While Spurs have improved defensively, notably courtesy of the addition of Jan Paul van Hecke, in attack they are struggling.

Their forward play is a far-cry from the days of the Ange Postecoglou era when it was heavy metal and chaotic in transitions. Roberto De Zerbi has, at least, brought more organisation and structure to proceedings but that doesn't mean mass improvement has been seen.

Across their opening four Premier League matches, the Lilywhites have failed to score a single goal. They have picked up only two points in that time.

Why Spurs are struggling in attack this season

You cannot say Tottenham didn't try to improve their team during the summer. This was one of the most captivating transfer windows in the club's history as they spent over £300m on new recruits.

While the biggest additions were seen in midfield where £100m Sandro Tonali and £85m Mateus Fernandes joined the ranks, efforts were made to bolster the forward line.

Cody Gakpo and Iliman Ndiaye were targeted and while they had agreed a £60m deal with Everton to sign the latter, it fell through. He ended up at Manchester City instead.

Spurs' response to that was to sign Mykhailo Mudryk on loan from Chelsea with a £70m option to buy. We'd be surprised if that was ever exercised.

Alongside the nippy winger, Savio and Omar Marmoush joined from Manchester City. However, this new look attack has yet to click into gear.

Savio dazzled on his Tottenham debut, scoring and assisting during a spritely cameo. That, however, was against Championship opposition in the form of Charlton Athletic. Since then, he has not registered a goal involvement.

Marmoush, on the other hand, is yet to have his celebratory moment. He has now played three times for De Zerbi's side and is yet to set the world alight. His most memorable moment was against Everton when he belted the ball straight out of play when attempting a cross-field ball. Really, that sums up the club's woes in the final third.

So, why are they struggling? Well, it could be down to a lack of creativity. In 2026/27, they are the fourth-worst team in the Premier League for shots on target per match with just three and they have only recorded seven big chances thus far. That places them in 16th place in the division for that metric.

As a result, matters may well improve once Mohammed Kudus and James Maddison return to full fitness. For now, however, relying on Fernandes to play in the 10 should be forgotten about. During his 63 minutes on the field against Everton, he failed to complete a key pass.

De Zerbi will hope to see more from his wingers too.

The next Mbappe is struggling at Spurs

One of the biggest problems for Spurs over recent years has been their defensive record. In 2024/25, only the three relegated teams and 16th placed Wolves conceded more than their haul of 65. Meanwhile, last season, as they finished 17th, only West Ham, Burnley and Wolves, who all went down, shipped more.

That said, their offensive record has hardly been great either. They have lacked true successors to Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.

Replacing Kane was always going to be an impossible task but a natural replacement for Son looked easier to find. Yet, they have struggled in that regard too.

Of course, the Lilywhites have not been helped by injuries in recent years and while they did try to bolster their flanks with Gakpo and Ndiaye, they have largely had to rely on a set of inexperienced options.

Last term, Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert were rivalling each other for minutes on the left flank. Odobert ended the season injured while Tel has struggled with bouts of inconsistency right throughout his time in north London.

Aged 21, the Frenchman has long been tipped to become a genuine superstar. At Bayern Munich, he was one of the German club's brightest prospects. In fact, as European football expert Neal Gardner outlines, he was "once touted to be the next Mbappe". Well, in the present day, he looks more like a Timo Werner or Clinton N'Jie type of forward at Tottenham.

He's a threat with his dribbling and he's got pace but he's just desperately inconsistent, just as Werner and N'Jie were in these parts.

Tel is a perplexing case. Last term he scored just four goals but in pre-season he looks like their best player. He bagged a devastating free-kick against Sydney FC and assisted three goals. He was a menace with his dribbling. No defender was capable of containing him.

That form looked like it might continue into the Premier League. While Spurs lost 3-0 to Brentford on the opening weekend, Tel was perhaps the most likely of the forward line to make something happen, completing six of his eight dribble attempts.

Yet, the fact of the matter is that the young Frenchman is yet to register a goal contribution in the Premier League. To cut him some slack, no one in the squad has, but Tel's performances have been frustrating since he joined. His display against Nottingham Forest a week ago seems to have been the final straw.

He had no shots, provided just one key pass and completed only three of his seven dribbles. Against Everton on Saturday, he was dropped to the bench with Marmoush favoured. Tel did come on in the 63rd minute but did so as a centre-forward.

Spurs needed a goal and he was the man De Zerbi called upon. It sums up Tottenham's woes in the attacking third of the pitch.

Did he make an impact? The answer to that question, rather unsurprisingly, is no. He had 17 touches in the final half an hour, took just two shots and lost both of his duels.

At the end of the game, De Zerbi was seen screaming at Tel. It's unclear what that argument was about but it did not bode well for his future at the club.

A £30m signing back in June 2025, since moving to London, he has not covered himself in much glory at all. You can filter this signing in the flops category. He has been no better than some of the struggling wingers Spurs have had in the last decade, that includes the likes of Steven Bergwijn, Werner and that man N'Jie.