The New York Times

When shaping any squad, the diversity of the profiles is vital.

Different characteristics offer diverse solutions depending on the team’s principles and the opponent on the day.

Tottenham Hotspur’s new head coach, Thomas Frank, will adapt to the squad at his disposal. That’s why empowering the team with missing profiles is a step in the right direction, as it gives the Danish head coach more tools.

Since the start of the summer transfer window, Spurs have been interested in signing a winger and had a £50million ($68m) bid for West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus turned down.

Going for Kudus, 24, is an interesting choice because it provides flexibility and fills a profile gap in Tottenham’s squad. The shortage of dribblers in Frank’s team limits their attacking solutions, especially with the lack of a left-footed one.

Kudus perfectly fits the required profile, while being able to play in any position across the front line. The forward’s skill set isn’t limited to his dribbling, though, as his ball-carrying ability offers a threat on the transition and his movement inside the penalty area puts him in dangerous goalscoring positions.

In terms of Premier League dribblers, it’s impossible to ignore Kudus’ one-on-one prowess. “It’s one of my biggest attributes,” he told The Athletic last year. “I play with so much risk and try to create stuff in the game out of nothing.”

Last season, he attempted the second-most take-ons per 90 minutes (7.2) in the Premier League, and had the second-highest successful take-ons per game (3.2) among players with at least 75 attempts.

One of the stand-out aspects of Kudus’ dribbling is his ability to drive past opponents in large areas as well as weave through them in tight spaces, as seen in this example from the 1-1 draw against Everton in March.

Kudus is comfortable dribbling in any direction, which makes him unpredictable and enables him to play in multiple attacking positions. His understanding of how to use his body as a shield between the opponent and the ball is another aspect that makes him hard to dispossess.

“My low centre of gravity also helps. I work a lot on my lower body, so it’s really hard for me to get off the ball or be pushed away easily,” Kudus said in an interview with the Premier League last year.

The forward’s low centre of gravity allows him to twist and turn faster, which is key to his success in one-on-one situations.

In this example, against Tottenham in May, Kudus dribbles inside the pitch and puts his body between Wilson Odobert and the ball, before quickly changing direction to get past Yves Bissouma and speeding past Archie Gray to create a crossing angle.

Kudus is a multiple-touch dribbler, which helps him keep the ball away from the opponents while waiting for the right moment to change direction or accelerate into space to find a passing angle.

In this example, from the 3-1 victory against Luton Town in May 2024, Kudus was in a one-versus-two situation, but he managed to dribble past Gabriel Osho and Alfie Doughty to assist George Earthy.

Here, West Ham’s forward initially dribbles inside and his multiple-touch approach wrong-foots Osho.

Kudus’ left-footed touch (slide 1) moves the Luton defender inside the pitch, and he quickly rolls the ball in the other direction as Osho tries to balance himself, before accelerating into space to play the cutback with his right foot.

Kudus’ dribbling style translates well to a higher-possession side that faces deeper blocks because he is able to dribble in tight spaces by using his body smartly, taking multiple touches to change his direction and accelerating in short distances to create passing or shooting angles.

The last part is complemented by his ability to shoot or pass with his weaker foot, which makes him a threat regardless of his position or direction of dribble.

In bigger spaces and transitional situations, Kudus is a menace on and off the ball due to his pace and ball-carrying ability. “When I see space with the ball at my feet, I don’t care what’s in front of me. I have to go for it,” he told The Athletic last year.

Despite Kudus’ unattractive underlying attacking numbers — which are partly influenced by West Ham’s style — his off-ball movement in and around the penalty box is smart and it’s an area of his game that can be harnessed in a better way.

In this example, against Brentford in November 2023, Kudus darts inside the penalty area and attacks the space behind Vitaly Janelt to offer Said Benrahma a crossing option towards the back post.

The Ghanaian only manages to hit the post with his thigh, but Jarrod Bowen follows the ball and scores on the rebound.

In another example, against Brighton & Hove Albion in April, Aaron Wan-Bissaka finds Bowen’s run behind the defence, while Mats Wieffer is keeping an eye on Kudus down the left side.

Kudus initially darts inside to offer Bowen a passing option…

… but then changes his direction and attacks the back post to surprise Wieffer.

However, Bowen plays the pass according to Kudus’ earlier movement, and the Ghanaian alters his direction once again to beat Wieffer who has dropped to defend the back post.

Kudus’ smart off-ball movement allows him to reach the ball first…

… and he side-foots it into the bottom corner.

There is scope for developing Kudus’ attacking output in terms of goals and assists, which in theory should increase in a more attacking style of play.

