers might have noticed that I referred last week to “seven-year-old Wilfred”. Some of you even wished him a happy birthday in the comments section. There’s absolutely no doubt who is the readers’ favourite — and rightly so.

A confession: it was my mistake. He is still only six years old. I think my error just goes to underline the extent to which he has got into my head over the past weeks since becoming the greatest threat to my hopes of winning this challenge.

So, yes, Wilfred is still six. And unlike me, he hasn’t been afraid of predicting goalless draws. It’s time to be bold by being boring. Here goes.

Our subscriber’s match of the week

Manchester United vs Manchester City, Saturday, 12.30pm UK/7.30am ET

Hannah says: "Looking at this week's fixtures, the Manchester derby is the obvious highlight. Both sides will be hungry for a big win, but I predict that Pep Guardiola's team will heap more misery on Old Trafford. After losing ground in the title race, I'm backing Erling Haaland to lead City to victory."

Manchester United 0-2 Manchester City

Oli says: "When United parted company with Ruben Amorim, their statement was all about how it was “the right time to make a change” that would “give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish”. Does the appointment of Michael Carrick for the rest of the season do that?

I was an Amorim sceptic, but they were sixth in the Premier League — only four points clear of 14th-placed Crystal Palace, but also just three off fourth-placed Liverpool — when they pulled the trigger. It was far from great — in fact, it was pretty far from good most of the time — but it looked more viable in the short term than pivoting to yet another spell under interim management.

Broadly speaking, there have been two types of Manchester derby over the past decade or so: a) the one-sided ones where City dominate from start to finish and b) the kind where United dig their heels in, defend in a disciplined manner and battle their way to a draw, or occasionally even a win. I suspect this is the lesser-seen third sort: United apply themselves well in Carrick’s first game in charge, but are still outclassed — in midfield in particular.

Manchester United 1-3 Manchester City

Oli’s other predictions

Sunderland vs Crystal Palace

It’s five Premier League games without a win now for promoted Sunderland after their strong start to the season, but they are still battling, still loving life, still riding the crest of a wave. The same cannot be said confidently of Palace, whose run of nine games without a win in all competitions (including that shock FA Cup defeat, as holders, by non-League Macclesfield) seems symptomatic of a state of flux with manager Oliver Glasner and captain Marc Guehi in the final months of their contracts. I recommend this excellent episode of The Athletic FC Podcast, which left me with the depressing feeling that Palace will never have it better than they did in 2025. It’s so hard for clubs outside the Premier League’s super-rich elite to punch above their weight on a consistent basis.

Sunderland 0-0 Crystal Palace

Chelsea vs Brentford

Liam Rosenior’s first Premier League game in charge of Chelsea is an awkward one against a Brentford team who are, remarkably, looking down on their more illustrious west London neighbours from fifth place in the Premier League. Brentford are difficult opponents: “strong, direct, relentless”, as Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris described them recently, and with a centre-forward, Igor Thiago, whose total of 16 Premier League goals this season is second only to Haaland. Despite this, I’ll predict a Chelsea win. You know what they say. The form book goes out the window on derby day...

Chelsea 2-1 Brentford

Liverpool vs Burnley

There is a small but noisy faction of Liverpool fans on social media who are still furious that head coach Arne Slot was not sacked in November after a run of nine defeats in 12 games. Imagine that had happened. Who would they have turned to? Andoni Iraola? Steven Gerrard as interim? Would they, six weeks later, have gone 11 games unbeaten? Obviously, we’ll never know, but I suspect they would not. There will come a time to evaluate Slot’s future after what has been an extremely difficult campaign to date, but while Chelsea and Manchester United chose to twist at its halfway stage, Liverpool look stronger for having stuck with the man who led them to the title last season in his first year in charge.

Liverpool 2-0 Burnley

Tottenham vs West Ham

This is it: the first time I’ve predicted a Tottenham win since week six. I backed them to draw six and lose nine of their previous 15 games and, while the reality was better than that (three wins, four draws, eight defeats), my pessimism about their prospects was not ill-founded. The rumblings from the dressing room are so miserable, and head coach Thomas Frank must realise that the supporters’ goodwill is evaporating. So, why back them this time? Because… they’re playing West Ham.

Tottenham 2-1 West Ham

Leeds vs Fulham

These two teams’ recent improvement has been spectacular. It’s summed up by the fact that Leeds' Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Harry Wilson of Fulham are both deservedly up for the Premier League’s player of the month award for December — and I would suggest they should be one and two for goal of the month too, after finishing off wonderful team moves against Sunderland and Crystal Palace, respectively. I’m in danger of talking myself out of it, but I’ve made this my second nil-nil prediction. Both teams have evolved tactically since a 1-0 Fulham win at Craven Cottage in September, but I suspect Daniel Farke and Leeds will be keen to tighten up after that 4-3 defeat at Newcastle United in their previous league outing.

