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Watch Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur for free as two underperforming Premier League giants meet at Old Trafford in this Saturday-evening clash. FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

United went into the international break with just five points from their first five Premier League games, giving manager Michael Carrick work to do to recapture the positivity he fostered during the second half of last season.

Spurs are in even worse shape and sit bottom of the table, after a winless start to the campaign which saw them fail to score in their opening four matches.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur online and from anywhere, including for free, in this Saturday-evening Premier League clash.

Can I watch Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur for free?

Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur isn't technically available to watch for free, but there is a way that viewers in the US can stream the game at no cost.

NBC has live coverage in the States and is available on YouTube TV, which currently comes with a 21-day free trial for new customers.

Outside the US? Use a VPN to access your free Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur stream from anywhere in the world.

Watch Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur from anywhere

Away from home right now? You don't have to miss Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur.

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How to watch Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur in the UK

Viewers in the UK can watch Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur live on Sky Sports.

Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League will have live coverage of the Premier League clash, which kicks-off at 5:30pm BST.

How to watch Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur in the US

As mentioned above, NBC is showing Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur in the US. The game is also live on Peacock, NBC's streaming platform. Kick-off is at 12:30pm ET.

How to watch Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur in Australia

Fans in Australia can stream Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur on Stan Sport. Kick-off is at 2:30am AEST on Sunday.

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Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur: Preview

Michael Carrick will want a significant improvement from Manchester United in this next batch of fixtures, after they failed to take advantage of a relatively kind start to the Premier League season before the international break.

The Red Devils took just five points from a run of games that included matches against newly-promoted Hull City and Ipswich Town, as well as struggling Fulham - where they needed a late Matheus Cunha equaliser to rescue a point.

Tottenham Hotspur began the weekend as the only team below the Cottagers in the table, so Carrick will see this Saturday-evening clash as a great chance to claim three points ahead of three successive away fixtures, against Atletico Madrid and Como in the Champions League and Leeds United in the Premier League.

Carlos Baleba could make his first appearance following his £70m summer move from Brighton & Hove Albion, while Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo are set to feature despite withdrawing from England duty. Benjamin Sesko and Patrick Dorgu are both injury doubts, though.

SEE ALSO How to watch Premier League 2026/27: TV Guide, Streams & Fixtures

The one positive for Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi ahead of his side's return to action is that their season surely can't get any worse.

After staying up by the skin of their teeth last term, Tottenham took just two points from their opening five games and failed to score until the last of those fixtures, a 3-2 home defeat by Aston Villa before the international break.

De Zerbi's mood wouldn't have been helped by injuries to defenders Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke while representing the Netherlands during the international break, but the duo haven't yet been ruled out of the trip to Old Trafford.

The game looks like it could come too soon for full-back Pedro Porro, though, after the Spain international suffered a hamstring injury against Villa.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Manchester United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur

This feels like a must-not-lose game for both teams and we're backing the hosts to claim that much-needed win.

Tottenham Hotspur beat off stiff competition from Manchester United to sign Portuguese midfielder Mateus Fernandes this summer, the north London side parting with £85m to sign the 22-year-old from rivals West Ham United.

And yet, the youngster has started just three of five league games for Spurs so far this season. He was hauled off after just 45 minutes in one of those.

“I have big confidence in Mateus but I didn’t like his performance today,” Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi said of Fernandes after the 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa. “It’s not an attack on him because I love him. I just want more from him, even in that position.”

Spurs are wasting £85m Mateus Fernandes as things stand

It was an unnecessary criticism of Fernandes, who admittedly hardly covered himself in glory in the recent home loss to Villa, albeit out of position. Then again, few in a Spurs shirt really did.

Even so, De Zerbi was critical of the young midfielder having, again, started him in the number 10 role. If anything, this reflects badly on the Italian manager.

In truth, De Zerbi’s hands are somewhat tied. He’s loyal to a 4-2-3-1 setup, but is without a fully fit and firing No. 10. James Maddison has only recently returned to first-team action following a year on the sidelines with an ACL injury. Xavi Simons is currently absent with the same issue. Dejan Kulusevski is close to a return to action having not played since May 2025. Even then, he’s made a league start more recently than Maddison.