His profile has the capacity to be a goalscoring and creative threat because, more often than not, it’s the final action that fails him.

Kudus’ ability in one-versus-one situations means that isolating him against a defender is one attacking option, but his dribbling is as beneficial in tight spaces against deeper blocks.

Meanwhile, he is effective on the transition and has the potential to be a goalscoring threat inside the penalty area.

Kudus is primarily a dribbler, but he offers more than that. His profile is one that Tottenham don’t have in abundance and he will offer Frank more attacking solutions against different types of opponents.

Brentford contacted former Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou about replacing Thomas Frank.

In what would have been an extraordinary sequence of events and effectively a job swap, Brentford considered Postecoglou as an option to succeed Frank, who left to join Tottenham on a three-year deal after they sacked the 59-year-old Australian.

Brentford director of football Phil Giles held informal discussions with Postecoglou but he was not interviewed for the role, as both parties agreed moving forward was not the best option. Other candidates Brentford considered included former Ajax head coach Francesco Farioli, who has now joined Porto, but they instead promoted set-piece coach Keith Andrews.

Postecoglou joined Spurs in June 2023 and he guided them to a fifth-place finish in his first season.

His second year in charge was disrupted by a crippling injury crisis. Spurs lost 22 league matches and finished 17th but won the Europa League after beating Manchester United in the final. Postecoglou delivered Spurs their first piece of silverware in 17 years but he was sacked two weeks after that famous victory in Bilbao. Frank, who had been in charge of Brentford for nearly seven years, replaced Postecoglou.

Andrews, a former Republic of Ireland international, joined Brentford as their set-piece coach last summer and worked under Frank for a year. The 44-year-old’s familiarity with the squad and strong presentation ensured he was the first-choice candidate. Andrews was officially appointed as Brentford’s new head coach on a three-year contract at the end of June.

At an introductory press conference for Andrews, which was held last week, Giles spoke about the hiring process. “There’s always going to be some degree of risk,” Giles said.

“It’s more risky to go and get a coach we don’t know from a club where the environment might be different or maybe people around them made them successful. This is actually quite a low-risk appointment because I know how good Keith is.”

(Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur forward Alejo Veliz has returned to his former club Rosario Central on a season-long loan deal.

The deal does not include an option or obligation to make the move permanent next summer, and is Veliz’s third loan since joining Spurs from the Argentine club in summer 2023 in a deal worth around £13million.

Veliz, 21, spent the second half the 2023-24 campaign on loan at Sevilla but managed just six starts.

He was more involved in a season-long spell at Espanyol last term, featuring 29 times and scoring four goals, including a hat-trick in the Copa del Rey win over San Tirso.

Tottenham’s issues with club-trained players would have made it difficult for new head coach Thomas Frank to register Veliz ahead of homegrown strikers Will Lankshear and Dane Scarlett in his Champions League squad for the coming season.

Veliz has made just eight appearances for Spurs, scoring his one and only goal in a 4-2 defeat to Brighton in December 2023.

(Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur have overhauled their medical department for the second consecutive summer following last season’s injury crisis, with key figures Adam Brett and Nick Davies having left the club.

Brett was the club’s director of performance services — responsible for overseeing sports science, medical, nutrition and psychology — while Davies was head of sports science.

Davies has moved to another club and Spurs said there will be a process to replace the pair in due course.

Nick Stubbings (pictured with Thomas Frank above) has joined Spurs from Brentford as medical lead, one of at least five members of backroom staff to have followed new head coach Frank from west London.

Spurs suffered from an injury crisis during the 2024-25 season under Frank’s predecessor Ange Postecoglou, who had to cope for long periods without key players including Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario.

They lost 22 games in the top-flight as injuries took their toll, but won the Europa League after beating Manchester United in the final. A first trophy in 17 years was not enough, though, to save Postecoglou from the sack.

Brett and Davies were only appointed by Spurs last summer, with the former replacing long-standing head of medicine and sports science Geoff Scott, who was axed in an overhaul conducted by the club’s former chief football officer, Scott Munn. Munn is on gardening leave after being dismissed.

Brett began his career in rugby union and joined Brighton as their head physiotherapist before he rose to become head of medicine and performance. He left Brighton in August 2023 and moved to Spurs the following summer.

Davies previously worked for West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion and Wales men’s national team.

Tom Perryman, who has joined Spurs as a strength and conditioning coach, is another new addition to the sports science staff from Brentford.

Spurs announced last month that Justin Cochrane, Chris Haslam and Joe Newton had followed Frank from the Gtech Community Stadium.

