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Thomas Frank says he is a ‘big fan’ of Dominic Solanke and is confident the striker can become a prolific goalscorer under his guidance at Tottenham.

Spurs put an end to weeks of speculation as they officially announced Frank’s appointment to the media last Thursday, with the ex-Brentford boss putting pen to paper on a three-year contract in north London.

The 51-year-old is tasked with picking up the pieces left by Ange Postecoglou, who steered Tottenham to Europa League glory while also overseeing the club’s worst-ever season in the Premier League.

Though Frank must wait a little longer to put his Spurs’ squad through their paces, he has spent the past few days acclimating to his new home at Hotspur Way.

Frank’s first match at the helm will be Tottenham’s pre-season contest at Luton Town on July 26 and the Dane is clearly looking forward to putting his ideas into action ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

‘It’s a very talented squad, a very good squad and I’m very excited to start working with them,’ Frank told Tottenham’s official website.

‘Of course, when you follow the Premier League, you see the other teams, you see Tottenham – you’ve seen some fantastic performances from the team over the last years. So, I think there’s big potential.

‘But, of course, I’m looking from the outside, so I’m looking forward to getting to know them, to be around them, to feel them, understand them, work with them on the training pitch.

‘That’s where you really get the big understanding, understand the relationships between players and how you can get the best out of them.

‘I’ve got an idea already, my head is spinning [with] how can we play, how do I put them together, but I’m looking forward to that.’

Frank is relishing the opportunity to work with Tottenham’s players, both young and old, and is already thinking about how to get the best of Solanke, who managed just nine league goals last term.

‘When I say “talented”, it’s not only young players, it’s also some of the more experienced players. How can we get the best out of them?’ he added.

‘Let’s say, Dominic Solanke. I’m a big fan of him in terms of his abilities. I’m sure we’ll make him score a lot of goals. How can we play (Rodrigo) Bentancur? (James) Maddison?

‘But of course, the younger ones as well. I think it’s all players that we need to develop and make perform at the highest level, but of course, Lucas, Archie, Wilson, Destiny (Udogie), all of them, they have high ceilings.

‘Even the ones I haven’t mentioned – the whole squad can do well. I’m big on, how do you say… it’s always about winning.

‘We need to make the team win on a Saturday, a Tuesday, then again Saturday and a Wednesday, but it’s also about developing the individual player.

‘That’s me and my staff, and the player, how we work together about that on a day-to-day basis. Because we lift the players’ performance, develop them, the team will grow and perform better, and hopefully give us an opportunity to win more matches.’

The north London outfit completed their first piece of transfer business last weekend as Mathys Tel completed a permanent move following an initial loan deal.

‘I’m very, very excited about Mathys signing with a permanent deal,’ Frank said of the Frenchman.

‘I think he’s a very talented player who can play across the front four positions.

‘He’s a goalscorer, that we can develop even further, and be even more consistent in his all-round game and also more consistent to land in the right positions in the box. I’m looking forward to it.’

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Manchester United are interested in signing a £20million-rated star from Sir Jim Ratcliffe-owned Nice – but won’t be able to do so until transfer deadline day.

Following by far their worst season in Premier League history, United’s squad is being rebuilt under Ruben Amorim and INEOS.

Fixing the misfiring attack has been the first priority, with Matheus Cunha already through the door following a £62.5m transfer from Wolves.

The Red Devils are also trying to sign Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo but face competition from Tottenham, as well as striker Hugo Ekitike.

But all areas of the squad need to be improved and, with Casemiro up for sale and Manuel Ugarte enduring a difficult first season at Old Trafford, a new holding midfielder is desirable.

With money tight following their failure to qualify for the Champions League, cut-price options are being explored, with The Sun reporting that United recently sent scouts to watch Hicham Boudaoui on international duty.

The Algerian started in last week’s friendly against Sweden and performed well despite the African side losing 4-3 in Stockholm.

The 25-year-old enjoyed a great season in Ligue 1 with Nice, where he has played since 2019, and has the physical profile Amorim desires.

It is said Nice value Boudaoui, who has just two years left on his contract, at £20m, with other clubs in the Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga keeping tabs on him.

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United’s interest comes with a catch however, as Ratcliffe and INEOS own both the Red Devils and Nice, with an agreement in place not to move any players between the two clubs until this September.