And yet, rather than tinker with his system or delve into the academy to pick a diamond in the rough - cough Luca Williams-Barnett cough - he’s persisting with a No. 8 out of position. Conor Gallagher is the other player to have started in the 10. Neither suit the role.

Indeed, Fernandes made a name for himself with both Southampton and West Ham in a deeper midfield position. Here, he was able to drive the team forward. Spurs desperately lacked a central midfielder who could advance the play from deep. Fernandes, then, was seen as the perfect signing.

Only Jarrod Bowen (45) created more chances than Fernandes (37) of all West Ham players in the Premier League last season. 28 successful dribbles was the third most for the Hammers. The two ahead of Fernandes - Bowen and Crysencio Summerville - are wingers by trade. They will rank higher for this metric. 103 tackles ranked sixth overall in the Premier League.

Fernandes is a player who thrives in the hustle and bustle that comes with operating as both a ball-winner and distributor. So far, he’s not been handed the chance to showcase either under De Zerbi. Rather, the former Brighton and Marseille boss has favoured a double pivot of Sandro Tonali and Rodrigo Bentancur. The former is the £100m summer signing. The latter is the experienced head that offers defensive diligence in a key area.

The issue, though, is that there is then a disconnect between the two banks of midfield. Spurs - in theory anyway - have the pair of defensive shields that allows the full-backs to provide the width when the wingers cut inside. Conversely, there is a lack of thrust through the middle. This was a major problem for Spurs last season. They had an abundance of runners and ball-winners but none who could really link the play.

It means that Spurs have the means to dictate the tempo and control proceedings in the middle of the park. A 60.7% possession haul is the third most in the division. However, an average of 9.6 chances created per game ranks 13th. It’s all sizzle and no steak.

What’s clear is that Spurs need to make a change to the setup as early as this weekend. De Zerbi needs to drop one of Tonali or Bentancur in the double pivot - potentially the former given his teething issues following his summer arrival - and move Fernandes into his best position.

Once De Zerbi realises that Fernandes isn’t a No. 10 in his system, then supporters will see one of their marquee summer signings at their best, increasing the likelihood of Spurs pulling off the foot of the Premier League table.

Tottenham Hotspur's relationship with a big-money star has broken down completely, with the player potentially never playing for the club ever again.

The Lilywhites have finished 17th in the last two seasons, and despite heavy investment over the summer, it seems as though they could be candidates for the drop once more, with manager Roberto De Zerbi overseeing an underperforming squad.

Tottenham are currently bottom of the Premier League after five matches, without a win on the board and with only two goals scored.

Tottenham Hotspur reach breaking point with star

Now, one striker has reached the point where his relationship is “completely broken” with his employers.

That's according to influencer Fabrizio Romano on the Here We Go podcast, who describes the standoff as a “crazy situation”.

“De Zerbi wasn’t lying and isn’t lying when he said that at the beginning of the new season [he] went to Richarlison [and] told him ‘let’s discuss a new contract, I want you here,’” Romano explained.

“Richarlison wanted to go and then in the final days of the window, Tottenham were not happy [that] Richarlison was not taking the opportunity to go back to Everton: Tottenham in that case were going to sign Iliman Ndiaye, so the two deals were linked, Ndiaye to Tottenham and at that point Richarlison to Everton.”

Ultimately, Manchester City signed Ndiaye, while Richarlison agreed terms with Trabzonspor – who Spurs rejected an offer late in the window.

“My expectation is absolutely for the parties to part ways as soon as possible, so it could be already in the next months,” Romano continued, adding, “I think around January we will see Richarlison leaving Tottenham: the intention of Tottenham is not to integrate Richarlison as part of their project.

Spurs signed Richarlison back in 2022 after pipping Arsenal to the Champions League, spending a whopping £60 million on the Brazilian – but after netting 10 times to save Everton from relegation in 2021/22, Richarlison scored just once in the league for his new club and was branded “selfish” by manager Antonio Conte.

The 29-year-old has managed to register double digits in two of his four Premier League seasons since, but Brazil omitted him from the World Cup 2026 squad over the summer in a huge blow, perhaps reflecting his diminishing reputation.

Tottenham Hotspur have suffered a nightmare scenario of both Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke going off injured.

