Tottenham Hotspur were embarrassed beyond all belief on Saturday afternoon at the Gtech Stadium, losing 3-0 to Brentford and never coming close to truly threatening what should have been an inferior rival.
But better days are going to be ahead for Roberto De Zerbi and Spurs with not only key signings like Savinho, Omar Marmoush, and potentially Cody Gakpo on the way but also established starters set to return to fitness.
Here are three players Tottenham have to realize are not starting caliber if they want to win games in the 2026/27 Premier League season.
CM Conor Gallagher
Tottenham were forced to start Conor Gallagher as the No. 10 with James Maddison still unable to start matches after a prolonged recovery course from a 2025 torn ACL, but De Zerbi and Co. will have to recalibrate their opinion of Gallagher, who was beyond shocking against Brentford. He created nothing, struggled to beat his man, and was, unlike his billing, horrendous defensively while failing to win a single ball for his team. In an ideal world, Gallagher wouldn't even be a Tottenham player.
CM Lucas Bergvall
As terrible as Gallagher was, no single player was as disappointing as Lucas Bergvall, who let his entire team down with his lack of effort and quality. It is appalling how little Bergvall understands about the game tactically or in terms of basic positioning despite starting Premier League games in three seasons now. Bergvall was a turnstile - or worse, honestly - in defense, and Brentford simply had their way with him. He is clearly not ready to start for Tottenham Hotspur, and Roberto De Zerbi was absolutely right not to play him much last season. Bergvall can't blame Thomas Frank for his issues any more.
RW Mikey Moore
The solution with Mikey Moore is the easiest, because he will be headed out on loan to FC Koln in the Bundesliga, where he may have to transition into more of an attacking midfielder or a hybrid player like Morgan Rogers. Because athletically, he just does not have the speed or explosiveness to be a Premier League winger. He has great positioning and even got into threatening positions as a right winger, where he scored twice in the friendly against Hoffenheim despite it not being his best position, but his finishing was woeful. Moore is not remotely ready for the Premier League, and he has to go on loan again, no doubt.
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