Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur host their relegation-threatened rivals West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon at 3pm.
Tottenham predicted lineup vs West Ham
Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Gray, Palhinha; Kolo Muani, Gallagher, Simons; Tel.
Pressure continues to mount on Thomas Frank following last week’s 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa. Spurs have now won just one of their last seven in all competitions.
Two wins from 12 in the league has also seen the north London side drop down the table. The welcome of a Hammers side in dire straits could be the perfect tonic for Spurs.
Tottenham team news vs West Ham
Tottenham have a mounting injury crisis, compounded by Richarlison’s absence. The Brazilian, who was forced off against Aston Villa, now faces a seven-week spell on the sidelines. Rodrigo Bentancur has also undergone hamstring surgery and will miss the next three months.
Lucas Bergvall, Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison are also absent. Pape Sarr is on international duty with Senegal, who’ll face Morocco in the AFCON final this weekend. Yves Bissouma’s time in North Africa ended on a sour note, but he is an option for Saturday’s London Derby.
Captain Cristian Romero is also available Frank following his additional one-match ban. Dominic Solanke and Destiny Udogie returned to the matchday squad for last week’s FA Cup defeat to Villa, so Frank is recovering players.
Conor Gallagher has also joined from Atletico Madrid, and he is in line to make his full debut on Saturday.
How does Conor Gallagher fit into this Spurs XI?
“I think Conor has a lot of good offensive abilities, his ability to arrive in the box and he’s a clever finisher. His skill set in the final third is good in terms of arriving in the right positions,” Thomas Frank said of Conor Gallagher on Thursday.
Gallagher joined from La Liga side Atletico Madrid in the week to swell Spurs’ central midfield options. Frank’s comments on the England international, though, suggests he’ll be used in a more advanced role. The Dane is light on midfielders following injuries to Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur. Combined with Pape Sarr’s AFCON absence and Yves Bissouma’s lack of game time, and Frank has just Joao Palhinha and Archie Gray to call upon.
The expectation would be that Gallagher would occupy a spot at the base of Frank’s favoured 4-2-3-1 setup. However, the Spurs boss’ comments on the January arrival suggests that Gallagher would be used further forward.
It’s not alien to Gallagher. He frequently occupied the number 10 role during his final season at Chelsea, and he caught the eye. Indeed, he ranked second for chances created (53), big chances created (11) and assists (7) for the Blues in the 2023-24 Premier League season.
Gallagher’s arrival has been welcomed with open arms in N17. Spurs, though, still need investment in in the middle of the park this month. More so if Frank views Gallagher as a number 10 rather than a central midfielder.