The agreement was made to appease UEFA given their concerns over multi-club ownership as both sides played in the Europa League last season.

As such no transfer can take place until September 1 – with the transfer deadline in England and France that day at 7pm UK time.

While Boudaoui is cheaper than some other targets, United will still need to raise funds by offloading unwanted stars, chief among which are Marcus Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho.

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Real Madrid and Tottenham legend Gareth Bale is in talks to become the new co-owner of League One club Plymouth Argyle.

The former Wales captain has remained largely out of the football scene after hanging up his boots in 2023, aside from the occasional appearance as a pundit.

But Bale, 35, is now fronting a US-based private equity group who are plotting a full takeover of the Devon team who have been looking for new investment for some time.

According to The Telegraph, the group includes members of the American-based Storch family but Bale’s involvement in the bid has come as a complete surprise.

Plymouth were relegated from the Championship last season, unable to recover after a dreadful start under the management of Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney.

The Pilgrims did improve after Rooney was sacked on New Year’s Eve, notably knocking eventual Premier League champions Liverpool out of the FA Cup.

They’ll begin the 2025/26 season with another former United and England star in the dugout, after appointing Tom Cleverly as head coach on a three-year contract last week.

Bale is the latest big name sports star to become involved in owning an EFL club after his former Real teammate Luka Modric bought a minority share in Swansea City in April.

The move had fuelled hope from fans that the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner would be signing for the Welsh club upon leaving Madrid, but the 39-year-old is instead set to move to AC Milan this summer.

Additionally, NFL legend Tom Brady is a co-owner at Birmingham City, while golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas bought shares in Leeds United prior to their promotion to the Premier League.

One of the greatest forwards of his generation, Bale began his career at Southampton before joining Tottenham, where he established himself as arguably the Premier League’s best player.

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In 2013, the winger moved to Real Madrid for a then-world record £85million and over the next nine years won five Champions Leagues, three La Liga titles and three Club World Cups.

He also become Wales’ top goalscorer and appearance maker with 41 goals in 111 caps, playing a key role in the Dragons’ remarkable run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016.

Injuries did affect his career at Los Blancos and after returning to Spurs for a season on loan, he finished his club career at Los Angeles FC and retired shortly after captaining his country at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

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Arrow MORE: Bryan Mbeumo breaks silence on Manchester United and Tottenham transfer links

Bryan Mbeumo says transfer rumours are just part and parcel of being a footballer and he must ‘accept’ the incessant speculation linking him with both Manchester United and Tottenham this summer.

The 25-year-old enjoyed an outstanding season with Brentford in the Premier League, finishing with 20 goals and seven assists in 38 appearances to help the Bees to a tenth-placed finish.

Ivan Toney’s departure for the Saudi Pro League last summer meant there was pressure on Mbeumo to step up and help fill the void – and the Cameroon international did not disappoint, proving he was more than ready to be Brentford’s main man.

Mbeumo’s earned himself plenty of admirers with his eye-catching performances across the campaign, including United and Spurs, with both clubs on the hunt for attacking reinforcements.

While Mbeumo reportedly favours a switch to Old Trafford, Thomas Frank has told Tottenham to do everything in their power to ensure Brentford’s top scorer follows him from west London to the north of the capital.

‘It’s a bit new for me, I would say, but that can be the life of a footballer,’ Mbeumo told Sky Sports while on the grid at the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday.

‘You need to accept it.’

Mbeumo is pleased with how the season panned out, despite Brentford missing out in their quest for European qualification.

He added: ‘It’s been my best season so far in the Premier League and, even collectively, we did play very good games.

‘I think we’ve been unlucky in chasing the European spot, but it has been a fantastic season.’

Mbeumo credits Frank with developing him both as a ‘human and a player’ across his six years playing under the Dane at Brentford.

‘He’s done so much for me. He’s trusted me from the start and I think he developed the team so well, he developed me as a human and a player so much as well,’ Mbeumo explained.

‘I can only wish him all the best and I’m sure he’s going to do well.

‘He knows everything. He’s really smart, he knows the way he wants to bring the team and how he wants to play. I think he has been fantastic for Brentford.’

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Mbeumo hopes Tottenham fans are patient with Frank and give him the time and space he needs while he’s ‘adapting’ to a new environment.

‘He’s going to have some time to adapt, obviously,’ he went on.

‘Now, it’s going to change for him… more expectations, but I’m sure he’s going to do well.

