Latest news with #ThomasFrank
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Is Reading v Tottenham Hotspur on TV? Kick-off time and how to watch friendly online
Reading tackle Tottenham Hotspur in a pre-season friendly with Thomas Frank's reign underway for the 2025/26 season after Ange Postecoglou was sacked. Frank made the move to Spurs from Brentford and will guide the Londoners into the Champions League this term. The Spurs squad have had 12 days together, with the players eager to impress the Dane. Advertisement They'll have four pre-season matches before taking on Bayern Munich in the Telekom Cup on 7 August. They'll also be involved in the Uefa Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, prior to their Premier League opener at home to Burnley on 16 August. Here's everything you need to know about the friendly: When is Reading v Tottenham Hotspur? The match will kick off at 3pm UK time on Saturday 19 July at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, Reading. How can I watch it? It will be live on Royals TV and Spursplay, which will have live and on-demand video content for Spurs' five pre-season matches this summer. Predicted line-ups Reading predicted XI: Pereira; Yiadom, O'Connor, Burns, Jacob; Wing, Savage; Osho, Knibbs, Camara; Ehibhatiomhan Advertisement Tottenham predicted XI: Kinsky; Porro, Takai, Van de Ven, Spence; Maddison, Bentancur, Sarr; Kudus, Solanke, Son Tottenham Hotspur pre-season schedule
Times
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Times
Newcastle to improve bid for Yoane Wissa after he leaves Brentford camp
Newcastle United are preparing to make an improved bid for Yoane Wissa after the Brentford forward left the London club's training camp in Portugal. Brentford rejected Newcastle's opening £25million offer for the forward, who scored 19 Premier League goals last season and has also been tracked by Tottenham Hotspur. Brentford have not put a valuation on Wissa, who will turn 29 in September, but he is likely to cost at least in the region of £40million. He has a year left on his contract but Brentford have the option to extend it by one season until 2027. Newcastle are believed to be favourites to sign him, though the two clubs are thought to be a significant way apart in terms of a fee. Tottenham could also match his personal terms and like the forward, who played under their new head coach Thomas Frank for four years at Brentford, but do not consider his position a priority after the recent £55million signing of Mohammed Kudus. Nottingham Forest were willing to pay about £25million for Wissa in January and he has since been offered to both Chelsea and Arsenal. It has emerged that Wissa left Brentford's Portuguese training camp last weekend. He is thought to have asked to leave because of the speculation around his future. Brentford, at this point, still expect him to be part of their squad when they return home. Wissa, who joined Brentford from the French club Lorient in 2021, wants to leave, despite the club offering him a new contract, and has been unsettled by the speculation. The DR Congo forward is expected to report to Brentford's training ground when the squad return to west London. They play away to Portuguese Primeira Liga side Gil Vicente on Friday followed by friendlies at Queens Park Rangers on August 2 and at home to German side Borussia Mönchengladbach on August 8. They start their Premier League campaign away to Nottingham Forest nine days later before hosting Aston Villa on August 23. Newcastle start their season at Villa Park on August 16 and then host champions Liverpool nine days later.
Forbes
a day ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Brentford FC Will Implode If This Move Goes Wrong
Brentford manager Thomas Frank with Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa after the final whistle of the ... More Premier League match at the King Power Stadium, Leicester. Picture date: Friday February 21, 2025. (Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images) At Brentford, there was always an acceptance that good things don't last. The club's secret weapon has been its willingness to sell its best players and successfully reinvest the earned sum. Over the past decade, this strategy has slowly transformed the West London side from an average League 1 outfit to an established Premier League team. Along the way, there have been many moments when the method of steady renewal might falter, especially when a seemingly irreplaceable part of the machine was lost. In the dugout, the exits of Mark Warburton and Dean Smith felt like knockout blows, but on each occasion, the Bees steadied themselves and hit new heights. Likewise, when Neal Maupay or Ollie Watkins were sold, it seemed unlikely that the club would uncover another prolific goalscorer. Yet every time a talisman departed, a player whom the Bees had steadily developed would come to the fore and replace them. This type of long-term strategic vision starkly contrasts with rivals, whose boom and bust investment in short-term fixes has not delivered the sustainable achievements that Matthew Benham's leadership has. But it's hard to imagine a summer of disruption to the Brentford model greater than this one. It began with the departure of coach Thomas Frank, the man who took Brentford to the promised land of the Premier League and established them as a force. It was only a matter of time before he'd be offered a more prestigious position, and this year, Tottenham Hotspur swooped in for the Dane. If he were the only major exit, that would be one thing, but he's part of a major exodus of talent