It's kitchen sink time for Thomas Frank. With two wins from 16 in the Premier League, the Tottenham Hotspur manager cannot afford to slip up against Newcastle United on Tuesday evening.
You could make that claim about any of the long list of disappointments that have littered Spurs' season, but many supporters would tell you that Frank's position has become untenable, and defeat against the Magpies could heighten fears of a genuine battle against relegation.
Thomas Frank manager of Tottenham Hotspur applauds the fans
This is a complete mess. Spurs are last year's Europa League champions, straight through to the last 16 in the Champions League after a confident group phase that saw them secure fourth place.
Moreover, Tottenham have spent their share in recent years, and to have finished 17th in the Premier League last year and found that that failure was not an outlier is a deep concern.
Premier League's Highest Spenders (19/20 - 25/26)
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Data via Transfermarkt
With this in mind, Frank cannot afford to lose against Newcastle, even though Spurs are contending with a slew of injuries.
The latest on Spurs' injury problems
Tottenham were active during the January transfer window, but ENIC Group's business has done little to appease the fanbase, with glaring holes in attack left unaddressed.
Spurs January transfer window 2026 ins and outs (deadline day)
For example, Mohammed Kudus fell to injury after Brennan Johnson was sold to Crystal Palace for £35m, and yet a replacement winger was not added. James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are already sidelined, out since before the season started, and Richarlison fell in January too.
That doesn't even cover the whole list of injuries, frustratingly, with any number of Spurs stars currently fighting to return to fitness. In this, Frank no doubt feels hard done by.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank reacts-2
However, fans won't care a jot about his indignations if Newcastle leave London with three points on Tuesday, as they have done on two of their past three visits.
The left side is a particular worry, with Destiny Udogie withdrawn with a new hamstring injury. It's expected that the full-back will miss a month of action.
Udogie, 23, has been Tottenham's first-choice left-back since Ange Postecoglou arrived in 2023, and though the Italy international enjoyed a rip-roaring start to life in the English capital, he has since struggled for form and consistency.
udogie-net-spurs-chelsea
Losing him once again, only weeks after he had returned from his previous setback, is a blow, to be sure, but it's also a golden opportunity for a new recruit to showcase their quality on the Premier League stage.
How Spurs can solve their new injury blow
Ben Davies' current unavailability due to injury means Frank's conundrum deepens. Here Andy Robertson could have stepped in and saved the day.
Instead, it might have to be Souza who provides relief down the left side, the 19-year-old having joined the Londoners from Santos in Brazil for about £13m in January.
Souza made his bow in a Tottenham shirt in a baptism of fire, but he held his own in tough circumstances at Old Trafford, with Frank saying the Brazilian "did well" on his debut against Manchester United, creating a chance, recovering two balls and completing all nine of his passes.
While throwing him into the deep end so early is hardly a track Frank would have wanted to go down, he has been left with little choice, but perhaps something can grow here, Souza rising to the occasion and providing his team with an outlet while defending against the pace of Newcastle's Anthony Elanga.
Souza for Tottenham
Journalist Tim Vickery knows his share about South American football, and he said on talkSPORT that the Lilywhites might have landed themselves a future superstar: "It's terrific business. I like him very much. He's a good left-back. Physically strong, skilful, a good footballer. He can defend, he can attack."
This is certainly an identifiable trend when looking at Souza's development through the 2025 Brasileiro Serie A campaign. He completed 85% of his passes and averaged 1.7 tackles across his 21 outings (with 19 starts), also winning 57% of his ground duels and completing 55% of his dribbles.
Of course, Souza will find that the Premier League is a different beast - indeed, he lost each of his three duels against United last weekend - but that's not to say there's not a terrific player in there, someone whose balance and willingness to run could see him succeed Udogie over the next five weeks or so.
Destiny Udogie injured for Tottenham
But Souza's natural athleticism and technical skill make him the perfect stand-in, a more dynamic option than Davies, who has scarcely played this year, and lacks pace and progression.
Udogie's absence is a blow, of course, and not just for the base fact that it strengthens Frank's depth down the flank. The Italian is one of the most electric wide defenders around, monstrous in transition.
However, he "needs to wake up" from a defensive standpoint at times, and has become unreliable on the fitness front. In this, the 23-year-old's development has been stunted, reflected through his performances in the Premier League this year.
Let's not forget that Udogie has only created one big chance in the Premier League this season, losing 69% of his attempted dribbles.
Souza is young, but he did show against Man United last week that he has what it takes to succeed in the Premier League, and given that Newcastle are at something of a low ebb themselves, his youth and exuberance could be exactly what the Lilywhites need to finally turn things around and breathe some positivity back into their club.
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