Tottenham Week in Review, Monday 2nd November: Harry Kane Wins the Ballon D'Or as Spurs Make It Three Wins in a Row
What a week to be a Spurs fan. Harry Kane was crowned the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner, becoming the first Englishman to land the award in 25 years, and he was quick to thank his old club and Thomas Tuchel for helping him achieve his dream (ESPN) (Evening Standard). Tottenham's official site proudly noted his journey from academy graduate to the club's record goalscorer and now the best player in the world (TottenhamHotspur.com). Kane also gave a special mention to an unsung Tottenham hero during his acceptance speech (Football.London), while Son Heung-min's reaction to his old strike partner's triumph went down a treat with supporters (Spurs Web). The club marked the achievement by unveiling a digital mural of Kane at Hotspur Way (Evening Standard) (Spurs Web). Not everyone was purely celebratory, mind - Jamie Carragher couldn't resist a sly dig at Spurs amid the celebrations (Football.London), and one former Tottenham forward reflected on how tough Kane's rise made his own time at the club (Football.London).
On the pitch, De Zerbi's side continued their upturn in form by beating Crystal Palace 2-0 at home, with Archie Gray heading the hosts in front early on, to make it three Premier League wins in a row (Evening Standard) (BBC Sport). The Guardian noted it's been a hugely successful fortnight by recent standards following the win at Chelsea (The Guardian) (The Guardian), and BBC Sport's Phil McNulty asked whether De Zerbi's Spurs are finally finding some consistency (BBC Sport). De Zerbi himself said the mood around the club is "totally different" after the run of results (BBC Sport), though he was quick to warn his players that three wins alone aren't enough (Spurs Web). Archie Gray spoke of the togetherness in the squad following their recent trip to Marbella (Spurs Web), a trip De Zerbi credited with improving relationships within the group (Spurs Web). Elsewhere, Andros Townsend pointed to one area he feels Tottenham are visibly improving week by week (Spurs Web), and Spurs climbed the Opta power rankings, moving above Manchester United (Spurs Web). Jamie O'Hara went as far as backing Spurs for a Champions League finish (Spurs Web), while Steven Gerrard reckons just two more signings could put them in the title mix (Spurs Web).
Individual performances have caught the eye too. Mathys Tel was named in WhoScored's Team of the Week after his display against Chelsea (Spurs Web), and De Zerbi praised him further, while still highlighting two areas for improvement (Spurs Web) (Spurs Web). Jan Paul van Hecke's numbers against Palace were held up as evidence he can be a creative spark against deep defences (Spurs Web), and he also spoke about the squad's bond with De Zerbi (Spurs Web). Mateus Fernandes continues to impress in midfield alongside Sandro Tonali, with stats pointing to their growing dominance there (Spurs Web) (Spurs Web). Dejan Kulusevski opened up on what makes De Zerbi "special" following his long road back from injury (Spurs Web), though he was also handed a word of warning after his comeback (Football.London). Pedro Porro's animated post-match kiss with De Zerbi after the Chelsea win was explained by the Italian, who called his full-back a "passionate guy" (Spurs Web).
On the injury front, James Maddison's latest issue, suffered after limping off against Chelsea following his return from an ACL injury, is not thought to be serious (The Sun) (Evening Standard). He was an unused substitute against Palace, with De Zerbi explaining the thinking behind that decision (Spurs Web), and there's been plenty of debate over who should fill his void in the side (Spurs Web) (Spurs Web) (Spurs Web) (Football.London). Destiny Udogie continues to be linked with frustration over his fitness record, though De Zerbi gave an update on when he and Porro might be ready to start again (Spurs Web) (TottenhamHotspur.com).
In transfer news, Tottenham remain in the frame for Nicolo Tresoldi, though Chelsea and Manchester City have now entered the £42m race, with Arsenal also credited with interest (Spurs Web) (Spurs Web) (Spurs Web). Spurs are reportedly not actively looking to sell Dominic Solanke in January despite his struggles in front of goal (Sports Mole). Alex Scott, a boyhood Spurs fan, looks increasingly likely to end up at a rival club (Spurs Web), while Barcelona have reportedly shortlisted Lucas Bergvall, though Spurs are said to have taken a clear stance on his future (Spurs Web). Pedro Porro has admitted a "big dream" of a move to La Liga, naming Real Madrid and Barcelona as suitors (Football365). Elsewhere, Tottenham have reportedly had their interest in Ibrahim Maza complicated (Spurs Web), are keeping tabs on a La Liga striker with an impressive international scoring record (Spurs Web), and have been credited with interest in a Juventus defender as potential back-up for Porro, with Arsenal also keen (Spurs Web). Richarlison's asking price has reportedly been cut ahead of January, with interest said to be stirring (Spurs Web), while Luka Vuskovic's rapid rise since leaving Tottenham has prompted talk of a lucrative sell-on clause (Spurs Web).
Finally, on the academy and loans front, young winger Luca Williams-Barnett has been earning rave reviews, with Jamie Redknapp calling him a "sensational talent" (Football365) (BBC Sport), and some at the club reportedly feel he could be the next player to follow Kane's path through the academy (Spurs Web). Jamie Donley continues to shine on loan at Luton, netting a brace in a 3-1 win (Spurs Web), while football.london's round-up of the loan contingent touched on a tricky spell for one young winger and a Mikey Moore meeting (Football.London).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