‘A dizzying amount of change’

Analysis by Tottenham reporter Jay Harris

Tottenham’s medical department has undergone a dizzying amount of change over the last two years. It all started when Munn was appointed chief football officer in April 2023 and conducted a thorough review of their football operations. He overhauled lots of departments, including the medical and scouting teams.

In the summer of 2024, Scott left his position as head of medicine and sports science.

Scott had spent 20 years with the north London side and The Athletic reported in January that he left after clashing with then-head coach Postecoglou.

Spurs insisted Scott’s departure did not involve Postecoglou and was a result of the review and restructure of the department. Brett was appointed following Scott’s departure and reported directly to Munn.

Postecoglou’s Spurs struggled to balance the demands of competing in the Premier League and the Europa League last season.

One of the biggest issues they faced was players suffering setbacks when they returned from injury. For example, Romero injured his quad in the opening 10 minutes of December’s defeat to Chelsea on his first appearance after recovering from a toe problem.

In the same game, fellow centre-half Van de Ven suffered a recurrence of a hamstring injury.

The centre-halves did not return to regular action until March.

“That’s been our major problem this year — guys who are coming back from injury rather than us losing players as such,” Postecoglou said on December 27 before Spurs played Wolves.

“Knock on wood but the core group of players who are training and playing games have no issues. So we’re looking at those things and why they’re happening.

“It’s certainly happened too often this year where guys have come back and they’re the ones who are missing. I think just about all of them, apart from Vicario, are recurrences of an injury. Even with Romero, it was a different injury, but it’s still a guy coming back, so it’s something we’re looking at.”

There has been more change this summer as chairman Daniel Levy tries to avoid a repeat of last season’s disastrous league form.

Thomas Frank has replaced Postecoglou as head coach and Vinai Venkatesham has been appointed as the new chief executive officer. Long-serving executive Donna-Maria Cullen has stepped down, Munn has been sacked and now Brett and Davies have left too.

Frank has brought five members of his backroom staff at Brentford with him including Nick Stubbings, Tom Perryman and Chris Haslam.

Stubbings was Brentford’s head physio and he is the medical lead at Spurs, while Perryman is a strength and conditioning coach. Haslam’s official title is head of performance and first team assistant coach.

(Top photo of Stubbings and Frank: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of defender Kota Takai from Kawasaki Frontale on a five-year contract running to 2030.

He is the first signing under new head coach Thomas Frank who was not on loan at the club last season under previous boss Ange Postecoglou.

As reported by The Athletic, an agreement for the 20-year-old Japan international was reached for £5million ($6.8m, 1billion Japanese yen), which represents a record fee for a player in the J League — the top division of Japanese football — moving overseas.

Takai, who was into the final six months of his contract at Kawasaki Frontale, has played 28 times at club level in 2025 and has also made four appearances for Japan.

He played a key role in Kawasaki Frontale winning the Japanese Super Cup in 2024 and was also named the nation’s best young player that year.

Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven established themselves as the first choice central defensive pairing at Spurs under Postecoglou, while Radu Dragusin and Kevin Danso are the other recognised centre-backs in the squad.

However, multiple injury setbacks in 2024- 25 meant Archie Gray, a midfielder by trade, was deployed in the centre of defence.

Danso and Mathys Tel, who both arrived on loan deals from Lens and Bayern Munich respectively in January, have each made their moves to Spurs permanent this summer, while teenage defender Luka Vuskovic will join Spurs from Hajduk Split after a deal was agreed in 2023.

(Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)

There was a segment on British game show A League of Their Own in December 2011 which serves as a reminder of why the prospect of Mohammed Kudus leaving West Ham United to join rivals Tottenham Hotspur would leave a sour taste among supporters.

Host James Corden and panellists Peter Crouch and Jamie Redknapp were discussing Scott Parker’s recent decision to join Spurs from West Ham before Corden, a West Ham fan, jokingly launched a diatribe against the midfielder.

“He’s dead to me, he is dead to me,” Corden said, before turning to the midfielder, who was sat in the audience. “F*** you Parker, f*** you!”

It was clearly a joke, said with a smirk on the face, but it spoke for the feelings of West Ham fans when it comes to their star players moving to Tottenham.

Parker had felt he needed to join Tottenham to further his international career, following West Ham’s relegation to the Championship at the end of the 2010-11 season. Despite West Ham’s poor season, he had been named Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year and opted to move to a Spurs side aiming to return to the Champions League. That may have seemed the obvious decision for Parker, but to West Ham fans it was not one they could get on board with — and they let him know next time he visited Upton Park.

