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Daily Mail
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED from Thomas Frank's Tottenham bow: How new £55m man Mohammed Kudus got on, the star who could be fearing for his spot, and where they NEED signings after 2-0 win over Reading
Thomas Frank 's Tottenham reign started with a 2-0 win in a preseason friendly at Reading before a crowd of more than 22,000. Frank used 22 players who each had 45 minutes. It was goalless at half-time and Will Lankshear and Luka Vuskovic scored the goals, early in the second half, watched by chairman Daniel Levy in the front row of the directors' box, sat next to technical director Johan Lange. Here are five things we learned. 1) A shape of things to come The first glimpse into Frank's tactical plans came from the shape and he used a 4-2-3-1 formation in both halves, with fairly orthodox full-backs, two deep in midfielder and a number 10. Alfie Devine, 20 years old and back from a season on loan at Westerlo in Belgium, was deployed as the number 10 in the first half. After the break it was Jamie Donley, also 20, also back from a season on loan, in his case at Leyton Orient. But it is easy to see how James Maddison or Morgan Gibbs-White, if they can complete his signing from Nottingham Forest, might slot into that role. Maddison, who missed the end of last season with a knee injury, was among those absent at Reading. He is still behind others on the preseason training schedule. Dejan Kulusevski might eventually come into this equation, too, but he is recovering from a serious knee injury and will miss the start of the new season. For the record, the line-ups… First half: Kinsky; Porro, Romero, Danso, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur; Johnson, Devine, Moore; Solanke. Second half: Vicario; Spence, Vuskovic, Van de Ven, Davies; Bergvall, Bissouma; Kudus, Donley, Son; Lankshear. 2) New faces looking the part There has been an excitable preamble to the arrival of teenage centre half Vuskovic from Hajduk Split via loan spells in Poland and Belgium, and fans were not disappointed as the 18-year-old centre half marked his first appearance in a Spurs shirt with a goal and an assist. The tall Croatian, who made his senior international debut in June, flicked on a corner by Mohamed Kudus for Lankshear to head in the opener, then advanced to sweep in the second with his left foot from a pass by Kudus. Vuskovic, who played only the second half, deployed in tandem with Micky van de Ven, scored seven from central defence for Westerlo in Belgium last season. Kudus was involved in the goals and sharp on the ball. The first flash of him in full flow came 12 minutes from the end, jinking past a couple of challenges inside his own half and, with a change of pace, carrying the ball forward down the right win before picking out Donley, who fired wide. 3) Serious about set-pieces After all the criticism of set pieces during Ange Postecoglou's tenure, Frank wants us to know this is an area he is very serious about. A lengthy part of the pre-match warm-up routine involved the entire starting XI defending set pieces delivered from various angles by teenager George Abbott, one of four unused subs, with the Spurs coaching staff mimicking the attacking side. Still, Reading's main threats came from set pieces, one scare with a free kick delivered by Charlie Savage in the first half and a cluster of corners in the second half. Tottenham broke the deadlock directly from a corner, taken by Kudus, flicked on by Vuskovic and headed in by Lankshear at close range. The second came from a recycled corner, with Vuskovic still lurking up front in the penalty area. 4) Looming tug of glove We shouldn't at this stage to read too far into Antonin Kinsky starting the first half rather than Guglielmo Vicario because this was a large squad swirled up into two teams to play 45 minutes each, but Frank has a decision to make in goal. Kinsky certainly looked comfortable with the ball at his feet here, and Frank clearly asked his team to play out from the back where possible. Vicario struggled and was prone to mistakes after returning from a broken ankle last season. He has also had his well-documented problems from set-pieces but is one of the dressing room leaders and made a terrific save in the closing stages at Reading. It is a big call for the new boss and he won't want to rush into it. 5) Still lacking up front Richarlison was the most notable absentee and a reminder that there is no obvious cover for Dominic Solanke at centre forward. Richarlison must be the first option but cannot be relied upon to be fit and available. Lankshear, 20, is a natural centre forward who made little impression on loan at West Bromwich Albion in the second half of last season but found the target here soon after coming on. Mathys Tel did not look entirely comfortable as a centre forward last season. Kudus will provide another option although is probably not a natural in that role as they found at West Ham last season. Son Heung-min, another with experience in the role, could be gone before the end of the transfer window. Frank did nothing to quash the theory when he spoke on Friday. Son was one of the last to report back for training and looked sluggish when he came on for the second half, especially compared with the zip of Kudus on the opposite flank. Son's touch was heavy and he miscued a volley he might have taken when at his sharpest. Lucas Bergvall also looked rusty, making errors on the ball deep in midfield in the second half. But these things won't worry the new boss as he experiments with combinations and partnerships in different areas of the team to find out where there is chemistry and understanding to carry out his instructions. P.S. Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert and Tel are all on a delayed schedule after being given more time off following their roles in the U21s Euros and trained at the training ground. Kota Takai has only recently received his work permit and started to train after a move from Kawasaki Frontale in Japan, so is not fully integrated. Maddison is not yet training with the team after his knee ligament injury at the end of last season. Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin are some way behind after serious knee injuries this year. Bryan Gil, who has no future at Spurs, is in Spain undergoing rehab on an injury. Manor Solomon and Dane Scarlett were also absent.
Daily Mail
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Thomas Frank does little to quell speculation that Heung-min Son is leaving Tottenham this summer as new boss holds his first press conference
Thomas Frank did little on his first appearance as Tottenham manager to quash the theory that Heung-min Son is heading for the exit. Son will not leave before next month's preseason tour of Asia where friendlies will be played in Hong Kong and South Korea, but the 33-year-old is in the final year of his contract with interest from Saudi Arabia and the MLS in the United States. He has been at Spurs for a decade and is captain, although there were no guarantees about Son keeping the armband. 'Good question, we haven't decided anything,' said Frank on the matter of the captaincy. 'It will be my decision. There is a long list of - bullet points to get through and I will take them in the right order. 'He was captain last year and when we play our two x 45 minutes tomorrow Son and Cristian Romero will be the captains.' Tottenham are in action for the first time under their new boss in a preseason friendly at Reading on Saturday. 'Right now, I have a player that is fully committed and training well,' he added on Son and his right to be allowed to leave if he wished to after 10 years of service. 'If a player has been at a club a long time, then there will always be a decision for the club to take of course. It's always tricky if that happens.' Those decisions he said would be taken in conjunction with chairman Daniel Levy and technical director Johan Lange. 'The club will always decide in the end,' added Frank as he fielded questions in his first press conference since he was lured across London from Brentford to replace Ange Postecoglou. He has not, he said, spoken to Postecoglou. And was cautious on transfer matters, refusing to comment on the pursuit of Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest. Nor did he have much to say about a failed bid for Bryan Mbeumo who is leaving Brentford for Manchester United after those clubs agreed a fee of £71million. 'Bryan is a fantastic player,' said Frank. 'I've been with him for five years and I think he deserved a move no matter where he goes and I wish him all the best.' The 51-year-old Dane was, however, ready to embrace targets set out by Levy for Spurs to challenge for the Premier League and Champions League titles and not simply the lesser cup competitions, such as the Europa League, which they won in May, the club's first major trophy in 17 years. 'I share his ambitions for the club,' said Frank. 'A club of this size should have that ambition. How far away we are is probably very difficult to say but we should throw it forward and go for it. 'No doubt that needs to be the aim for the future. What are to odds for us winning the PL this season? I'm not allowed to gamble but I think we're probably not the favourites. 'Probably there are three teams at least ahead of us, but we will do what we can to build a strong and competitive team.' As for Levy's record of sacking five managers during Frank's time at Brentford, he smiled: 'I like to challenge myself. I have the privilege of never being sacked before. That is one of the reasons why I took the job. I get a little bit more risk in my daily life. 'Coming to a big club there are pressures. We need to perform because it is we. It's me, it's the staff the players, the staff and everyone we need to do that together. I like the ambitions. Everything I do, every decision I have made so far is for the long term. It's not about surviving one game or one year or 18 months or whatever the average is. It's for the long run.'