from West London. Influential midfielder Christian Norgaard has gone to Arsenal and is set to be followed out the door by top scorer Bryan Mbeumo, who is Manchester United-bound. But that's not all, its next highest scorer, Yoane Wissa, is being pursued by a host of top-flight rivals and goalkeeper Mark Flekken is wanted by Bayer Leverkusen. As has been the Brentford way so successfully, Frank's replacement is a man without experience. Keith Andrews is far better known for pontificating from the analyst's chair as a TV pundit, but after a successful spell as the team's set-piece coach, he finds himself as the new coach. Thankfully, for a man losing the core of a very successful team, he is under no illusions about what's in store. '[I've been given] no assurances. I think the reality is that it's a football club that has been built in a certain way and we have ways to do things which aren't the norm," said the former Ireland international. 'The support Thomas had throughout his tenure was impeccable. The relations he built were very connected and aligned and I don't see that being any different.' Set-Piece Genius Or Armchair Expert? New Brentford manager Keith Andrews at the Gtech Community Stadium, London. Picture date: Monday ... More June 30, 2025. (Photo by Maja Smiejkowska/PA Images via Getty Images) Andrews comes to the role having overseen one of the most effective aspects of Brentford's game last season. Set-piece goals provided the platform for many victories and the side even managed the astonishing record of scoring from kick-off in four consecutive Premier League games. According to former Brentford set-piece analyst Marc Orti Esteban, this is evidence of Andrews' talent. "He deserves big credit for it," Esteban, who previously worked on routines and provided reports to the Irishman, told Sky Sports. "He knew it was an opportunity every game, maybe not to score a goal but to start on the front foot, and it's paid out really well. 'I don't think this is normal to score four or five goals from kick-offs. It's not easy to repeat, but there was a game plan for sure.' However, not everyone is so enthusiastic about the former pundit's prospects in West London. Andrews' former manager at the Republic of Ireland, Martin O'Neill, wished him well while simultaneously taking a dig at the man he managed. "Good luck to him. I hope he does get the job because he'll then realise what management is all about. It's not as easy to be just sitting in a pundit's chair and just criticising someone who, in all honesty, had a much better career than he had. He was dealing with the bottom end of it when I was winning the European Cup," O'Neill told Talksport. Everton's former CEO turned soccer consultant, Keith Wyness, was even more scathing on a Football Insider's Inside Track podcast episode. "I've just got concerns that the pressure could tell on him quickly and it won't be handled in quite the same way as Thomas Frank did," he said. "If you remember when Frank started, he lost eight out of his first 10 games. Frank fought through that early adversity, carried on persevering, and doing it but I think if that was to happen to Andrews, we'd see a different situation. "I just don't see him having the experience of managing, and I think that experience is so crucial in a smaller club like Brentford, where you're part of a much smaller group of decision makers and there's just no room for egos, volatility. "I hope I'm wrong and I do have a lot of trust in Matthew Benham and John Varney to make the right decision but I'm just saying that's the red flag in my mind and if I were a chief executive again, I would have been thinking differently about appointing him as the manager. 'He's part of the family at Brentford, I understand that. He knows everybody and they've had a chance to review much more than I have, so I take that point on board. However, it's just something in my gut feeling and my experience of having been in football and hired managers.' At this stage, few would bet against the long body of evidence favoring Brentford's strategy. But Andrews faces a task far harder than any of his predecessors. The club's faith in him will surely be tested, and it will be fascinating to see how it all plays out.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Revealed: The clause that has kept Son Heung-min at Tottenham this summer despite doubts over long-term future as South Korea pre-season tour looms
Son facing uncertain Spurs future Special clause keeping him at club South Korean pre-season tour nears Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱 WHAT HAPPENED? According to Telegraph Sport, Son's presence in Tottenham's pre-season game against Newcastle United in Seoul next month is very important to the north London club. If the forward is not part of Spurs' touring squad, they will miss out on as much as '75 per cent of their fee' for playing in the South Korean city - with that amount being halved if he travels but does not play in the game. THE BIGGER PICTURE Son looked like he could leave Tottenham this summer after their Europa League success, with the 33-year-old linked with a Major League Soccer switch. The report adds that barring a last-minute injury, Son is likely to travel to Asia and play in Seoul on August 3 to secure Spurs a big cash boost and not to let down his army of fans. Moreover, the key player clause means that it was 'virtually impossible' for Tottenham to consider selling the veteran before this pre-season tour. DID YOU KNOW? Son, whose Spurs contract runs until 2026, joined Tottenham in 2015 from Bayer Leverkusen and has since scored 173 goals and added 101 assists in 454 appearances in all competitions. It remains to be seen if he will add to that next term. WHAT NEXT? Son played a big part in the club ending their 17-year wait for a trophy and the South Korean may add to his legacy with another season at the club. Manager Thomas Frank appears to want him to stay but whether he does is up in the air.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Frank and open: early observations as Dane's Spurs tenure begins with friendly win
