Thomas Frank might have to get creative after Tottenham Hotspur missed out on the signing of Morgan Gibbs-White.
Gibbs-White signed a new contract with Nottingham Forest, which ended Spurs’ pursuit of the 25-year-old following over two weeks of waiting.
Tottenham Hotspur were left shocked by the midfielder’s decision to sign a new deal at the City Ground, and they have now backed away from the deal.
The Danish manager will be gutted not to have landed the 25-year-old, and he will need to start looking for other options, which could involve an internal solution.
Lucas Bergvall features in number ten role during Tottenham training
Lucas Bergvall was spotted featuring in the number ten role during Tottenham’s open training session in Hong Kong, according to Football.London.
The Lilywhites are gearing up for the first North London derby to be played outside of the UK when they face Arsenal on Thursday.
Thomas Frank will likely be without a proper number ten with James Maddison only just back and Dejan Kulusevski still some way from recovering.
Bergvall signed a new contract with Tottenham back in April, which was great news for the North London club following his impressive breakout campaign.
Harry Redknapp called Bergvall ‘excellent’ towards the end of last season, and the young Swede could once again play a key role next season for Spurs.
Under Ange Postecoglou, the teenager featured in the number eight position, but with players currently missing further up the pitch, Bergvall could be used in a more advanced role.
Bergvall, who’s valued at £50m, has shown more than enough quality to feature in that role; however, Spurs will want to see at least another player signed.
Tottenham have a shortlist of Gibbs-White alternatives and are expected to work through them over the coming weeks.
Dejan Kulusevski is ‘nowhere near returning’ from injury
Tottenham’s need for a number ten has only increased after Alasdair Gold revealed that Kulusevski is ‘nowhere near returning’ from a knee injury.
Kulusevski underwent surgery back in May following a bad knee injury, which he suffered just ahead of the Europa League final.
The 24-year-old is no longer using crutches, but remains well off returning from injury, and he could miss a fair chunk when the season starts.
Gold told his YouTube channel: “Dejan Kuluseski is nowhere near returning yet. Obviously, he had the patella surgery on his knee in mid-May.
“Thomas Frank warned everyone not to expect him back for the first game of the Premier League season against Burnley. I would say he’s expected to miss far more than that. He’s got a lot of rehab to do on that right knee.”