New York Times
16-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Tottenham's transfer policy will please Danny Rose, but will it get results?
It used to be said of Tottenham Hotspur that they were so keen on finding value in the transfer market they would ignore players who were right under their noses. When Spurs full-back Danny Rose famously told UK newspaper The Sun in 2017 that he wanted them to sign players he did not 'have to Google', it struck a chord with the fanbase for a reason. This was an era when the club's transfer business was necessarily constrained by the new-stadium build, a huge billion-plus project they had to pay for themselves, with no hand-outs from anyone else. Advertisement What is so striking about Tottenham's transfer business in this window is how commonplace it is for them to target players who require far less research. Of course, there is still a hunt for bargains, for young unknowns who can develop and then shine at Tottenham. That was the case when Fabio Paratici was in charge of their recruitment, and even more so now Johan Lange is technical director. The recent purchase of Kota Takai from Japan's Kawasaki Frontale — not a player many of us had heard of — is the perfect example of this type of signing. A highly-rated youngster with great data who Spurs could beat the competition to. Antonin Kinsky, the goalkeeper signed from Slavia Prague in January, was another example of a similar trend. Go back slightly further, and the likes of Pape Matar Sarr and Lucas Bergvall, though highly regarded by those well-versed in global youth football, were hardly household names before arriving in north London. Both ended the 2024-25 season having played a huge role in the club's Europa League triumph. But while Tottenham continue to go for players such as Takai and Kinsky — ones you can be forgiven for needing to Google — they have also made a habit of adding players who require no introduction. Which is what we have seen this month with the arrival of Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United for £55million, and the attempt — still unresolved — to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest for £60m. Take a step back, and this is perhaps the defining trend in Spurs' transfer business in the past few years. And it is not the behaviour of a club shy about making their presence felt in the market. When Rose made those famous comments eight years ago, it was not quite true that Tottenham never bought from other Premier League sides. For example, they signed Southampton midfielder Victor Wanyama in summer 2016 for £11million. He made an instant impact in elevating the level of the team. Which is what you want when you buy an established player from a team in the same division. And a few weeks after Rose's intervention, Spurs signed Fernando Llorente from Swansea City for £12m, although in truth the Spanish striker was always a high-level Plan B during his time at the club rather than a guaranteed starter. Advertisement After Llorente, however, Tottenham did not sign another player from a fellow Premier League side for another three years. (When Ryan Sessegnon and Jack Clarke were bought in summer 2019, from Fulham and Leeds United respectively, those sides were in the second-tier Championship.) It was not until 2020, when they added Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton and Matt Doherty of Wolves, that they started to buy from their own division again. And neither of those deals involved a big fee either, with each player costing roughly £15million. It was only really in summer 2022 that Spurs started to behave like they routinely do now. Remember that this was after one full season of post-pandemic football. Antonio Conte wanted some more experienced additions to his team after finishing in fourth and sealing Champions League football. It was no secret that Everton needed to sell Richarlison before the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules (PSR) reporting deadline of June 30. Spurs managed to get him for a deal of £50million, plus a potential £10m more in add-ons. It was one of the biggest deals in Tottenham's history, and a clear change in policy. Later that summer, they signed Yves Bissouma from Brighton & Hove Albion for £25m. The next summer, when Ange Postecoglou came in as manager, Spurs went again to sign established top-flight players for significant fees. Leicester City had just been relegated, but Tottenham had been tracking