To the surprise of very few, Tottenham Hotspur were undone by a set-piece as they were beaten 2-1 by West Ham United in front of their own supporters on Saturday.
Guglielmo Vicario, far from the first time in his career in North London, was caught in no man’s land in the six-yard box and Callum Wilson converted from close range to seal all three points for the relegation battlers.
Conor Gallagher was signed from Atletico Madrid on a permanent deal earlier this week and was thrust straight into the heat of the battle, but he was unable to help the Lilywhites to a positive result.
Unfortunately, too many players were not at it against the Hammers and there will be more questions over head coach Thomas Frank, who has overseen three defeats in a row now.
Ranking Tottenham's worst performers against West Ham
Vicario, as aforementioned, was caught under the corner that West Ham scored the winning goal from and has to be among the worst performers on the day for the Lilywhites.
The Italy international did make one sensational diving save when the score was 1-1, but he let himself down with Wilson’s goal and conceded two goals from four shots against him.
Vicario, who had 39 touches in the game (Sofascore), was far from the only poor performer for Spurs, though, as Randal Kolo Muani, Wilson Odobert, and Xavi Simons all looked blunt in attack, failing to contribute any goals or assists.
Tottenham’s worst performers against West Ham
Rank
Player
1
Randal Kolo Muani
2
Guglielmo Vicario
3
Archie Gray
4
Wilson Odobert
5
Xavi Simons
As you can see in the table above, Archie Gray also ranks alongside those four after he was substituted for Yves Bissouma at the break, having lost four of his six duels in the first 45, per Sofascore.
It was Kolo Muani who was the worst of the lot, though, as the France international struggled in place of the injured Richarlison, and the club must make moves in the window to move on from him.
Why Spurs need to replace Kolo Muani
Kolo Muani is currently on loan from PSG until the end of the season, but the Lilywhites should already be looking to ruthlessly ditch him by signing a replacement this month.
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With Richarlison out with a hamstring injury, the French forward had to lead the line for Spurs and he, unfortunately, showed yet again that he has been Frank’s worst signing this season.
Spurs made six senior additions to their first-team squad last summer: Xavi Simons, Randal Kolo Muani, Mohammed Kudus, Mathys Tel, Kevin Danso, and Joao Palhinha.
Per WhoScored, Kolo Muani and Danso, a centre-back, are the only two players from that list who have failed to register a single goal involvement in the Premier League this season.
That is particularly disappointing from the PSG loanee, who has played out wide or as a striker, and illustrates just how much of a flop he has been for the Lilywhites.
Kolo Muani has only scored two goals in 22 appearances in all competitions for Spurs in the 2025/26 campaign, per Sofascore, and they both came against his parent club in the Champions League.
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He was given a chance to lead the line as the main man against West Ham on Saturday, but he ended the match with just 28 touches and zero shots on goal, per Sofascore, which means that he had even fewer touches than his goalkeeper, Vicario.
25/26 PL
Kolo Muani
Appearances
15
Starts
11
xG
1.33
Goals
0
Key passes per game
0.9
Big chances created
0
Assists
0
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Kolo Muani has now failed to score in 11 starts in the Premier League for Spurs, which shows that he has had plenty of opportunities to prove his worth.
Unfortunately, the Frenchman continues to struggle and that is why Spurs should be looking to replace him by making another forward signing before the end of the January transfer window.
Ultimately, Kolo Muani has not done enough to suggest that he is good enough to be the main man for Tottenham in the number nine role, which is why he should be ditched in the coming days and demoted to a reserve option, before his loan ends and he returns to PSG in the summer.
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