Tottenham missing out on left-winger means two players have chances to shine

Tottenham's summer window of ambition resulted in four excellent additions to bolster Thomas Frank's squad.

There's no denying that, despite the departure of Son Heung-min and injuries to key creators, we are in a better place now compared to when we finished the 2024/25 campaign with a 4-1 home defeat to Brighton.

However, holes do remain within Frank's squad. The versatile defender we reportedly wanted chose Arsenal instead, while Manchester City refused to sell the utopian left-winger target that would've turned a 7.5 window into a 9. Ultimately, we're once again an injury or two away from Ben Davies starting regularly, and some may have concerns over the absence of a clinical touch after Sonny rode off into the Californian sunset.

Moneyballer Brennan Johnson remains on the club's books, but his limitations manifested again during Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth. The Welshman's defence-stretching, back post-finishing profile is necessary on occasions, but his role for Frank's side this term must be more sporadic.

After the club failed/opted against landing a star left-winger to complete the summer window, Frank must trust the French starlets he has at his disposal.

Wilson Odobert & Mathys Tel have opportunities to seize this season

Saturday's game was ugly from a Lilywhite perspective. The Cherries, in short, exposed all the flaws within this Spurs squad. We lacked guile in the build-up phase, appeared frantic in the face of pressure, struggled to connect defence and attack, and failed to make the ball stick when it eventually wound up at Richarlison's feet.

Mohammed Kudus single-handedly offered respite at times, but the absence of quality on the opposite flank allowed the visitors to load up their left flank and slow down the Ghanaian's progress.

Johnson, for the duration of his performance, offered very little.

In truth, the second half was merely less worse than the first, but there was an improvement. Wilson Odobert replaced Johnson after 55 minutes, and showed why he should be starting in these sorts of fixtures without dazzling a frustrated home crowd. Odobert wasn't exactly a game-changer, but he's far more natural with the ball at his feet than Johnson. The fundamentals are there.

The young Frenchman lacks a killer instinct. He's so often able to create a yard, but rarely is he able to execute beyond that. We need Frank and Justin Cochrane to work their magic. Perhaps the arrival of old pal Xavi Simons will give him a boost.

The same goes for Mathys Tel, whom I backed as one of the breakout stars under the new manager this term. The 20-year-old is not there yet, but his potential hasn't been sapped in the blink of an eye, even if he was subject to abhorrent abuse after his penalty miss in the UEFA Super Cup.

We all want instant gratification, and there's an expectation that Tel and Odobert should be ready-made contributors, given that we dished out pretty big fees for their services. Some do hit the ground running, but for others, it takes time. Odobert missed a large chunk of his debut season due to a hamstring injury, while Tel has barely been at the club for eight months.

These are two gifted players who have the capacity to eventually blossom in N17. There's a pathway for both to shine this term, even if Randal Kolo Muani's arrival has muddied the waters somewhat. We just need one of them to seize the opportunity with both hands.