‘He knows how to talk to people, how to build a group and that’s why we’ve been playing so well.’

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It’s all change at Brentford with manager Thomas Frank and key elements of his back room staff moving to Tottenham – now two crucial members of their team could be making the same journey.

Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa have been linked with a double transfer deal in the summer market, which could reopen with an unexpected Spurs splurge of around £120million.

They scored 39 Premier League goals between them last season with Cameroon striker Mbeumo hitting 20 and DR Congo forward Wissa 19 and if their incredible partnership remains intact alongside a strikeforce which includes England international Dominic Solanke, and which is supplied by James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Brennan Johnson and Lucas Bergvall, it would make the Europa League winners serious contenders for a top-four finish next season.

It would also give Frank added firepower to deal with the demands of his first taste of Champions League football but it may mean losing the services of club legend Son Heung-min, who may consider the time right to ply his trade elsewhere after finally winning silverware with Spurs.

Richarlison could return to Everton to help fund the moves while Cristian Romero, seemingly unhappy Ange Postecoglou was sacked, would also bring in a pretty fee if he is allowed to leave.

Manchester United have been strongly linked with a move for Mbeumo but their defeat to Tottenham means they cannot offer Champions League football next season. They may be able to offer higher wages but the chance to play in Europe’s elite club competition, continue a seamless partnership with Wissa and remain under Frank’s tutelage may be too much to turn down for the Bees star.

Brentford may not be happy about becoming Tottenham’s feeder club but they run a tight ship and a £120million cash injection would be difficult to snub as they seek to rebuild while maintaining their Premier League status.

United have captured Matheus Cunha from Wolves for £62.5m but have their work cut out to land Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres – despite former Sporting boss Ruben Amorim being in charge – and although they are 4/6 with Ladbrokes and Coral to win the race for Mbeumo, they are reported to be drawing up alternative arrangements, including Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace and Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth.

Spurs are 7/4 with bet365 to sign Mbeumo and 4/1 with Coral and Ladbrokes to capture Wissa while Romero is 4/6 with bet365 to stay in N17 and 2/1 with the same firm to realise his dream of playing in La Liga by joining Atletico Madrid.

Club World Cup odds

Chelsea return to action from the shortest of summer breaks when they begin their quest to win the Fifa Club World Cup with a Monday night group match against LAFC.

Seeking to build on a strong finish to the Premier League campaign which saw them punch their ticket to the Champions League, Enzo Maresca’s men are 17/20 with William Hill to win by more than one goal in the handicap market.

New signing Liam Delap is 27/20 to score at any time in his first appearance in a Chelsea shirt.

Draper can challenge Alcaraz at Queen’s

French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz switches from clay to grass when he defends his title at Queen’s and is 20/21 to match last year’s success.

Big things are expected of British No.1 Jack Draper this summer, however, and as he’s in the opposite half of the draw to Alcaraz follow him each-way at 9/2 with bet365 who will pay half the odds just for reaching the decider.

Draper should also be backed at 11/8 with SpreadEx and Sporting Index to win his opening match in west London against American Jenson Brooksby by over 5.5 games.

Greyhound odds

Just over two lengths covered all six runners in a dramatic Greyhound Derby final at Towcester on Saturday when Patrick Janssen’s Droopys Plunge produced a rattling finish to blaze past Irish Derby champion Bockos Diamond and 2024 winner De Lahdedah in the closing strides and win at 10/1.

Watch out, though, for June ’23 puppy Sole Mio, who was fifth despite an unfavourable draw. Pat Cronin’s young gun is huge each-way value at 33/1 with sponsors BoyleSports for the Irish Derby at Shelbourne Park in Dublin which starts in August.

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Tottenham have confirmed the permanent signing of Mathys Tel on a six-year contract after a somewhat underwhelming loan spell.

The 20-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Spurs from Bayern Munich, making 20 appearances and scoring three goals.

In the Premier League he made 13 appearances, 11 of which came in the starting XI and the Frenchman produced two goals.

The successful Europa League campaign saw Tel make two starts and three substitute appearances, failing to score or assist and remained on the bench for the final as Spurs beat Manchester United 1-0 in Bilbao.

Tottenham were impressed enough by the forward to make the deal permanent, though, and have confirmed that he has signed permanently on a deal until 2031.

