Tottenham start their 2025/26 season with the Super Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain and it’s fair to say that Thomas Frank’s side appear unprepared.
Pre-season performances have been relatively positive, with Spurs beating north London rivals Arsenal, but they were given a harsh reminder of the work that still needs to be done as they were beaten 4-0 by Bayern Munich on Thursday evening at the Allianz Stadium.
Adding to the bad news, the club confirmed earlier in the day that James Maddison would be undergoing surgery after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament against Newcastle United.
Another two fresh injury problems have also emerged over the last few weeks with Dominic Solanke and Destiny Udogie both playing just 45 minutes under Frank while Dejan Kulusevski is also a long-term absentee. And the latest update from the Spurs boss suggests that only one could be back soon.
“I think it’s three different cases,” he admitted after the defeat to Bayern. “I think Dom is quite soon that he’ll be available. Destiny we’ll know more about in the next couple of days. in terms of how it looks in detail and Kulusevski is out for a long time, which I spoke about before.
While not exactly a positive update, Udogie has not been completely ruled out of returning and as such Frank will be hopeful that the Italy international and Solanke can feature against PSG even if it is only on the bench.
As the Lilywhites’ Premier League opener follows just three days later, Frank faces a number of decisions with it unlikely the same two starting XI’s are put out. 21 players travelled to Germany for the Bayern friendly but there is a spot for another two players in their Super Cup squad.
Given the spots available, it is likely all of Guglielmo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky and Brandon Austin will be included. With Luka Vuskovic among the eight young players made available for loan, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven will be supported by Kevin Danso and Ben Davies.
Pedro Porro and Djed Spence will be the full-backs and if Udogie is fit enough, a place on the bench awaits. Frank seems to prefer Archie Gray further forward and thus the teenager and new signing Joao Palhinha are the defensive midfield options.
Just ahead of that, Tottenham have an abundance of box-to-box midfielders with Lucas Bergvall, Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Sarr on their books. Several have been trialled in a No.10 role but none have really impressed and as such, at least one attacking midfielder is needed through the door imminently.
Xavi Simons and Eberechi Eze have been strongly linked with exits from RB Leipzig and Crystal Palace, respectively, with the latter of interest to Arsenal. Chelsea are in talks for Simons but are also pursuing Alejandro Garnacho and thus hijacking either deal is possible.
Leicester City star Bilal El Khannouss has also been linked with the 21-year-old, who is also of firm interest to Leeds United, potentially available at a low price considering their relegation.
Frank will then choose between Brennan Johnson, Mohammed Kudus, Solanke, Richarlison, Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert for the front three of his chosen team now that Son Heung-min’s departure has been confirmed.
Goalkeepers: Vicario, Kinsky, Austin
Defenders: Porro, Van de Ven, Romero, Danso, Davies, Spence, Udogie.
Midfielders: Palhinha, Gray, Bergvall, Bissouma, Bentancur, Eze/Simons/El Khannouss, Sarr.
Attackers: Johnson, Kudus, Solanke, Richarlison, Tel, Odobert.
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