It is rarely wise to read deeply into pre-season fixtures. Especially the opening one. Yet when it is the first game for a manager at a club, the temptation is there. How can it not be? The initial glimpses offer the outline of the plan. Thomas Frank got his Tottenham tenure under way with a 2-0 win over Reading at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Saturday afternoon. He played different XIs in each half and the goals came early in the second period from Will Lankshear and Luka Vuskovic. For the latter, it represented the gloss on an eye-catching first appearance. With the chair, Daniel Levy, looking down from the directors' box, flanked by the technical director, Johan Lange, whose profile is fast on the rise, Spurs had too much for their League One opponents, who are also at the start of a new era, Rob Couhig having taken over as the owner after the turbulent tenure of Dai Yongge. The stadium was sold out, with the 3,000 or so visiting Spurs fans keen to proclaim themselves as 'champions of Europe' after May's Europa League triumph. Expect to hear that on repeat in the coming months. There was plenty to pick over. The short answer was in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but Frank is all about flexibility and there were a number of takeaways, particularly in possession. He started with Mikey Moore on the left wing but the teenager was given the licence to drift inside to connect with the No 10, which at the outset was another youngster, Alfie Devine. This created the space for Destiny Udogie to push high up from left-back, with Spurs building in a back three. On the other wing, Brennan Johnson played high and wide. Of the central midfield pair, Rodrigo Bentancur sat and Pape Sarr pushed up at times. The approach with the ball was similar after the interval, although this time it was the right-winger, Mohammed Kudus – on his first appearance after signing from West Ham – who roamed inside, allowing the right-back, Djed Spence, to overlap. Out of possession, Spurs broadly pressed in a 4-4-2, with the No 10 squeezing high. Frank brought a 26-man squad and there were notable absentees – above and beyond the injured Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin plus James Maddison, who is only part-training with the squad after an injury of his own. Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel were given additional leave after their involvement in the European Under-21 Championship and did not travel, Frank preferring that they stayed at Hotspur Way to train in the morning. Richarlison did likewise. The striker was involved with Brazil up to the second week of June and he is taking care with his return in light of previous injury problems. As an aside, Richarlison is understood to be keen on staying at Spurs; only if something exceptional showed up would he consider leaving. Kota Takai, the new Japanese signing, was not in Reading. He has a minor contact injury. It was certainly striking to see Spurs practise corners and free-kicks on the pitch about 20 minutes before kick-off, with all the outfield starters defending the deliveries from the youngster George Abbott, who would be an unused substitute. Attacking them were members of Frank's coaching staff. He enjoyed great rewards on set pieces at Brentford and the early signs here were positive, both goals coming after corners from Kudus. The taker in the first half had been Pedro Porro. The opener followed a header by Vuskovic for Lankshear to nod home from close range and the second came after Kudus crossed low for Vuskovic, Reading having withstood the first phase of the move. There were no long throws, albeit there were minimal opportunities for Spurs to try one. The towering 18-year-old Vuskovic, who played the second half at right centre-back, with Micky van de Ven to his left, agreed to move to Spurs from Hajduk Split in September 2023. There has been a lot of noise about his potential, a lot of expectation as he starred on loan at Westerlo in the Belgian top flight last season where he weighed in with seven goals. What an impact he had. The Croatian had already clattered into one challenge and just about got away with a play-out-from-the-back move when he teed up Lankshear's goal. His finish for the second was a beauty, a first-time left-footed drive, low into the far corner after Kudus's pass. The Danish manager is blessed with centre-halves. Behind Cristian Romero and Van de Ven, he has Kevin Danso, Dragusin and Takai. Vuskovic would not be short of loan options if he were to sense he will not get the minutes he needs; Hamburg would be one in the Bundesliga. He wants to play at Spurs. If it was easy to be drawn in by Vuskovic, it was impossible to ignore Kudus. Yes, it was only League One opposition, but the £54.5m new boy wowed with his sharpness and balance, his work in tight spaces, the impression he gave of always being in control of the ball and the situation. There was an explosion up the wing that led to a big chance for Jamie Donley, some lovely spins and time-buying feints, and the overall feeling that he seriously enjoyed himself.