their midfielder James Maddison for years. They persuaded him to join and bought him for £40million in late June. At the end of the window, they targeted Brennan Johnson of Nottingham Forest, another club who needed to sell for PSR reasons, and landed him for £47.5m. In Postecoglou's second (and last) summer, Spurs broke their transfer record with another big Premier League purchase. Bournemouth were not in quite the same situation as Everton in 2022 or Forest in 2023, but Dominic Solanke had two years left on his deal, and it was their last chance to make money on him. Tottenham picked him up for an initial £55million, with another £10m in potential add-ons. Advertisement Put those four deals together — Richarlison, Maddison, Johnson and Solanke — and it establishes a clear pattern. Spurs are not afraid to pay fees that used to be far beyond them for proven Premier League talent. Especially when they know the selling club, for whatever reason, are not in much of a position to resist. While it may be tempting to suggest these players (and Bissouma) have sometimes flattered to deceive at Tottenham, it is worth remembering all bar Maddison started that Europa League final, and all played a part in that long-overdue trophy win. Remember too that there is precedent for a strategy like this. Liverpool — the Premier League's best case study in how to spend money smartly — built some of the foundations for their recent successes on the signings of players who had been relegated from the Premier League: Georginio Wijnaldum from Newcastle United in 2016, Andy Robertson from Hull City the year after. Sadio Mane — who Spurs also wanted — came in from mid-table Southampton. But given what we have seen from Tottenham in the past three years, it should perhaps be no surprise that they started their summer by targeting Kudus, given how valuable that money would be to West Ham in the market. And even the move for Gibbs-White, if unexpected, was still consistent with that strategy. Of course, they certainly might have added more established players than they did last summer, and the struggles of the team to compete on multiple fronts can be attributed in part to the fact that Solanke was their only experienced signing. And transfer fees are not the same thing as wage bills, and it is in salary terms that Spurs have lost ground relative to their rivals in recent years. Even though the club has spent more on fees than ever before, some observers have pointed to the reduced wage bill as being at least as important. Maybe this window is an attempt to make up for all that, to give new head coach Thomas Frank the tools to compete on multiple fronts. And to give the fans players they do not need to look up in advance. (Top photo of Gibbs-White and Kudus;)
Scottish Sun
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Inside Thomas Frank's plan for Tottenham revolution with help of old pal Johan Lange
Tottenham's new manager and sporting director's relationship revealed below TOTT-AL RECALL Inside Thomas Frank's plan for Tottenham revolution with help of old pal Johan Lange Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THOMAS FRANK and Johan Lange shared a tiny office at Danish minnows Lyngby 20 years ago. They are now in far more luxurious surroundings, mapping out Tottenham's bright new future at their state-of-the-art training ground. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Tottenham's new manager Thomas Frank and sporting director Johan Lange have known each other for 20 years And that is truly up and running with this week's £55million swoop for Mohammed Kudus, while Morgan Gibbs-White's £50million move has been put on hold for legal reasons. Birger Jorgensen was director of football at Lyngby in the mid-2000s when he gave Frank his big break. Lange, who coached the Copenhagen side's reserves, is now Frank's technical director at Spurs after the new boss was lured from Brentford. Jorgensen, 60, visited them earlier this summer and prays they make a fast start to the season. READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS EUR OUT Furious Parish blasts 'ludicrous' Uefa for RELEGATING Palace from Europa League He told SunSport: 'Both know there's a danger that they are now working together. Two former friends from the same nationality, a small country, it's a tough world. 'Even though Thomas has done a good job in the last six or seven years at Brentford, if you lose your first five games nobody will remember that. 