Leeds 0-0 Fulham

Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal

It's crazy to think that, this time last year, Forest were third in the Premier League, two points behind Arsenal and six adrift of leaders Liverpool. Last season now looks like an outlier for these two clubs: for Forest, a thrilling break from the norm of battling in the lower reaches of the Premier League; for Arsenal, a blip on their upward trajectory under Mikel Arteta's management. This is another tough test for the Premier League leaders, but they are now so good at restricting their opponents, particularly in this kind of game.

Nottingham Forest 0-2 Arsenal

Wolves vs Newcastle

I’ve successfully predicted three Newcastle wins in a row. The law of averages tells me I shouldn’t go for four on the bounce, particularly given their next opponents’ improvement in recent weeks, but this is the 2025-26 season and the law of Wolves losing matches still holds sway. Then again, the fixtures are piling up for Newcastle, with the second leg of a Carabao Cup semi-final against Manchester City and at least another two Champions League games to play in the coming weeks. I’ll go for another Newcastle win, but hesitantly.

Wolves 1-2 Newcastle

Aston Villa vs Everton

Since winning promotion in 2018-19, Villa are unbeaten in 13 Premier League matches against Everton (there was a defeat in the Carabao Cup in 2023). That’s a reasonable illustration of how poor Everton have been for most of that period — and of how, in that context, their 2025-26 season should be viewed as one of welcome progress despite some frustrating inconsistencies. I can’t see them ending that poor run against Villa, though.

Aston Villa 2-1 Everton

Brighton vs Bournemouth

This feels like the most “Could go either way” fixture in the Premier League this weekend. Both teams are very good on their day without being wholly reliable. When two teams are well matched, you would usually go for a draw, but there’s enough variation in these two, performance-wise, to make me think it will swing one way or the other. Home win.

Brighton 2-1 Bournemouth

Tottenham Hotspur striker Richarlison is expected to miss up to seven weeks with a hamstring injury, said head coach Thomas Frank.

The Brazil international was taken off during Tottenham’s 2-1 FA Cup third round defeat against Aston Villa on Saturday. While racing Villa defender Ezri Konsa for a ball over the top by Archie Gray, grabbed at his left hamstring before going down on the pitch. He was treated by medical staff before limping off the field.

At his press conference on Thursday, Frank said that the 28-year-old was facing multiple weeks on the sidelines.

“Richy, unfortunately, got a hamstring injury that will keep him out for up to seven weeks,” said the Dane.

Richarlison is Spurs’ latest injury absentee, with Mohamed Kudus and Rodrigo Bentancur out for multiple months, while Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison have not feature all season due to long-term knee injuries.

Tottenham have been boosted by the return of Dominic Solanke and Destiny Udogie to the squad though, while Conor Gallagher arrived at the club on Wednesday in €40million (£34.7m; $46.6m) move from Atletico Madrid.

The Athletic reported on Friday that Spurs had also agreed a deal to sign 19-year-old left-back Souza from Brazilian club Santos and Frank reiterated that the club remains active in the transfer window.

“We need to deal with what we have, but of course, Villa, let me put it that way, brought a little bit more experience and quality on the pitch than we were able to do,” he said. “But hey, it is what it is. We are in the market, as I said many times, to see if we can improve the squad. But it needs to be something that we improve the squad, short and long term.

“It needs to be that decision. It can’t only be for the next four months. We need to think bigger picture as well.”

Tottenham are next in Premier League action against West Ham United on Saturday.

‘A major blow’

Injuries have plagued Richarlison’s time at Tottenham since joining from Everton in 2022, but he appeared to make a significant step forward this term in that respect under Frank. The Brazilian, who started just four times in the Premier League last term having missed 22 league games games through injury, had been available for the entirety of this season before pulling up with a hamstring issue against Villa last Saturday.

Losing Richarlison is undoubtedly a major blow to Frank, who will be without his top goalscorer for an extended period. The return of Dominic Solanke, who came off the bench in the 83rd minute to feature for the first time since August, should help soften the impact, and Randal Kolo Muani stepped into his position impressively last weekend, assisting Wilson Odobert’s second-half goal. Still, losing another forward after the January 2 departure of Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace, is not ideal for a side short on goals.

And for Richarlison, who has desires of making Brazil’s World Cup squad, this injury is an untimely setback as he aims to win back the No 9 shirt under Carlo Ancelotti.

Tottenham Hotspur have appointed Johnny Heitinga as assistant first-team coach.

The 42-year-old previously held the position at West Ham United and Liverpool, prior to his appointment as Ajax head coach last summer.

Spurs head coach Thomas Frank said: “John is a great addition to our coaching staff. His ability, personality and character will add huge value both on and off the pitch.

“As a former defender, that will be one of his main responsibilities on the training pitch, and he brings great coaching and management experiences from all levels of the game, which will really help us moving forward.”

Heitinga was sacked at Ajax on November 6 with interim coach Fred Grim overseeing six victories and four defeats across 11 matches since, including the side’s 6-0 Dutch Cup loss at AZ on Wednesday, in which former Spurs striker Troy Parrott scored a hat-trick.