Tottenham are still winless in the Premier League – but according to reports relayed by Sport Witness, they have been given scares by the Dutch duo, who both featured heavily in new manager Xavi Hernandez's first few fixtures as manager.

Fortunately, it appears as if both of them could be fit to face Manchester United in their next fixture, though.

Tottenham Hotspur's Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke have both suffered knocks

Van de Ven has been playing at left-back over the international break, with Xavi preferring the Spurs man there for his recovery pace and using Teun Koopmeiners centrally in his most recent fixture.

The Oranje had to finish their fixture against Serbia with 10 men, however, when their makeshift left-back was forced off with an arm injury, when former Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic landed awkwardly on the defender.

Xavi claimed it was “not a major injury” following the game, with a report from Voetbal International later backing that up, and adding, it was “less severe” than it first appeared.

Van Hecke's injury, meanwhile, has also been described as minor, too.

The summer signing withdrew from the squad after being stepped on away in Serbia last week – missing the draw against Greece in Thessaloniki and the return match against the Serbians in Eindhoven.

Spurs will be particularly grateful if both Dutchmen recover in time for the weekend, given the extent of their injury issues right now – which include another Netherlands star, in Xavi Simons, out until at least the New Year with an ACL injury.

In addition, Wilson Odobert, Mykhailo Mudryk, Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski all look likely to miss the return of domestic football this weekend.

When Tottenham Hotspur moved into their state-of-the-art billion-pound stadium, it was supposed to become a fortress where visiting teams feared to tread.

In reality, it's proven to be something far more accommodating: an arena where opposition sides, regardless of their own internal difficulties, routinely rock up and depart with all three points.

The early stages of the new season have laid bare Spurs' poor home form in stark fashion. Tottenham have already suffered two home defeats from three, first succumbing 2-0 to Newcastle United before falling 3-2 to Aston Villa.

Tottenham Hotspur have lost 22 league games AT HOME since the beginning of 2024/25

What makes these early setbacks so damning is not just the dropped points, but the state of the teams that inflicted them.

Both Newcastle and Villa arrived in North London in states of flux and transition. Villa endured a summer exodus that saw nearly half their core squad depart, while Newcastle lost key stalwarts, integrated a raft of new arrivals, and replaced long-serving manager Eddie Howe with Matthias Jaissle in the dugout.

Neither side truly knows their definitive identity yet, and both walked away with victory.

Spurs should have had the decisive upper hand because while Tottenham are still undergoing their own tactical evolution under Roberto De Zerbi, their squad remains far more settled than either Villa's or Newcastle's.

De Zerbi benefited from an invaluable stretch at the tail-end of last season to bed in his principles of play, iron out kinks, and establish a clear playing style.

That a De Zerbi side with a full pre-season under their belts, playing in their own backyard, was picked apart by two teams still searching for their footing is a troubling indictment.

There are fears this the continuation of a rot that has set in over recent years, not simply a slow start or isolated blip.

Across both the 2024/25 and 2025/26 campaigns, Tottenham’s home record was among the poorest in the Premier League. Spurs lost 10 of their 19 league games on home turf, winning just three. Only relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley presided over poorer records on their own doorstep.

The season prior, Spurs' home form was better but not by much, winning six league matches, but still losing 10. Ange Postecoglou, Thomas Frank, Igor Tudor and perhaps now De Zerbi, have all found playing at the incredible Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to be more of a curse than a blessing.

In truth, it has become a ground where visiting coaches can sit deep and wait for the home crowd's anxiety to boil over. And can you blame them, when they've seen 22 league defeats since August 2024? Could it be that ailing home form becomes a permanent feature of Tottenham's modern identity?

De Zerbi was handed a lucrative long-term contract in the form of a five-year agreement worth a reported £12 million per season, alongside substantial bonus terms. Aside from correcting their course at the end of 2025/26, he hasn't made good on the Spurs hierarchy's investment just yet.

Tottenham's commitment to De Zerbi in effect strips the club of any easy or inexpensive exit strategy should the Italian be unable to remedy their home complex. Severing ties early would carry with it an eye-watering compensation payout, meaning Spurs are all-in on De Zerbi fixing their home field disadvantage that has beaten his predecessors.