'But, hopefully, they can succeed together because they are thinking more or less in the same way. 'They can be strategically aligned recruitment-wise and playing-wise. They are the same people as 20 years ago. Both of them deserve to be where they are now. 6 Johan Lange started his managerial career as Copenhagan's assistant CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS 'It is one of the biggest clubs in the world and I cross all my fingers that they can succeed — especially in the beginning because then you have a chance to continue the good vibes.' Tottenham have gone from a manager accused of never adapting his style — to one who has changed tack since his early days in coaching. Will 'hothead' Kudus fit in at Tottenham after controversial West Ham exit? | Transfers Exposed Frank earned his move to succeed the puritanical Ange Postecoglou at Spurs after a Brentford stint where set-piece prowess and defensive solidity were key to his success. But he was not always like that. Frank's role was 'individual coach', a Danish FA-subsidised position working on a one-to-one basis with the club's best talent aged 16-22. Among those was a teenage Christian Norgaard, who Arsenal have just signed from Brentford. Jorgensen added: 'When we were working together decades ago, we were never talking set-pieces, it wasn't a part of football. 6 Thomas Frank established Brentford as a solid Premier League team 6 Spurs signed Frank from Brentford after paying his £10million release clause 'We were never talking about defending out of possession — we wanted to have the ball all the time. 'Thomas has definitely changed that part at Brentford. He is very focused on set-pieces, for and against, and very focused on the transition, defending and all that kind of stuff. 'I brought Thomas and Johan to Lyngby because I believed they had the same mentality - curious, hard-working, good people Jorgensen 'The game changed and he adapted when he was in the big leagues. It's because Thomas and Johan are smart people. They sniff what is going on inside football.' The individual coach role is something Frank and Lange have introduced this summer at Spurs, with ex-RB Leipzig and Rangers man Cameron Campbell taking the position. Frank and Lange were heavily influenced by Lyngby's first-team manager Kasper Hjulmand, the Denmark coach that lost to England in the Euro 2020 semi-finals. Other staff members also made their name further down the line. The Under-19s boss Niels Frederiksen has just won the Polish top flight with Lech Poznan. 6 Frank is about to start pre-season training with Spurs 6 Spurs sacked Ange Postecoglou 16 days after lifting the Europa League final Jorgensen continued: 'Nobody knew that group of individuals would succeed later on in a number of different ways. 'For small money, we found it interesting to work and inspire each other, play some good football, make some good scouting. 'We always said, 'serious people with a social life', in that period. 'We enjoyed each other's company and enjoyed the life. 'I brought Thomas and Johan to Lyngby because I believed they had the same mentality — curious, hard-working, good people. They were fantastic together. 'In Denmark, we don't have big ambitions to run a Premier League team. If you asked Johan and Thomas back then, I don't think they would have believed they could go so far. 'I don't think we would have said they would go to Premier League clubs back then — maybe big clubs in Denmark. But later on, why not? 'Because they are both skilful, hard-working, clever, good at working with people and strategic.' Frank honed his communication and motivational skills at Lyngby before moving on to coach Denmark Under-17s in 2008. As well as Norgaard, Frank helped mould striker Yussef Poulsen. Jorgensen said he was 'not such a skilful player back then' but is now 'a big shot' at RB Leipzig. Lange, 45, is a transfer power- broker now, but he was on the training pitch then, before returning in 2013 as Lyngby's manager. That followed a brief spell as Stale Solbakken's assistant at Wolves a year prior. He later moved into a recruitment role at Copenhagen before taking similar jobs at Aston Villa and now Spurs. Having an old pal in such a prominent position should help Frank to get used to his new surroundings. But both need only look at the rapid turnover of managers and executives under chairman Daniel Levy to know their friendship will count for nothing if they do not deliver results.