A club statement read: ‘We are delighted to announce the permanent signing of Mathys Tel from FC Bayern.

‘Mathys joined the Club from the Bundesliga side in February on loan until the end of the season with an option to make the move permanent. We can confirm we have agreed a deal with Bayern that will see the France Under-21 international sign a contract that will run until 2031 when his current loan deal ends on 30 June.’

The deal is worth just under £30m after Spurs paid an initial £7.3m loan fee to Bayern Munich.

The loan signing of Tel was something of a coup for Tottenham, with Manchester United, Chelsea and Aston Villa all linked with him in January.

Clearly at just 20 years old he has plenty of time to develop and will now have done some adjusting to life in the Premier League after his six-month stint so far.

Tel is the first signing since Thomas Frank was announced as the new Tottenham manager, replacing Ange Postecoglou.

He will not be the last as Spurs prepare for a return to the Champions League thanks to their Europa League victory under the Australian.

An ambitious move for Bryan Mbeumo has been mooted, with Spurs hopeful that Frank can play a big part in convincing the Cameroon international to move to north London.

Frank was Mbeumo’s manager at Brentford, where the forward has become a huge hit in the Premier League.

Manchester United are keen on buying him this summer and have already seen an offer of £55m turned down by the Bees.

Mbeumo is also believed to want to move to Old Trafford, but Spurs have reportedly made their own offer of £65m plus £5m in add-ons.

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Just a week after getting sacked by Tottenham, Ange Postecoglou is reportedly in talks to make a swift return to the dugout.

Last Friday, Spurs announced that Postecoglou had been relieved of his duties after two seasons in north London, a decision that has divided players, fans and pundits.

The Australian ended Tottenham’s 17-year trophy drought by beating Manchester United in the Europa League final, thereby securing their return to the Champions League.

However, their Premier League campaign was a disaster, suffering a record 22 defeats and finishing 17th in the table, only ahead of the three relegated sides.

Though Postecoglou assured supporters that ‘season three is better than season two’, Daniel Levy make the call to axe him and hire Thomas Frank from Brentford.

Unsurprisingly, Postecoglou’s attractive brand of football and ability to win silverware has made him an attractive target for many clubs around the world and one has already approached him.

According to The Athletic, Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli have made contact with the 59-year-old as they weigh up whether to replace current head coach Matthias Jaissle.

Popular with the fans, Jaissle guided Al Ahli, one of the four Saudi clubs owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), to the AFC Champions League title last season.

But the young German has just a year left on his contract and has turned down multiple offers to extend it having been tipped to return to Europe, amid links with West Ham and RB Leipzig.

It is said ‘talks are moving quickly with Postecoglou’, while Xavi, out of work since being sacked by Barcelona over a year ago, is also a contender for the job.

Whoever Al Ahli appoint will get to work with a squad featuring several notable ex-Premier League stars including Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino and England striker Ivan Toney.

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Postecoglou is of course no stranger to managing in Asia following spells in Australia and Japan, as well as the Australia national team.

Meanwhile, Brentford are on the hunt to find Frank’s replacement. The Bees had hoped to appoint Justin Cochrane, a member of Frank’s coaching staff, but he had also moved to Tottenham.

They could still hire from within with set-piece coach Keith Andrews the new favourite for the job, while Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna and even Postecoglou are among the frontrunners.

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Arrow MORE: Bryan Mbeumo makes decision over Manchester United transfer after £70m Spurs bid

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Bryan Mbeumo still prefers a transfer to Manchester United after Tottenham launched a £70 million offer for the Brentford forward, according to reports.

United are intent on strengthening Ruben Amorim’s attacking options ahead of the new season and completed their £62.5 million deal to sign Matheus Cunha from Wolves this week.

A new striker is also on United’s wanted list for the summer window and they have already been dealt a blow this month as Liam Delap turned down a £30m move to Old Trafford in favour of joining Chelsea.

United have also been in advanced talks to sign Mbeumo but so far they have been unable to reach an agreement with Brentford over a fee for the Cameroon international.

It’s understood that United’s initial offer for Mbeumo worth £55m after add-ons was rejected by Brentford last week.

The Mirror are now reporting that Spurs have entered the running to sign Mbeumo following Thomas Frank’s arrival at the north London club this week and a £70m bid worth £65m plus £5m in add-ons has been submitted to Brentford.