Tottenham Hotspur are considering sacking Roberto De Zerbi, after defeat to Aston Villa at the weekend.

That's the shock new report emerging following five games in the Premier League without a win, and the Tottenham board starting to worry after significant outlay to improve the squad over the summer.

With De Zerbi recently calling the Lilywhites the most “fragile” team he has ever managed at the weekend, Spurs' next fixture against Manchester United could be pivotal in both dugouts.

Tottenham Hotspur looking for a change already, following Roberto De Zerbi's disastrous start

De Zerbi was hired by Tottenham in March to steer the club away from relegation and was given apparent carte blanche over the summer to reshape his playing squad after successive 17th-place finishes.

Disposing of the 47-year-old so soon into the campaign would thus come as a shock – not least because Thomas Frank was given until February of this year as manager, despite overseeing just 13 games in 38 matches in all competitions – but the atmosphere in N17 appears to be souring already.

Spanish outlet Fichajes have reported that Spurs are already on the hunt for De Zerbi's successor, though his contract complicates the situation.

The Spurs boss has a deal that runs until 2031, with no break clause, meaning that it would cost tens of millions to part early from the agreement – but following comments at the weekend, De Zerbi is clearly unhappy with his situation.

Speaking to talkSPORT after the final whistle on Saturday, the Italian noted that “the leaders have to be stronger”, but that “I do not have all the answers”.

“It's difficult to explain because, in my career, 14 years as a coach, I've never seen one team like us," he said.

"So fragile, so inconsistent. You're good, or you're bad. You can't be very good in the first 30, 40 minutes, and then concede like this in this way. It's tough to accept for me.

“Maybe the communication between the players [is the problem], maybe the leaders have to be stronger," he added.

“We need leaders to drive and lead the team. With Newcastle it was the same, in Liverpool it was the same, with Everton it was the same: we have to find the solutions.”

The way Johan Manzambi and Nicolas Jackson juggled the ball between each other ahead of the latter’s goal was the high point on an insistent theme, reminiscent of school friends playing at lunchtime, always looking for each other in that nonchalant (ok, smug) way that kids sometimes do.

Poetically for Villa, it was two new signings flourishing precisely because two new Tottenham signings were failing.

More damning still, the Manzambi-Jackson connection resulted from an Unai Emery tactical battle-plan that had targeted Tottenham’s midfield from the outset; the epicentre of Tottenham’s £300 million summer splurge was the very place Emery had identified as their weakness, their soft target.

Villa’s setup was unorthodox for Emery, who did not pick a speedy winger on one side (usually a non-negotiable) and instead had Emiliano Buendia and John McGinn invert from the wings with Manzambi – nominally the ten – dropping deep in what almost looked like a free role.

It caused problems for Tottenham throughout the match, most notably when Manzambi ghosted into the box to score the opener, although the tactic really came off in the second half, when Villa were able to walk through the middle again and again:

But the best example of this phenomenon was Buendia’s winning goal, which ended a nine-pass, 31-second Villa move defined by cutting open Spurs’ midfield no less than three times, the third being Buendia’s finish in open space:

What’s damning about all of this isn’t that De Zerbi’s midfield press was broken, nor that his £175 million midfielders were completely disconnected, allowing Villa to breeze through. It’s that Emery knew this would happen - and devised a tactical plan to exploit it.

Perhaps De Zerbi and Spurs just need time on the training ground to fine-tune the details of the manic man-to-man pressing system that unravelled on Saturday. The thing is, time and patience are already running out.

Henderson-Barco pivot tells us Alonso failed to prepare for Brentford

The paradox of Brentford’s 3-0 victory over Chelsea was that we learnt nothing new - which taught us a lot about Xabi Alonso.

Brentford were Brentford: ruthlessly organised, the physical strength and tactical diligence of their man-to-man pressing wrestling Chelsea into patterns they didn’t want to form. They broke up play, they made it scrappy, and then they capitalised in key moments: set-pieces (goals one and three) and counter-attacks (goal two).

It was textbook, and although sometimes Brentford at their absolute best are simply unstoppable, particularly at home, it does beg the question: had Alonso done his homework?