The Sun
11-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Inside Thomas Frank's plan for Tottenham revolution with help of old pal Johan Lange
THOMAS FRANK and Johan Lange shared a tiny office at Danish minnows Lyngby 20 years ago. They are now in far more luxurious surroundings, mapping out Tottenham' s bright new future at their state-of-the-art training ground. 6 And that is truly up and running with this week's £55million swoop for Mohammed Kudus, while Morgan Gibbs-White's £50million move has been put on hold for legal reasons. Birger Jorgensen was director of football at Lyngby in the mid-2000s when he gave Frank his big break. Lange, who coached the Copenhagen side's reserves, is now Frank's technical director at Spurs after the new boss was lured from Brentford. Jorgensen, 60, visited them earlier this summer and prays they make a fast start to the season. He told SunSport: 'Both know there's a danger that they are now working together. Two former friends from the same nationality, a small country, it's a tough world. 'Even though Thomas has done a good job in the last six or seven years at Brentford, if you lose your first five games nobody will remember that. 'But, hopefully, they can succeed together because they are thinking more or less in the same way. 'They can be strategically aligned recruitment-wise and playing-wise. They are the same people as 20 years ago. Both of them deserve to be where they are now. 6 'It is one of the biggest clubs in the world and I cross all my fingers that they can succeed — especially in the beginning because then you have a chance to continue the good vibes.' Tottenham have gone from a manager accused of never adapting his style — to one who has changed tack since his early days in coaching. Will 'hothead' Kudus fit in at Tottenham after controversial West Ham exit? | Transfers Exposed Frank earned his move to succeed the puritanical Ange Postecoglou at Spurs after a Brentford stint where set-piece prowess and defensive solidity were key to his success. But he was not always like that. Frank's role was 'individual coach', a Danish FA-subsidised position working on a one-to-one basis with the club's best talent aged 16-22. Among those was a teenage Christian Norgaard, who Arsenal have just signed from Brentford. Jorgensen added: 'When we were working together decades ago, we were never talking set-pieces, it wasn't a part of football. 6 6 'We were never talking about defending out of possession — we wanted to have the ball all the time. 'Thomas has definitely changed that part at Brentford. He is very focused on set-pieces, for and against, and very focused on the transition, defending and all that kind of stuff. 'I brought Thomas and Johan to Lyngby because I believed they had the same mentality - curious, hard-working, good people Jorgensen The Sun 'The game changed and he adapted when he was in the big leagues. It's because Thomas and Johan are smart people. They sniff what is going on inside football.' The individual coach role is something Frank and Lange have introduced this summer at Spurs, with ex-RB Leipzig and Rangers man Cameron Campbell taking the position. Frank and Lange were heavily influenced by Lyngby's first-team manager Kasper Hjulmand, the Denmark coach that lost to England in the Euro 2020 semi-finals. Other staff members also made their name further down the line. The Under-19s boss Niels Frederiksen has just won the Polish top flight with Lech Poznan. 6 6 Jorgensen continued: 'Nobody knew that group of individuals would succeed later on in a number of different ways. 'For small money, we found it interesting to work and inspire each other, play some good football, make some good scouting. 'We always said, 'serious people with a social life', in that period. 'We enjoyed each other's company and enjoyed the life. 'I brought Thomas and Johan to Lyngby because I believed they had the same mentality — curious, hard-working, good people. They were fantastic together. 'In Denmark, we don't have big ambitions to run a Premier League team. If you asked Johan and Thomas back then, I don't think they would have believed they could go so far. 'I don't think we would have said they would go to Premier League clubs back then — maybe big clubs in Denmark. But later on, why not? 'Because they are both skilful, hard-working, clever, good at working with people and strategic.' Frank honed his communication and motivational skills at Lyngby before moving on to coach Denmark Under-17s in 2008. As well as Norgaard, Frank helped mould striker Yussef Poulsen. Jorgensen said he was 'not such a skilful player back then' but is now 'a big shot' at RB Leipzig. Lange, 45, is a transfer power- broker now, but he was on the training pitch then, before returning in 2013 as Lyngby's manager. That followed a brief spell as Stale Solbakken's assistant at Wolves a year prior. He later moved into a recruitment role at Copenhagen before taking similar jobs at Aston Villa and now Spurs. Having an old pal in such a prominent position should help Frank to get used to his new surroundings.
