While it wasn't a banner game for Tottenham Hotspur by any means, getting a point out of a road trip to Brighton is something many Spurs fans will gladly take, especially when the alternative before Xavi Simons's inclusion into the game was a defeat at the hands of the Seagulls.
Tottenham are now amongst the mix of contenders battling behind overwhelming favorites and defending champions Liverpool in the Premier League, and with a couple of more true breakout stars in the attack from their sea of young talents, Spurs may not be far off from truly competing with the star-studded squads of the English top flight.
In Thomas Frank's bid to unearth the next Tottenham gem, he handed a start on the left wing to big summer 2024 transfer Wilson Odobert, rewarding the Frenchman for his excellent performances in training.
While Odobert was a statistical dud with no chances created or even dribbles completed in an anonymous display on the left wing, Frank believes he saw enough encouraging signs from the young winger and praised the potential playmaker highly for the performance vs. Brighton.
Thomas Frank liked what he saw
Frank said, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, "Happy with it, I must admit. I thought he looked lively. Clearly, it looked like they were a little bit afraid of him. So he got time to turn and run forward. I think he produced some crosses, some good opportunities. He was also involved in a goal, worked hard. So a good first start."
Odobert joined Spurs from Burnley for 25 million pounds last year, and there are high hopes that the 20-year-old attacking midfielder and winger can become a star in the Premier League. He was such a clutch player in the Championship, and even in his first sason with Tottenham, he showed flashes of being a game-changer with his classy touches and skillful dribbling in tight areas.
Frank thinks Odobert has what it takes to transition to being a class Premier League winger and be more than just a 10 between the lines. Odobert obviously has a long way to go and plenty to prove, but we've seen Frank turn unknowns into stars at Brentford.
Odobert is far from an unknown, as he already gets starts and impresses at the youth level for the French national team, which is the most difficult team to break into with all the talent they have. Frank sounds higher on Odobert's displays than most, but the ball coach also knows a lot more than we do. We should take his thoughts on Odobert with interest, because it looks like the U21 forward is the next guy Frank wants to focus on as a breakout star for Tottenham.