Some 18 months after his departure, Parker was greeted with a chorus of boos from West Ham fans on his return to East London — and was saddened by the reaction.

“I didn’t expect the West Ham fans to boo me and obviously it was a little bit upsetting,” said a mystified Parker. “I don’t know why (they did it). I don’t know if it’s because I went to their local rivals. I’m not sure but I just would have liked to think that maybe I would have got a better reception after what I did in my time here.

“I had four fantastic years here and it will always be a club with a massive place in my heart. I was looking forward to coming back and I couldn’t wait to go out there and play so I was disappointed (to be booed).”

Twelve years later, Kudus could follow in Parker’s footsteps. Although the attacker may not feel the same level of vitriol, a hostile reception at the London Stadium on September 13 would surely await him. West Ham rejected Tottenham’s £50million ($68m) offer for the 24-year-old Ghana international over the weekend but club-to-club talks continue. Personal terms are not expected to be an issue, with Kudus more than open to a move to Spurs.

His desire to join Thomas Frank’s side stems from the attacking midfielder wanting to play in European competition. Tottenham, who finished 17th and below West Ham last season, will compete in the Champions League this season, having won the Europa League.

Kudus, whose contract expires in 2028, has a buyout clause that is only active for the first 10 days of July, valued at £80m for European clubs, £85m for Premier League sides and £120m for Saudi Arabian teams, but he has no interest in joining a club in the Middle East. Although Kudus will not force an exit, the versatile attacker has no intention of staying at West Ham beyond the summer.

As unpalatable as the move may be for West Ham fans, the club doesn’t have many other options as they look to start a proper rebuild under head coach Graham Potter.

Potential incomings are caveated by the club needing to sell before they can buy. The attacker is the club’s sole sellable asset, with captain Jarrod Bowen not for sale and the uncertainty surrounding Lucas Paqueta’s future. The club’s hierarchy hope to receive a significant return on the €41.5m (£35.7m at today’s exchange rate) fee they paid to prise him away from Ajax in August 2023.

Selling Kudus would enable Potter and the recruitment team to accelerate their pursuit of transfer targets. West Ham are currently lacking squad depth following the departures of Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal, Aaron Cresswell and Danny Ings this summer. Michail Antonio’s contract expired on June 30, although his departure has not been formally announced.

It was all in stark contrast to his debut campaign, when he registered 18 goals and 10 assists across 48 appearances, with his solo goal against Freiburg and acrobatic strike against Manchester City particular highlights. It is this version of Kudus that Tottenham will hope sparks their own rebuild under Frank.

Kudus has been utilised in multiple positions across West Ham’s front line but his preferred position is on the right flank, where Bowen also does his best work. Kudus’ desire to leave also stems from an urge to play in his natural position.

In a 13-month period from August 2003 to August 2004, Frederic Kanoute, Jermain Defoe and Michael Carrick all swapped east for north London, leading to Spurs fans mockingly referring to West Ham as their ‘feeder club’. The fact so little business has been done between the two clubs tells you that this is not a situation anyone at the London Stadium wants to see repeated.

Kudus’ departure was always likely to happen this summer, but few would have envisioned the potential landing spot being Tottenham. It could also be the best way to ensure a better 2025-26.

Top photo: Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur have named former Liverpool goalkeeper coach Fabian Otte, 34, as the club’s new first team goalkeeper coach and one of four new appointments to Thomas Frank’s coaching staff.

Cameron Campbell, Matt Wells, Stuart Lewis and Dean Brill have also joined the Dane’s new-look backroom team.

Spurs announced last month that Justin Cochrane, Chris Haslam and Joe Newton had all followed Frank from Brentford, and set-piece specialist Andreas Georgson had joined from Manchester United.

Rob Burch, who was goalkeeper coach under Frank’s predecessor Ange Postecoglou, has left the club.

Wells will remain on the coaching staff as first team assistant coach, having been Postecoglou’s No 2 last season.

Campbell, who has previously worked as a youth coach at RB Leipzig, Rangers and Aberdeen, joins as first team individual development coach, while former under-18s boss Lewis is now first team academy transition coach – responsible for aiding the development and integration of youth players into the first team set-up.

Brill becomes first team assistant goalkeeping coach, working under Otte, having previously been head of academy goalkeeping at the club.

Otte left Liverpool last week after one season working under head coach Arne Slot as part of a shake up of the Dutchman’s backroom staff.

Brazil legend Taffarel also left Anfield, with Xavi Valero – previously on Rafa Benitez’s coaching staff at Liverpool – returning to the Merseyside club as the new head of first-team goalkeeper coaching.

