Tottenham Hotspur

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Thomas Frank has had time to brace himself for Son Heung-min's departure, but the long-term unavailability of Maddison arrives a as bolt out of the blue.

Son's farewell match in South Korea earlier this week was marred by the latest knee injury suffered by Maddison.

The anguished expression on the midfielder's face said it all.

The sympathy belongs to him. Last season was cut short by an injury to the same knee, a blow that robbed him of playing in the Europa League final win over Manchester United.

But spare a thought for Frank, who in his first season in charge, faces losing two key attacking players – one forever and the other for a long period.

You would imagine now that Spurs will give big consideration to entering the market for a new attacking midfielder.

Had their move for Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White ended successfully then the requirement to enter the market for offensive reinforcements would be significantly less pressing.

Such attacking quality is hard to come by. Expensive, too.

Summer signing from West Ham Mohamed Kudus has played centrally before and could provide an option.

But Spurs will have to do something to replace Maddison's contribution.

What should Tottenham do?

Tell us the solution

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Danielle Sarver Coombs

When it comes to our love for a football club, the answer to why we do lies in "both psychological and societal" reasons.

In the first part of her chat with BBC Sport, researcher and co-writer of the Routledge Handbook of Sport Fans and Fandom Danielle Sarver Coombs spoke about the part that identity and tradition play.

And yet when we are caught up in the emotions of a tough defeat or nerves of an important match, we can often ask why we put ourselves through it.

"There are psychological processes at work and physiological ones in terms of how we respond and engage," Sarver Coombs said.

"An example that I always give is when I take the train to work, I go past Arsenal's stadium and I feel literally nothing other than: 'Oh, that's a big building'. Whereas on a train to Manchester, I went by Villa Park and my heart started pounding. I got all excited and was trying to take pictures out the window.

"I had a visceral reaction to this place. We can't pretend we don't have that sort of physical reaction because we do.

"When someone is talking about a controversial decision and I feel myself getting wound up, even though I intellectually know that I can't control it and that it's just a game, my body doesn't know that.

"My gut doesn't know that and so I have this really emotional response and we can't control that."

A 2023 book titled 'Football on the brain: why minds love sport, external' suggests it comes down to 'an understandable and logical consequence of the human mind's natural inclination to find meaning through beliefs... It's a religion as far as the brain is concerned'.

But it not just about what is going on inside the mind but outside influences too.

"There is a sociological element to it because the community part is such a huge driver and benefit for us," Sarver Coombs explains.

"Sociologically, we are driven to be part of communities. We are driven to find our groups that we can be members of. Sport provides a way to do that - this sense that I was chosen to be part of this community and it's something bigger than I am."

As the game expands, unrest among supporters seems to be increasing, but how does that impact this ingrained love for a club?

"You always go through these cycles when the game is changing," Sarver Coombs said.

"Despite all the changes, the traditions remain so strong and it's such a huge draw that it becomes really hard to actually separate yourself from it. Even if you do, it tends to be a short-term separation. You get sucked back in because something happens.

"People don't want that change, but then we adapt to it and continue moving forward."

Browse this page to see lots of fan stories for how you fell in love with your club.

And check out those from other Premier League teams over here

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on where Son Heung-min ranked in the pantheon of Tottenham players following his move to Los Angeles FC.

Here are some of your comments:

Ian: Who's going to replace Sonny? One of the best, if not the best, to put on the white shirt. I cannot think of another Spurs player who has done more, given more and deserved more. Good luck with the rest of your career, Sonny, and thank you for the 10 years you played for Spurs.

Craig: Son has been a wonderfully loyal player to Tottenham, conducting himself with grace and dignity, sometimes during very trying periods at the club. Where does Son rank in the pantheon of Tottenham players? Well, when you consider players like Ron Burgess, Danny Blanchflower, Jimmy Greaves, Steve Perryman, Glenn Hoddle, Gary Mabbutt, Paul Gascoigne etc, I'm afraid Son is quite a fair way down a long list of glittering talent. So to all those fans calling for a statue to be built - if Tottenham Hotspur build any statue that isn't "Sir" Bill Nicholson, I will seriously lose my mind.

Kevin: Son Heung-min has been an inspirational role model for both young and old football players and supporters alike throughout his 10-year stay at Tottenham Hotspur. He is not only a fantastic footballer, but the way he always plays with a smile, and conducts himself both on and off the pitch, is a rare attribute in the modern game. He has the admiration of both the Korean public and his adoptive Spurs family. As a captain, a leader, a winner and a superb human being, he rightly deserves iconic status. Although I'm sad he has moved on to pastures new, he leaves behind not only a legacy but so many happy memories for those who watched him play for Spurs, and for that we shall be forever grateful. Truly a lilywhite legend.

