Tottenham Hotspur travel to face Leeds United in the Premier League this afternoon, looking to return to winning ways after their draw in the Champions League in midweek.
Thomas Frank will no doubt want to return to league action with a bang, after only managing to secure a 1-1 draw against struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers last week.
However, on the whole, it’s been an impressive start to life in North London for the Dane, only suffering one defeat in his first nine matches after taking the reins in the summer.
Whilst Daniel Farke’s side are a newly-promoted outfit, they are still a side to be feared, with the Whites unbeaten in each of their last two top-flight outings.
If the Lilywhites are to have the best chance of avoiding a shock defeat at Elland Road, the manager desperately needs to drop one player who’s been extremely poor as of late.
Richarlison’s poor form in recent weeks
After scoring twice in the Premier League opener of 2025/26, there was a sense of excitement building at Spurs that Richarlison could be the man to lead the line under Frank.
While he’s managed to find the back of the net three times in his first six outings, the Brazilian has become a scapegoat in recent outings, given his lack of impact in the final third.
His recent showing against Bodo Glimt in the Champions League was arguably one of his worst of the campaign, only achieving a total of ten touches in his 90-minute performance.
Richarlison also only managed to complete two passes, whilst also losing possession five times – an average of once every two times he made contact with the ball.
The 28-year-old may have had limited opportunities, but he was also wasteful when the ball fell his way, subsequently missing one big chance and costing the Lilywhites a chance of claiming all three points.
The injury situation in attacking areas has been less than ideal for Frank, but he desperately needs to drop the Brazilian and hand one player the chance to flourish this afternoon in Yorkshire.
The player who needs to replace Richarlison against Leeds
Dominic Solanke has been Spurs’ main talisman over the last 12 months, often providing the goods within the final third before Frank’s arrival during the off-season.
The Englishman cost a club-record £65m last summer from Bournemouth and subsequently endured a solid first campaign in North London – scoring 16 goals across all competitions.
However, he’d found minutes hard to come by, only featuring for a total of 31 minutes in the Premier League, with an ankle injury preventing him from putting a consistent run together.
Another option that Frank must consider against Farke’s men is French star Mathys Tel, with the youngster needing a run of games to showcase his talents in North London.
The 20-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan with the Lilywhites, scoring three goals in his 20 appearances – but often struggled for consistency under Ange Postecoglou.
However, the hierarchy decided to fork out £30m for his signature during the off-season, with the board putting trust in the youngster to thrive in the years ahead.
Tel has only made four appearances in the Premier League this season, only one of which was from a starting position, with added minutes desperately needed to allow him to reach his full potential.
Despite his lack of action, he’s been labelled “Thierry Henry-like” by former fan-favourite Jermaine Defoe, further highlighting the talent he currently possesses.
The Englishman stated about his unbelievable ability to glide past his opponent, something which has been reflected in his tally of 67% dribble success rate in 2025/26.
|
Mathys Tel – PL stats 25/26 |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics (per 90) |
Tally |
|
Games played |
4 |
|
Minutes played |
104 |
|
Starts |
1 |
|
Pass accuracy |
83% |
|
Crosses completed |
0.9 |
|
Dribble success |
67% |
|
Duels won |
6.9 |
|
Recoveries made |
2.6 |
|
Stats via FotMob |
|
He’s also averaged 0.9 crosses per 90, along with 6.9 duels per 90 won – further highlighting his impressive all-round nature within attacking areas in North London.
It may be an unpopular call, but it’s one that needs to be done to give Frank the best chance of finding out his best eleven after taking the reins a few months ago.
Such a decision could give Richarlison the time he needs to recapture his form, which in time could create healthy competition for the Lilywhites within attacking areas.