Put bluntly, this was not the time to trial a brand new midfield partnership featuring two players making their full Premier League debuts, one a youngster new to the country and one a veteran who never had the agility or dexterity to play through Brentford-style pressure.

As I highlighted a fortnight ago, Alonso’s two-man midfield contains tactical flaws that might just be unsolvable. They definitely won’t be solved by a Jordan Henderson and Valentin Barco pivot, not against Brentford’s midfield.

Here’s a typical example of where it went wrong. Brentford hold their ground, forcing Lacroix to keep the ball for 13 seconds before attempting an ambitious long ball out to the left. He has no options because Brentford’s man-to-man press prevents it; because neither Barco nor Henderson can be trusted to get on the ball, resist pressure, and break the lines.

Brentford’s second goal, scored on the break, resulted from the same issue. Henderson gets on the ball here and, with nothing in the pocket to play, fires an ambitious pass that gets intercepted, leading to the goal.

Malo Gusto and Romeo Lavia, both on the bench, would have been far better suited to the challenge, although more importantly Alonso should have adapted his 3-4-2-1 formation.

Already that 3-4-2-1 is too easy to read, too easy for someone like Keith Andrews to prepare for. Chelsea needed Morgan Rogers or Cole Palmer to drop short and wide, or one of the wing-backs to come infield to create an overload, or… anything, really, that would have been unexpected; that might have bamboozled Brentford or at least pulled a man-to-man marker out of position.

Chelsea attempted 28 crosses in this match, each one predictably swatted away. They got done by Brentford like Brentford used to do teams in their first season in the Premier League, which is to say Alonso just didn’t look adequately prepared.

If Chelsea are to challenge for honours, he needs to adapt much faster than this.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa for free as two sides yet to taste victory in the Premier League this season meet in a Saturday-lunchtime clash in North London. FourFourTwo has all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

Spurs' 0-0 draw at home to Everton last Saturday saw them set an unwanted record, having failed to score in the opening four games of a league season for the first time in the club's history.

Villa managed only one goal and one point in their first four Premier League matches, so both teams are in desperate need of a victory here.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information you need to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa online and from anywhere, including for free, in the 2026/27 Premier League.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa for FREE

You can stream Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa for free in the US thanks to YouTube TV's 10-day free trial, which carries USA Network.

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Watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa from anywhere

Away from home right now? You don't have to miss Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa.

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How to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa in the UK

Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa is live on TNT Sports in the UK.

TNT Sports 1 and its streaming platform HBO Max will have coverage of the Premier League clash, with kick-off at 12:30pm BST.

Outside the UK? Watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa on TNT Sports via NordVPN.

How to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa in the US

As mentioned above, USA Network has live coverage of Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa in the US. Kick-off is at 7:30am ET.

Remember: Use NordVPN to unlock your Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa stream on USA Network.

How to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa in Australia

Fans in Australia can stream Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa on Stan Sport, with kick-off at 9:30pm AEST.

Not in Australia? NordVPN will unblock your Stan Sport stream of Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa.

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Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa: Preview

Tottenham Hotspur begin the fifth weekend of the Premier League season still searching for their first win, although even a goal would represent progress for Roberto De Zerbi's side.

Spurs are yet to get off the mark in the league despite spending more than £300m on signings in the summer, while they suffered another blow on Tuesday night as they exited the Carabao Cup with a 3-1 defeat at Liverpool.

De Zerbi can at least point to back-to-back clean sheets in the stalemates against Nottingham Forest and Everton, but the scrutiny will only increase if Tottenham fail to pick up a result - or score - against Aston Villa.

They have been boosted by the news that James Maddison, Pedro Porro and Sandro Tonali will be available for the visit of Unai Emery's side after the trio recovered from their various injury concerns.

SEE ALSO How to watch Premier League 2026/27: TV Guide, Streams & Fixtures

Villa aren't in much better shape than Spurs, starting the weekend in the Premier League relegation zone after taking only one point from their opening four games.

However, they have been in better form in other competitions, scoring three goals apiece in away victories over Club Brugge in the Champions League and Coventry City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

Those results on the road should give them belief for their trip to North London, where Emery looks set to rotate his side after making several changes for the win over the Sky Blues.