Spurs could also have an advantage with Frank having worked extensively alongside Mbeumo at Brentford for the past six seasons.

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But Sky Sports report that Mbeumo would still prefer a move to United having already given an indication at the start of this month that Old Trafford is his first-choice destination.

The report adds that Tottenham are not completely out of the running with Mbeumo ‘more intrigued’ by a move to Spurs after their decision to replace Ange Postecoglou with Frank.

It’s understood that Brentford have been holding out for at least £60m for the 25-year-old, who scored 20 goals in the Premier League this season.

Spurs, meanwhile, are considering a move for Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo as an alternative option to Mbeumo.

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Tottenham have held initial discussions to sign Manchester United target Bryan Mbeumo following the appointment of Thomas Frank, according to reports.

Mbeumo had attracted interest from several Premier League clubs but appeared to have his heart set on a move to United this summer.

Brentford knocked back an initial offer from the Red Devils worth an initial fee of £45million, but Ruben Amorim’s side are expected to come back with a second offer closer to the Bees’ £60m valuation.

United are eager to sign the forward who netted 20 Premier League goals last season and bring him to Old Trafford alongside Matheus Cunha to boost their attacking options.

However, they may well have to act swiftly to complete a deal, with Sky Sports reporting that Tottenham have held talks with Brentford over a deal for Mbeumo.

Spurs appointed former Brentford manager Frank as their head coach on Thursday and the Dane is keen to bring some of his former players with him to north London.

The report adds that Mbeumo is said to be more keen to consider a move to Tottenham following the appointment of Frank.

Frank brought Mbeumo to Brentford from French club Troyes in 2019, with the Cameroon international spending two seasons in the Championship before helping the Bees get promoted to the top-flight.

The 25-year-old enjoyed his best season in a Brentford shirt last season and has 70 goals in 242 total appearances for the club.

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Spurs may struggle to compete with United when it comes to wages, however, with Amorim’s side willing to pay Mbeumo a whopping £200,000-a-week.

Reports earlier in the week suggested Tottenham may only be able offer £130,000-a-week.

However, they may hope that the allure of Champions League football could give them a potential edge over United.

Tottenham still hold a long-standing interest in Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, who is also admired by United.

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Thomas Frank has been confirmed as the new Tottenham Hotspur manager, signing a three-year contract in north London.

The Dane has been in charge of Brentford for seven years but has moved across London to replace Ange Postecoglou.

A club statement read: ‘We are delighted to announce the appointment of Thomas Frank as our new Head Coach on a contract that runs until 2028.

‘In Thomas we are appointing one of the most progressive and innovative head coaches within the game.

‘He has a proven track record in player and squad development and we look forward to him leading the team as we prepare for the season ahead.’

After a brilliant time in charge of Brentford, the Bees posted a statement which read: ‘We can confirm that after seven years in charge, Thomas Frank has left Brentford to take up the head coach role at Tottenham Hotspur.

‘He will be joined by assistant first-team coach Justin Cochrane, head of first-team performance Chris Haslam, and first-team analyst Joe Newton.

‘Everyone connected with Brentford would like to thank Thomas for the incredible impact he has had on the club’s history.’

Tottenham also confirmed that Andreas Georgson will join as first team assistant coach from Manchester United.

Tottenham confirmed earlier on Thursday that Mile Jedinak, Nick Montgomery and Sergio Raimundo had all left their roles as assistant coaches with the club.

It is just the 51-year-old’s third post in charge of a club, having managed Brondby from 2013-16 before taking charge at Brentford in 2018.

He guided the Bees up from the Championship and has established them as a Premier League force, despite losing key players at regular intervals.

Prior to being in charge of Brondby Frank managed Denmark age group sides from Under-16 up to Under-19.

Frank comes in at a fascinating juncture for Spurs as they return to the Champions League next season thanks to winning the Europa League at the end of the last campaign.

Postecoglou lifted the trophy after beating Manchester United 1-0 in Bilbao but was dismissed soon after due to a woeful Premier League campaign.

Spurs finished the season 17th in the table having won just 38 points in a campaign so bad that a European trophy could not save the Australian’s job.

A statement from Spurs read: ‘We are extremely grateful to Ange for his commitment and contribution during his two years at the Club. Ange will always be remembered as only the third manager in our history to deliver a European trophy, alongside legendary figures Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw.

‘However, the Board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the Club for a change to take place.’

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