Heitinga only returned to the Dutch side at the start of the 2025-26 campaign, leaving his role as assistant coach under Arne Slot at Liverpool, signing a two-year deal.

The former defender won just five of his 15 games at the helm of the Amsterdam-based club, leaving them fourth in the Eredivisie and bottom of the 36-team Champions League league phase.

Heitinga previously stepped up from his role as Jong Ajax — Ajax’s second team which plays in the Dutch second tier — boss and spent six months as interim head coach of the first team in the second half of the 2022-23 season. He then spent time as an assistant to David Moyes and West Ham, before joining Liverpool in July 2024.

As a player, Heitinga came through the ranks at Ajax before playing for Atletico Madrid, Everton, Fulham and Hertha Berlin. The former defender ended his career back at Ajax in 2015-2016.

Spurs are 14th in the Premier League and return to action on Saturday at home to West Ham.

What will Heitinga bring to Spurs?

Analysis by Tottenham correspondent Elias Burke

With assistant Matt Wells departing in December to take the head coach role at the Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer, Heitinga appears to be his replacement on Frank’s first-team staff.

Wells was a highly respected training ground coach at Spurs, and had significant responsibility, particularly under Ange Postecoglou, in delivering sessions. Frank has a greater presence in training than his predecessor, but Heitinga will join first-team assistants Justin Cochrane, Andreas Georgson and Chris Haslam in helping the head coach on the training pitch and in the dugout on matchday.

Heitinga was a significant part of Liverpool’s title-winning season last year, serving as a first-team coach within Arne Slot’s staff. He helped with improving Ryan Gravenberch, who developed into one of the league’s standout midfielders under his guidance. He helped mould the Dutchman into a No 6, simplifying the role and providing clear instructions to carry out.

At Spurs, he will have the opportunity to work with young, high-potential midfielders like Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Pape Matar Sarr, where he will hope to have a similar influence. He also worked with Liverpool’s forwards and cites several top-level coaches, including Johan Cruyff, Louis van Gaal and Pep Guardiola among his inspirations.

With Frank’s attack still yet to click, Heitinga’s experience working with and improving Liverpool’s forward line could prove an important addition to the Dane’s staff at a crucial time.

Tottenham Hotspur have announced the appointment of City Football Group’s (CFG) Carlos Raphael Moersen to the newly-created role of director of football operations.

The Athletic first reported in December that Moersen was in advanced talks to join the club.

Moersen is currently on gardening leave from CFG and is due to join Spurs ahead of the summer transfer window. He is not considered a replacement for the outgoing Fabio Paratici, who will join Fiorentina on February 4, but will work closely with Spurs’ remaining sporting director, Johan Lange.

Known as ‘Rafi’, Moersen – who has spent over a decade at CFG, most recently as its director of football transactions – will report to Lange, apart from on women’s football where he will report to Spurs’ chief executive Vinai Venkatesham.

“Rafi will lead our football administration, player care, and training ground operations, and join the club’s executive leadership team,” read a Spurs statement. “A key part of his role will be overseeing women’s football, where we will continue to drive a renewed focus and ambition for Tottenham Hotspur Women.”

Next month, Dan Lewindon is also due to join Spurs from CFG as performance director – with responsibility for medical, sports science, nutrition and psychology across the men’s and women’s team and the academy.

As well as Paratici, Rebecca Caplehorn will leave her role as Tottenham’s head of administration and football governance at the end of the January transfer window.

It has been a period of profound change in the hierarchy at Spurs. Venkatesham was appointed as CEO in April and Thomas Frank replaced Ange Postecoglou as head coach in the summer. The same month, long-serving Executive Director Donna-Maria Cullen stepped down from her position on the board. In June, chief football officer Scott Munn was placed on gardening leave before departing.

Most significantly, in September, Daniel Levy was removed as Spurs executive chairman after 24 years at the helm of the club, leaving the Lewis family in charge.

Tottenham Hotspur are exploring a permanent exit for striker Alejo Veliz and are in talks with Brazilian club Bahia over a deal.

Sources briefed on the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, indicated a fee was yet to be agreed for Veliz but discussions were ongoing.

The 22-year-old is currently on loan at Rosario Club — the Argentine club where he began his career before joining Spurs in 2023 — until June 2026, with any deal to Bahia seeing that loan move cut short.

Veliz scored five goals across 16 appearances at Rosario, whom he joined in July, with all eight of his appearances for parent club Spurs coming in the 2023-24 campaign.

Bahia are 90 per cent owned by City Football Group, whose flagship club are Manchester City, and finished seventh in Brazil’s Serie A last term. They will compete in the qualification stages for this year’s Copa Libertadores.

Veliz scored four goals in 16 appearances on loan at Espanyol in Spain’s La Liga last term, having failed to score in six appearances during a stint with Sevilla the previous campaign. His one Premier League goal for Spurs came in a 4-2 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in December 2023.