Ash: I admit I was underwhelmed on the signing of Son... but he has proved to be possibly the best signing in the modern era - for the way he has improved the moral compass throughout the club. let alone his contribution on the pitch in one of the greatest ever partnerships with Harry Kane. Sonny can leave with his head held high and he deserves everything that is awaiting his next step. Good luck and thank you.

Image source, Getty Images

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy says he and the club are "forever grateful" for Son Heung-min's contributions at Spurs after the club captain completed his move to Los Angeles FC on Wednesday.

"Sonny is one of the greatest players to ever wear the famous Lilywhite shirt and he has been a joy to watch over the past decade." Levy said.

"Not only is he a wonderfully gifted footballer, but he's also an incredible human being who has touched hearts and inspired people throughout the club and all over the world.

"Sonny has given so much to this club, both on and off the pitch, and for that we are forever grateful.

"We wish him all the best for the future, and he will always be welcome back at the club as a beloved and cherished member of our Spurs family."

Where does Son rank in the pantheon of Tottenham players?

Tell us here

Tottenham and Arsenal are waiting for a signal from Brazil international Rodrygo, 24, before making a move for the Real Madrid forward.

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Tottenham will be acquiring a "really exciting" prospect when teenager Mason Melia joins in January.

Now Besiktas manager, Solskjaer brings his side to take on St Patrick Athletic in the third round of Uefa Conference League qualifying on Thursday, and is wary of the danger posed by the highly-rated 17-year-old.

"I think Tottenham have made a good signing - we know we need to watch him," said Solskjaer.

"You see a mature finisher. I don't want to put too much pressure on him.

"I always follow the young players when I see them early in their careers. There are a few decent players I played with from Ireland so I have a fond eye for Irish players."

Tottenham signed Melia on transfer deadline day in January for a League of Ireland record fee, and he will join up with Thomas Frank's side in early 2026.

This week, we are asking you to share your stories and photos for why you fell in love with Tottenham.

Here is a selection of your submissions:

Joe: I watched Tottenham first because of my dad, but it was the gleaming white shirts that captured me, shimmering with faded glory. Those shirts stood for bravery, flair, and grace. We played football the right way, or at least we tried. Weekend visits to dad meant dusty VHS tapes of FA Cup triumphs thrown into the VCR, magic passed between generations. Now, the stadium has changed. My dad is gone, but Spurs remain: a living thread to the ones we've lost. When we lifted the Europa League, I actually cried. It felt like proof that loyalty and hope still matter.

Tesh: I've been a Spurs fan now for 53 years. In 2004, both my children were mascots at White Hart Lane and with it being my wife's first ever time at an elite football match, the Spurs seed was sown in the family tree forever. Great feeling.

Send your pictures and stories here

Opta's Supercomputer has once again predicted the upcoming 2025-26 Premier League season by using a model to simulate every match 10,000 times.

Image source, Opta

Manchester United only reach the Champions League in 6.7% of simulations, while Thomas Frank's new-look Tottenham only do so in 5.7%. These numbers will obviously largely be based on their underperformance last time around.

Both are therefore predicted a mid-table finish.

However, United are also relegated in 11.1% of simulations, meaning currently Opta's computer suggests they are more likely to go down than make the top four.

Both Everton and Fulham are both predicted to have slightly disappointing seasons with lower mid-table finishes simulated most often by the Supercomputer.

The latter had a productive 2024-25 campaign so may not be happy by 14.8% of simulations having them as relegated.

For the Blues' first season at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, David Moyes' side are relegation in 12.5% of the computer's simulations.

Read Opta's full Supercomputer breakdown here, external

Tottenham want to add to their attacking options and have AC Milan's Portugal forward Rafael Leao, 26, and 24-year-old Real Madrid and Brazil winger Rodrygo among their targets. (GiveMeSport), external

Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho will leave Manchester United this month, with Spurs, Chelsea and Aston Villa all interested in the 21-year-old. (TBR Football, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

We know the relationship between a football fan and their club is a special one so, as we gear up for the new season, we asked you to share why you fell in love with Tottenham and some of your favourite moments supporting them.

Here is a selection of your submissions:

Martin: My cousin lived five houses up the road from me and he owned a football. He said he supported Tottenham Hotspur and because I barely saw a ball at our house, I also said Tottenham.

