Tottenham Hotspur finally appear to be hitting their stride under Roberto De Zerbi.
After avoiding relegation on the final day of last season, the Lilywhites spent huge sums over the summer in a bid to return to contention at the top of the Premier League table.
However, Spurs made a dreadful start to the season, failing to score in any of their opening four league matches and taking just three points from their first six outings.
Things are improving, though. De Zerbi’s men are unbeaten in three, beating Chelsea and Coventry City following a draw at Manchester United, scoring six goals in the process.
It comes as no surprise that Spurs have started to turn the corner as some of their attacking talents have returned to fitness. Dejan Kulusevski has made his first brief appearances since May 2025, while James Maddison scored in the win over Coventry as he continues his return from an ACL injury.
That, combined with Tottenham’s huge spending on the likes of Savio and Omar Marmoush, got us wondering what the Lilywhites’ best attacking lineup is when everybody is fit and firing. Here, we’ve taken a look at some options.
First choice
It’s no coincidence that Tottenham’s attacking improvement has come as Dominic Solanke has returned to the side. The England international scored a late equaliser against Manchester United and provided an assist against Coventry. But in each of Spurs’ last three matches, he’s held the ball up, brought others into play and provided endless work rate. Omar Marmoush may be the expensive new toy, but he’s yet to produce in a Spurs shirt, so Solanke remains the go-to No.9.
Behind him, James Maddison genuinely improved Spurs during his limited minutes at the end of last season and has started this campaign in promising fashion. The playmaker opened the scoring against Coventry, while against Chelsea, he played 11 line-breaking passes and seven passes into the final third, providing a perfect transition between attack and defence. He came off injured at Stamford Bridge, but it doesn’t look to be a serious issue.
Spurs parted with a lot of cash for Savio in the summer, and results have been mixed so far. His only direct goal involvements came in a 5-1 win over Championship side Charlton in the EFL Cup. However, he is first among Tottenham players in the Premier League for chances created (2.99), take-ons completed (4.89) and crosses attempted (7.07) per 90 minutes. There is plenty of impact there; now he just needs output.
On the other flank, Mohammed Kudus had his debut season in North London cut short by injury, but is starting to show his quality. The Ghana international has two assists in his last four appearances, and during a lively performance against Chelsea, he completed three dribbles, attempted two shots and created one chance.
The alternative
As mentioned, Marmoush is the big-money new arrival. However, the Egyptian only scored his first goal for his new club a couple of weeks ago against Coventry, following on from a 2025/26 campaign that yielded just three goals in 21 Premier League outings for Man City. Marmoush has work to do if he’s to dislodge Solanke.
When fully fit and firing, Dejan Kulusevski is arguably Tottenham Hotspur’s best player. If he rediscovers his best form, there’s no doubt he will re-establish himself. For now, though, he has a long road ahead of him in regaining match sharpness and confidence.
Mathys Tel has come under some fire in a Tottenham shirt, never really enjoying a consistent run of form. But there is clear talent there, and he showed it with a clinching goal against Chelsea recently in a performance that also produced match highs for touches in the opposition box (11) and completed take-ons (4).
Xavi Simons is another player with immense talent who struggled to hit the heights for Spurs last season. It was unfortunate that the Netherlands international suffered an ACL injury just as he was starting to make a real difference. He will have to battle his way past Maddison for the No.10 spot when back fit.
Who is left?
There is a surprising amount of depth at Spurs right now, which is wise given the injury problems they’ve endured in recent years.
Aside from everyone else we’ve named, they could still push Lucas Bergvall into an attacking midfield spot, flanked by Wilson Odobert and Mykhaylo Mudryk. All players with points to prove.
Richarlison was their top scorer last season with 12 goals across all competitions, 11 of which came in the Premier League. But De Zerbi deemed the Brazilian surplus to requirements, and he’s not even in their Premier League squad.