Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank opted to go with what seemed like a rather defensive team selection when the line-up was revealed before kick-off against Arsenal.
The Lilywhites lined up with five defenders and two defensive midfielders, along with a front three of Mohammed Kudus, Wilson Odobert, and Richarlison against the Gunners.
Possession
57%
43%
Big chances
3
0
Shots
17
3
Shots on target
8
2
xG
1.93
0.07
Passes
448
330
As you can see in the table above, it was an approach from the Danish manager that did not pay off for Spurs, as they were heavily beaten by their local rivals on Sunday.
Tottenham only registered three efforts on goal in their loss to Arsenal, with one of them being the 45-yard lob from Richarlison, as they struggled badly in possession.
Struggling in possession has been a theme of the Premier League season for the Lilywhites, as they currently rank 17th in the division for xG created (11.1) across 12 matches, per FBref.
Some of that will be down to Frank’s system and tactics, as his selection against Arsenal seemed negative on paper, but there have also been some underperforming attacking players this season.
Ranking Tottenham's attackers this season
When looking at how the team’s attackers have performed in the 2025/26 campaign so far, it is hard to look past Mohammed Kudus and Richarlison as the two standout performers.
The Brazil international has delivered five goals and two assists in all competitions for the Lilywhites, whilst the £55m summer signing from West Ham has produced one goal and five assists.
On the other end of the scales, the £52m signing from RB Leipzig, Xavi Simons, has failed to deliver much in the way of quality, with no goals and two assists in 15 appearances in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.
The Dutch playmaker, who started the season on the left wing after Heung-min Son’s depature, was left out of the starting line-up against Arsenal, and he has to rank near the bottom of the list because of the fee paid versus the output given so far.
1
Mohammed Kudus
2
Richarlison
3
Brennan Johnson
4
Mathys Tel
5
Wilson Odobert
6
Randal Kolo Muani
7
Xavi Simons
8
Dominic Solanke
9
Dane Scarlett
As you can see in the table above, Dane Scarlett and Dominic Solanke are the only two players who rank lower than Xavi, and that is because they have played 59 minutes of football between them, which makes it difficult to place them any higher.
Unfortunately, Spurs are still looking for the true heir to Heung-min Son’s throne after the South Korea international moved on from North London in the summer, as their big-money addition from Leipzig is yet to pay off, and they are now keen on a star who could finally fill that vacancy.
Spurs make big-money bid to sign new winger
According to a report from Spain, Tottenham Hotspur are one of the clubs interested in doing a deal to sign Athletic Bilbao forward Nico Williams in the upcoming January transfer window.
The outlet claims that Spurs and Chelsea have both submitted bids worth around £62m in an attempt to land the Spain international to bolster their respective attacking units.
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It also reveals that both of those clubs are working on contract offers that would see Williams triple his current wages, which the report does not disclose, in order to convince him to leave his club.
However, it remains to be seen whether or not the Spanish whiz would be willing to move to England, or if the £62m offers are enough to tempt Athletic Bilbao into cashing in on their prized asset.
If Spurs can get a big-money deal for the left-sided attacker over the line, though, he could be Frank’s own version of Heung-min Son on the wing in the second half of the season.
Why Nico Williams would be Tottenham's new Heung-min Son
Williams, who was described as a “level-raiser” by Como scout Ben Mattinson, has all the attributes that the Lilywhites should be looking for in a replacement for the legendary South Korean star.
Like Son, the Spain international is a rapid forward who can use his speed to get in behind defences, as evidenced by Mattinson stating that he has an “electric burst of pace”, which is what served the former Spurs attacker so well for so long.
A goal scored by Williams against Real Oviedo in LaLiga earlier this month was an excellent demonstration of his speed, quality, and comfort on both feet, which Son was also renowned for during his time in North London.
The 23-year-old forward has registered two goals and two assists in nine matches in LaLiga this term, per Transfermarkt, after a haul of 11 goals and seven assists in 45 outings last season.
His most impressive campaign in an Athletic Bilbao shirt, though, came in the 2023/24 season when he delivered an eye-catching eight goals and 18 assists in 37 matches, per Transfermarkt.
These statistics show that the winger does have the potential to provide quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals from the flank, as Son did with his 173 goals and 101 assists for Spurs before his move to the MLS in the summer.
Non-penalty xG + xAG
0.38
0.54
Shot-creating actions
4.99
4.51
Progressive passes
3.25
4.09
Progressive carries
5.24
4.27
Successful take-ons
3.33
1.58
Progressive passes received
10.83
10.92
Key passes
1.91
1.86
As you can see in the table above, Williams is also similar to Son in a host of underlying statistics away from purely goals and assists, which suggests that he can provide a similar outlet on the left wing.
Like the ex-Spurs captain, the Spain international is an exceptional ball-carrier who can drive the team up the pitch to make things happen as a creative force, which they badly need at the moment, as evidenced by their dismal attacking display against Arsenal.
Having a counter-attacking weapon like Williams could allow Tottenham to defend deeper in matches, as Frank tried to do on Sunday, because they would have him to explode on the break when they win the ball back, instead of attacks stagnating and allowing the opposition to keep the pressure on.
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Therefore, the £62m-rated star could be a phenomenal addition to the squad with the quality that he could bring to the team on the left wing as their true heir to Heung-min Son.