Ibrahim Mbaye is pushing for his first start after a bright start to his career at Villa Park, while Nicolas Jackson is expected to return up front despite Tammy Abraham scoring twice against Coventry.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Aston Villa

Spurs' goalless run surely can't continue, but whether they can pick up a first league win is another matter.

On the 30-minute mark during Tottenham Hotspur’s eventual 3-1 EFL Cup defeat at Liverpool, Mathys Tel received the ball on the left flank. In a dangerous position, he sought to work space to whip a cross into the box. Instead, however, he played a disguised pass that trickled aimlessly out of play.

It was a moment that prompted a collective sigh from the travelling Spurs support. They’d witnessed this sort of output time and time, and time, and time again. It was Mathys Tel in a nutshell. All style and no substance.

When Spurs signed Tel in January 2025, beating off competition from Manchester United for the Frenchman, fans were understandably excited. The former Rennes man was viewed as a diamond in the rough. A forward with potential that needed the rough edges smoothed down. Bayern Munich’s decision to loan out Tel was for the 21-year-old to garner regular game time.

Hard to Tel

In truth, Bayern’s willingness to allow Tel to depart should have been a red flag. At the time, though, Spurs were desperate. Mired in another injury crisis, Tel was a welcome and exciting addition to the squad. A forward who could take a marker on and get a shot away – he was exactly what Spurs needed.

Despite an indifferent start to life in the capital, Spurs made the decision to make the move permanent for a reported £30m last summer. It was a low-risk, high-reward transfer, especially as Tel was a forward who was showing plenty of promise. Managerial uncertainty hasn’t aided the former Bayern man, but in time, there’s an argument to be made that he’s proven to be one of the worst signings in the club’s history.

That he was locked up by Jeremie Frimpong, the Dutchman proving to be one of the poorest defensive right-backs in the Premier League, should set alarm bells ringing. Indeed, Tel failed to have a shot. He failed to create a goalscoring chance. He completed just two of five successful dribbles. He’s a player devoid of confidence, and one that doesn’t look as though he’ll regain it anytime soon.

Tuesday’s dire showing comes just days after Tel’s disappointing cameo in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Everton. As Spurs dominated against the Toffees, they again drew another blank. Tel was called upon for the final half hour, yet again wasted his chance to impress head coach Roberto De Zerbi.

Tel didn’t create a chance. He managed just one shot. He didn’t complete a successful dribble. Even Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford completed one. It prompted an animated discussion with De Zerbi at full time. While the Spurs boss played down the incident, the frustration on De Zerbi’s face mirrored that of every supporter, be it those in the stadium or those watching at home.

Essentially, Tel has become more of a hindrance than a help in the final third for the north London side. What’s concerning still is that he’s a player who has topped key attacking metrics for De Zerbi’s side. No player has completed more dribbles for Spurs than Tel (10) in the Premier League this season, though new teammates Omar Marmoush and Savio will overhaul the former before long, the former Manchester City pair having completed nine apiece.

Additionally, Tel ranks top for touches in the opposition box (24) of all Spurs players. He’s capable of beating a man and getting into the right positions in the penalty area. The issue, however, is that he doesn’t know what to do when he gets into said positions. Tel has created just three chances in four Premier League outings this season. He’s managed just one shot on target. A deer caught in headlights shows more composure.

Mikey Moore has outperformed Tel for the latter stat, and he jetted off to FC Köln on loan last month. It says it all for a player who is evidently struggling, and one whose decision-making is questionable, at best.

It’s a crying shame for a player who has undoubtedly been affected by managerial upheaval over the last 18 months. In his senior career, Tel has played under eight managers. Four of those have been in north London, and the playing styles of each have differed considerably. Admittedly, it’s tough not to feel a pang of sympathy for a young striker who was parachuted into a turbulent mess in January 2025.

Conversely, he’s had his opportunities to stake a claim for a regular spot in the capital. With Marmoush and Savio available for selection, and Mohammed Kudus close to a return to full fitness, fans are hoping Tel’s minutes will be limited, at most. For most, cutting ties with Tel in January would be the best move for all concerned.

I’ll start today by looking back at that brilliant goal from Dominik Szoboszlai in an important 3-1 win for Liverpool against Tottenham.

