Tottenham have yet to solve their creativity and goalscoring problems despite spending millions in the transfer market.
Reports over recent days indicate that Tottenham Hotspur are already planning to add a top-class No.9 to their squad in January. This comes in the wake of the Roberto De Zerbi-managed side’s struggles to put the ball in the back of the net.
Spurs’ two goals in the Premier League after five fixtures have come from Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke. They were scored as mere consolation in the 3-2 home defeat to Aston Villa before the international break took centre stage. Omar Marmoush, summer signing from Manchester City, is yet to break his duck, while Dominic Solanke does not look fully fit to lead the Spurs attack.
This has prompted the key decision-makers in N17 to start evaluating striker options. Sunderland’s Brian Brobbey and Freiburg’s Igor Matanovic have been under consideration at Tottenham. At the same time, a former Spurs player feels that De Zerbi’s side are missing one specific type of player.
Chris Waddle says Tottenham lack a playmaker in the middle of the park
Tottenham great Chris Waddle thinks De Zerbi has way too many central midfielders for his liking. He has suggested that the North London outfit are lacking a No.10 in the ilk of Paul Gascoigne who can split open defences with flair and incisive passes.
“Spurs is a big club to play for. There’s always pressure, there’s always scrutiny. They are one of the Big Six. We’ve seen a lot of players who are really good players, by the way,” Chris Waddle was quoted by Football London.
“But the one thing lacking is a No.9 and a No.10, in a way, even though [Omar] Marmoush is going in there. James Maddison, I don’t know if he can last 90 minutes; he doesn’t seem to play a lot of minutes.
“They’re missing that player for me, a good No.10. The wingers are good, but in midfield they’ve got Tonali, [Rodrigo] Bentancur, [Lucas] Bergvall, Archie Gray; I think they’re all very similar. You need different types of players. You definitely need a talent like Dele Alli and, going back to Gazza, Glenn Hoddle.
“They’ve always had a No.10, a talisman who can make goals and score goals; they haven’t got that at the minute. They’ve got a lot of good players, but the midfielders are very similar.”
Tottenham get Dejan Kulusevski fitness boost
De Zerbi and Co. are set to be handed a huge lift in their efforts to turn their early-season struggles around, with latest reports suggesting that Dejan Kulusevski is poised to return to action after the international break.
The Sweden international has not played a game for the club since May 11, 2025, thanks to a serious knee injury. However, two surgeries later, he has been back in full training with his teammates for around a month. Kulusevski is making good progress from the injury that has kept him off the pitch for more than 500 days, and he could be in contention to be back in the Spurs squad against Manchester United after the three-week international pause.
For the Lilywhites struggling for creativity and dynamism, Kulusevski is someone who can provide a solution. But it is going to take the Swede some time to get back to his best.