I was five years old and he was two years older so I really looked up to him. The year was 1966 and Tottenham won the cup a year later! After three or four years, he went to secondary school in Ewell, Surrey and supported Chelsea. I haven't wanted Chelsea to win a game since.

Send your pictures and stories here

Tottenham ended their wait for silverware but what now?

The team on Monday Night Club have discussed what might be the next target and how the challenge may get even tougher.

"I don't think it's a squad that's in the top four in the league," said The i Paper's Daniel Storey.

Speaking to The Overlap in an interview released this week, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said: "Nothing has changed in terms of our ambition. Having won the Europa League - thank you to Ange - you get a taste of it, but it's not enough.

"It's never been enough. We've been in 16 or 17 semi-finals, seven finals, and we haven't won enough. We know need to use that as a springboard to keep winning. We've won two trophies in the last 20-plus years. We've been so close, so many times. I can't really answer (why), because I'm not the one that picks the team, motivates the team."

Listen to Monday Night Club

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

'Why did you fall in love with your club?'

This week, we have asked hundreds of football fans across the world that very question and got hundreds of different answers.

Yes, the themes might be similar - born near a ground; family supported the team; watched a certain player - but the individual story will be unique to each supporter.

The relationship between a fan and their club should not be underestimated, with people ploughing uncountable amounts of money, time and emotional energy into their support for their team.

But what is that makes us love our clubs the way we do?

"A lot of it comes down to our identity," researcher and co-writer of the Routledge Handbook of Sport Fans and Fandom Danielle Sarver Coombs told BBC Sport.

"We become part of this group that means so much to us. It becomes a way to find a community that you're a part of and to find a group of people that, no matter where you are, you could find a pub with other fans of your team. You have that kinship.

"In a world that's increasingly quite lonely, this provides one of the ways that we can have connections so we can have the feeling that we're part of something bigger."

Connection and identity plays a big role in someone's love for their club - particularly when it is a family link.

Many fans talk of being born into who they support - that the connection is so strong there was no other team they could, or would, have chosen.

"The great thing with football is that there's such a strong heritage component to it," Sarver Coombs said. "Often, your grandfather, father, mother or whomever was a fan of the team, so it's part of your family's tradition.

"It's handed down from generation to generation."

The uniqueness of football fandom is something researchers are increasingly investigating.

An article, external published earlier this year in psychology journal Frontiers discusses how football fans often follow follow teams with 'significant attachment and commitment, sometimes to the bewilderment of those outside of the game'.

"With football clubs, you have decades of tradition that you can tap into and it's going to keep coming," Sarver Coombs added.

"Players come and go, managers come and go, shirts change, badges change, but the club itself - the heart and soul of it remains constant. You always have that piece that you're tied to, so the longevity of clubs is a really important part.

"But also, that constant in-person opportunity to be present in a community space really sets football apart from other passions that may be transient or do not have that constant engagement."

Share your story in our My Club My Passion campaign

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has given a wide-ranging interview to The Overlap and on BBC Radio 5 Live, the Monday Night Club team debated elements of it.

The iPaper's Daniel Storey offered insight into how Levy is viewed while former Premier League defender Stephen Warnock pondered what more trophies may mean for Levy's legacy.

Speaking to The Overlap, Levy said: "I think it's one of those situations (in which) when I'm not here I'm sure I'll get the credit. When you come here and look at this wonderful (stadium), and the fact that other clubs are now trying to copy what we're doing, that should be a sign that maybe we did do something bold, and something right."

Listen on BBC Sounds

Tottenham are looking to sell Mali midfielder Yves Bissouma, 28, to free up space for 25-year-old England and Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher. (Football Insider), external

Spurs have been told they will have to pay 30m euros (£26m) to sign Spanish midfielder Marc Casado, 21, from Barcelona. (Sport - in Spanish), external

Brazil winger Rodrygo, 24, wants to stay at Real Madrid amid interest from Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool. (AS - in Spanish), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Ali Speechly
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

It is the perfect time for Son Heung-min to leave Tottenham, but I'm still sad to see him go.

There's not much left to say that hasn't already been shared about the nicest man in football – a hero who, eventually, recognised himself as a legend.

Sonny is universally loved and will be missed – not just by Spurs fans, but by the Premier League and English football.

A role model whose impact is felt far beyond football, Son donates much of his time and money to charitable causes, including as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN's World Food Programme.

On the pitch, amongst all the egos and the loud voices and the show-offs so prevalent in elite sport, Son is quietly, modestly, and ever-so-respectfully phenomenal.