Otte arrived at Liverpool in summer 2024 following spells with the U.S. men’s national team, Burnley and Borussia Monchengladbach.

Three members of Postecoglou’s backroom staff, Mile Jedinak, Nick Montgomery and Sergio Raimundo, left Spurs with the Australian, while Ryan Mason took the head coach’s job at West Bromwich Albion shortly before his dismissal.

(Christian Verheyen/Borussia Moenchengladbach via Getty Images)

West Ham United have received an offer from Tottenham Hotspur to sign Mohammed Kudus.

The bid was worth £50million ($68m) and has been turned down but club-to-club talks continue.

Kudus is prioritising Spurs if he leaves West Ham and personal terms for the 24-year-old Ghana international are not expected to be an issue.

The Athletic reported in June that Kudus’ contract, which runs until 2028, has a buyout clause that is only active for the first 10 days of July, valued at £80m for European clubs, £85m for Premier League sides and £120m for Saudi Arabian teams.

The forward has remained on Chelsea’s radar after they stalled on completing a deal to bring him to Stamford Bridge from Ajax in 2023, before West Ham sealed his signature.

West Ham signed Kudus for a fee of €41.5million (£35.6m, $48.8m) plus €3m (£2.5m) in add-ons in August 2023, and he immediately became a key part of David Moyes’ side, recording 18 goals and 10 assists in 48 appearances during his first season.

Utilised in multiple positions across West Ham’s frontline, Kudus had a less fruitful 2024-25 campaign, scoring five goals and assisting four in 35 appearances as his side finished 14th in the Premier League.

Before joining West Ham, Kudus scored 27 goals in 87 appearances for Ajax, helping the club to consecutive Eredivisie titles in 2021 and 2022.

Spurs have been keen to add a forward to their squad during the summer, despite being bolstered by the permanent addition of Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich for €35m, plus €10m in potential bonuses following his loan spell at the club last season.

The north London club hoped to persuade Bryan Mbeumo to join new head coach Thomas Frank in joining from Brentford, but the forward has informed Spurs he favours a move to Manchester United. Meanwhile, The Athletic reported Spurs made an enquiry over Bournemouth attacker Antoine Semenyo, who has since signed a new contract on the south coast.

(Photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur are set to appoint Martin Ho as the new head coach of their women’s team.

Ho, currently the head coach of Norwegian side SK Brann, has previously been an assistant at both Everton and Manchester United. He also spent a spell as the head coach of Liverpool’s Under-21 women’s team.

He will replace Robert Vilahamn, who departed the club after two years last month on the same weekend that Ange Postecoglou was sacked by the men’s side.

Ho, 35, was appointed by Brann in 2023 and guided the side to the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League before being knocked out by eventual champions Barcelona.

This season, Brann sit second in the Norwegian Toppserien, one point behind defending champions Valerenga.

Vilahamn led Spurs to a top-six Women’s Super League (WSL) finish and the club’s first-ever FA Cup final, which they lost to Manchester United, in the 2023-24 campaign.

The 42-year-old Swede subsequently signed a three-year contract extension through to 2027 at the north London club.

However, 2024-25 saw a downturn in results with a 10-game winless run from January seeing Spurs record an 11th-place WSL finish, just one place from the foot of the table and relegation.

(Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Bryan Mbeumo has informed Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur of his decision to sign for Manchester United if he makes a transfer this summer.

Mbeumo is under contract at Brentford until June 2026 and they have an option to extend the deal by a further 12 months.

But the 26-year-old forward has attracted interest from likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Spurs.

The Athletic revealed that he wants to join Manchester United, subject to the clubs reaching an agreement, and they contacted Brentford to discuss a switch.

An opening offer worth £45million plus £10m in add-ons fell some way short of Brentford’s valuation.

A second proposal at £55m and £7.5m of bonuses was also rejected — but talks continue as the 20-time English champions attempt to find a compromise.

Admiration for Mbeumo at Spurs increased after Thomas Frank moved from Brentford to become their new head coach.

But the Cameroon international notified Frank and Brentford that should he depart the Gtech Community Stadium now, it will be for Old Trafford.

Reports of Spurs submitting a bid have been denied in north London and they are no longer pursuing the situation — a stance that might change only if Manchester United do not complete the acquisition.

Their boss Ruben Amorim has targeted Mbeumo after landing fellow attacker Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £62.5m — a figure Brentford aim to exceed.

Funds are said to be available for Manchester United to secure the former Troyes attacker without requiring sales in advance.

However, they plan to remain disciplined and avoid overpaying for players in the market.

(Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images)