I was actually covering the game for Sky, and I thought: ‘Wow, what a goal that is!’ But that’s not surprising from Szoboszlai. He's got one of the best techniques I've seen in Europe at the moment, when you consider his ability in shooting from distance. He just caught the ball so sweetly and it just arrowed past Martin Dubravka in the Tottenham goal - it was a fantastic strike. It killed the game off at the end of a nervy period for Liverpool, because Tottenham were pushing on and piling on pressure.

Clinton was speaking courtesy of Free Bets, home of the best betting sites in the UK.

'Dominik Szoboszlai's technique reminds me of Beckham or Rooney'

There are a few players in the past who struck a ball like that. David Beckham had great technique, maybe not so much from that distance on the ground, but more so from free kicks. Wayne Rooney could also score spectacular goals, so they’re the two players that immediately spring to mind.

Meanwhile, the result was obviously disappointing for Roberto De Zerbi, but I think there were positive signs for Tottenham. Mohammed Kudus was a bright spark, and looked like he's getting back to good form after being out for so long.

Today's game against Aston Villa is huge, because they’re yet to score a Premier League goal after four games after all the money that’s been spent in the summer.

But De Zerbi is always going to back his team, and keep belief in the project. The hierarchy will support him and I do think they'll get it right.

Whatever happens, let’s hope there won’t be any further VAR controversy this weekend after Erling Haaland’s goal was allowed to stand in the Manchester derby. It was a ridiculous decision!

People talk about having ex-footballers in VAR, but my friend who doesn't play football would have told you it was offside. It's common sense. I think the referee's assistant probably flagged thinking Haaland was offside. But then when Haaland's onside, you've got to check that Enzo Fernandez has gone for the ball. He's interfering with Lisandro Martinez and he's interfering with Senne Lammens. So he's interfering with two players. If you can't see that on VAR, when you can slow it down and see every angle on a monitor, then it's not good enough. It's nowhere near good enough, because Michael Carrick's under a bit of pressure now.

VAR have got more time than the people on the pitch. The referee and the linesman made a split-second decision. VAR can take their time and it did take their time. And I knew the longer it went, the more I felt they were going to give the goal.

Rugby and cricket do it properly, as you can see how the officials reach their decisions. Whereas in football, you're just looking at an image. Most football fans would have been looking at that image thinking Haaland looked offside. Admittedly he wasn't. But then you look at Enzo and go, ‘Well, he's interfering.’

And then the decision comes, and fans are wondering what’s happening. Then to have these apology statements turns everything into a bit of a farce.

Despite the nature of their win, I've been really impressed with Manchester City and their business in the summer. They brought in Elliot Anderson, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Fernandez for close to £300 million, but they're reaping the rewards. Anderson has been outstanding, while Bouaddi is only 18 and is going to be sensational for years to come. And Fernandez is a top player. They even brought in Allan, a winger who’s a top player. They’ve also still got the likes of Jeremy Doku, Antoine Semenyo, Haaland, Rayan Cherki, and Phil Foden. The list goes on and on with Man City. Even if those players aren't delivering or doing well, they've still got others that can come off the bench.

Their squad depth is fantastic. Just like Arsenal's. You see the young man, Max Dowman, starting and scoring two goals against Ipswich Town. Sometimes he can't even get in the squad! It's ridiculous the amount of quality these teams have at the moment. I think those two teams are the outstanding ones.

Talking about Dowman in particular, I don't think he's going to play as many games as the fans want him to because you've got to realise that Arsenal's squad is fantastic. He's only 16 years of age, and you can't just expect him to be good week in, week out. But Mikel Arteta knows how to handle him, and I feel like it's a similar situation to when Foden was breaking through at Man City and people were saying that it was best for him to go out on loan and play regularly.

He stayed at City, and I think that's what Dowman will do too. He's a super-talented boy, and is going to be a world-class player. But you don't want to throw him into the deep end straight away. You've got to manage his minutes. And that's what Arteta's doing. This is why the Carabao Cup and cup competitions are good for Arsenal, because players like Dowman get the opportunity to go and showcase their abilities.

He's got plenty of time to be starting loads of football matches. Just nurture the young man, let him come through and give him minutes in these kinds of games.