His iconic solo effort against Burnley in 2020 – for which he rightly won the Puskas Award that year – will go down as one of the greatest goals ever scored. It also demonstrates his key characteristics and serves as a neat metaphor for his Spurs career: dedicated, determined, disciplined, effortlessly cool and ultimately victorious.

Spurs fans won't forget, but it is still worth reminding the others that Son's attacking partnership with Harry Kane remains the most fruitful in Premier League history.

Some questioned his suitability as captain, but a quick glance at social media reveals the respect and understanding his team-mates have for their leader.

Effective leaders do not make it about them – they focus on the individuals within their care.

Son knew it was never about intimidating others and forcing them along his path. Instead, he took everyone on a journey with him, and guided us all the way to silverware.

So yes, he will be missed – but so much more than that, he is loved.

Nice one, Sonny.

Find more from Ali Speechly at Women Of The Lane, external and on Instagram, external

Harry Poole
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Last season was the first in which Son Heung-Min, the club's three-time player of the year, failed to reach double figures for league goals since his debut campaign as Spurs finished one place above the relegation zone.

But goals should not be the only metric by which Son's influence is measured.

His 0.38 assists per 90 minutes in the league last term was his best return yet, as was his 0.68 big chances created per 90 - the fifth-highest in the league last season of players to play over 1,000 minutes.

Perhaps the most telling stats are those which point to his impact on the rest of the team.

Spurs won 42% of the 24 league games Son started in 2024-25, compared to 7% without him, failing to win 13 of the 14 matches without their captain.

Given Spurs averaged 2.1 goals and 1.4 points per game with Son starting and only 1.0 goals and 0.4 points per game in his absence, Thomas Frank will need players to step up, including £55m summer signing Mohamed Kudus, who replaced him on Sunday.

Read the full article on Son's Spurs exit here

Image source, Getty Images

Following the arrival of Joao Palhinha on loan, we asked for your views on the new midfielder.

Here are some of your comments:

Martyn: Palhinha is exactly the sort of midfielder we've needed for a few years. All the top sides have that guy who does the unseen dirty work. As long as he can remain fit - which will be a challenge at Spurs - it's a great signing. No risk too with a loan and option to buy. It also leaves funds free for a playmaker, something that is even more vital now James Maddison has joined Dejan Kulusevski in the treatment room.

Razza: Injured after two games? Let's hope not. Bring some steel to the midfield if stays fit. Welcome! Now earn your money and make a difference.

Michael: Excellent signing, a nice bit of business that was kept quiet until it was almost done, which is how I like our transfers to be conducted. He's Premier League tested and adds a bit of steel to our squad and given Thomas Frank's style of adapting to each game, he will be used well.

David: Brilliant addition. Not even a hint of Tottenham-style attacking flair but the type of player we've been missing for a number of years. I've just had a flashback to the brilliant defensive work of Victor Wanyama, which shows the lack of proper, out-and-out defensive midfielders we've had recently. They provide cover for attacking players and, hopefully (he says while praying to the football gods), gives our defence some degree of protection that, let's be honest, they haven't experienced for a while.

James: Amazing signing, as he's Premier League proven and we needed a number six.

We know the relationship between a football fan and their club is a special one so, as we gear up for the new season, we asked you to share why you fell in love with Tottenham and some of your favourite moments supporting them.

Here is a selection of your submissions:

Lindsay: The reason I started supporting Spurs is the classic- my dad. When he took me and a friend to our first live game for my 11th birthday, the love for the club really kicked in.

It's not been an easy ride being a Spurs fan that's for sure but they have my heart. From the old atmosphere at white Hart Lane, the drama and the highs (especially recently) to the pure love we have for our players and now being part of our group Women of the Lane, creating a safe space for all fans!

Send your pictures and stories here

Image source, Getty Images

Tottenham midfielder James Maddison suffered "a bad injury" during the pre-season game with Newcastle in South Korea, says head coach Thomas Frank.

Maddison had only been on the pitch nine minutes after coming on as a substitute, before he was seen hobbling off the ball.

He was stretchered off after receiving some treatment and was in visible pain as he left the field.

"We're pretty sure it was the same knee he injured before," said Frank post-match.

"Sometimes in life and in football, things can be both beautiful and brutal. That's what we got today [in that game].

"It looks like with Madders a bad injury and then on the other side unbelievable scenes for Son [Heung-min] from his team-mates and the respect from the Newcastle players."

Maddison missed the Europa League final with a knee problem sustained in May and was only just returning for Spurs.