Daily Mail

Thomas Frank suffered a heartbreaking defeat during his first competitive match in charge of Tottenham on Wednesday night, as Paris Saint-Germain came from two goals down to win the Super Cup dramatically on penalties.

The former Brentford boss, who took over from Ange Postecoglou days after Spurs won the Europa League last campaign, almost got off to the perfect start as his new team led the Champions League winners 2-0 heading into the final 10 minutes of the match.

Spurs defenders Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero scored either side of half-time to put the north London club in full control, but PSG staged a late comeback through substitutes Lee Kang-in and Goncalo Ramos to force penalties.

Unfortunately for Tottenham and Frank, Van de Ven and Mathys Tel fluffed their lines from the spot in the shootout, handing PSG a 4-3 victory on penalties.

The dramatic defeat comes just days before the start of the new season, with Frank's side hosting Burnley at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.

Daily Mail Sport's JAMES SHARPE gives his verdict on the players' performances after watching the action in Italy.

Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3)

Lucas Chevalier - 6

Debutant could do nothing about Tottenham’s opener when he tipped Palhinha’s effort on to the bar but should have done better with Romero’s header.

Achraf Hakimi - 5

Not often beaten in a footrace but was left eating Spence’s dust all game was instantly crowded out whenever he got the ball.

Marquinhos - 6.5

The inspirational captain who lifted PSG’s first Champions League trophy pulled off a vital important block to stop Kudus’ fierce shot heading for the corner.

Willian Pacho - 5

Bullied by Richarlison whenever Spurs went direct and bamboozled by Kudus whenever he drifted wide to close down the winger.

Nuno Mendes - 6.5

The marauding full-back was key in PSG’s Champions League victory last season, was one of their standouts here and fittingly scored the crucial spot kick.

Warren Zaire-Emery - 5

The teenage prodigy had little impact and made you wonder if Enrique made a mistake not starting Fabio Ruiz instead.

Vitinha - 6

One of nine Ballon d’Or nominees but a shadow of his usual self until late on when his neat ball to Kang In-Lee set up PSG’s goal.

Desire Doue - 5.5

Scored twice in the Champions League final but barely had a sniff here, another who had no answer to the onslaught of Tottenham’s non-stop pressure.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - 5

A frustrating night. Showed nowhere near the quality he did during the Champions League last season and was subbed on the hour.

Ousmane Dembele - 6.5

Odds-on favourite to win the Ballon D’or but played far too deep to have any real impact until his superb cross set up the equaliser.

Bradley Barcola - 6.5

On the few occasions PSG did get some joy, it usually came from his dribbles into space. Saw his goal ruled out for offside that would have given his side hope. 6.5

SUBSTITUTES

Fabian Ruiz, Goncalo Ramos, Lee Kang-in, Ibrahim Mbaye

MANAGER

Luis Enrique - 7

Almost left it too late to deal with Tottenham’s direct approach but his subs changed the game.

Tottenham (3-5-2)

Guglielmo Vicario - 6.5

Barely had a save to make until the end but his raking free-kicks from inside PSG’s half ended up being a crucial part of Tottenham’s direct game plan.

Pedro Porro - 6.5

Always an attacking threat as he bombed forward from wing-back and a great delivery to the back post for Romero’s second.

Kevin Danso - 7

Continually caused havoc in the PSG penalty area with his Rory Delap-esque long throws and threw his body on the line whenever trouble beckoned.

Cristian Romero - 7.5

A captain’s performance from the new Tottenham skipper, sweeping up any danger, nodding in the second goal and lifting his first trophy.

Micky van de Ven - 7

Used his pace to cover the left side and allow Spence to bomb forward and then reacted quickest to poke home the opener.

Djed Spence - 6.5

Let’s hope Tottenham’s kit man remembers to take Hakimi out of Spence’s shorts pocket before putting them in the wash.

Joao Palhinha - 7

The on-loan from Bayern Munich showed his quality in all aspects, making the most tackles and forcing the save for Spurs’ opener.

Rodrigo Bentancur - 7

Summed up his endless energy, desire and tenacity with a lung-busting 40-yard run to close down a promising PSG attack. Top class.

Pape Sarr - 8

A midfield masterclass. Won huge tackles, drew fouls, got in the box and put in a crucial block to deny Zaire-Emery a tap-in during the first half.

Mohammed Kudus - 7.5

This is why Spurs paid £55m for him from West Ham. Quick, direct, caused problems whenever he got the ball. Linked brilliantly with Richarlison.

Richarlison - 7.5

PSG just could not handle him. Strong, physical, superb hold-up play, brilliant understanding with Kudus and forced a five save.

SUBSTITUTES

Mathys Tel, Archie Gray, Dominic Solanke, Lucas Bergvall

MANAGER

Thomas Frank - 7

Showed great tactical nous starting with a back three that turned Spurs into a rock-solid defensive unit but changes didn’t help see out the game.

Follow Daily Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates as PSG take on Tottenham in the UEFA Super Cup at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy.

Tottenham and PSG fans have been left thirsty ahead of the UEFA Super Cup final after a wide-reaching booze ban in Udine.

Pubs and shops have been barred from selling wine or spirits by the city council - with fans and locals given the same severe treatment.

The only option they have been left with is beer - perhaps not a problem to most people, but still a restriction on their tastebuds.

Tottenham hope to upset PSG in the annual contest between the Europa League and Champions League winners in what will be Thomas Frank's first game.

An upset has already been caused in a different respect thanks to the alcohol prohibition, but one police officer told The Sun: 'These are the rules and it is beer only.

'Even the shops and supermarkets have not been allowed to sell alcohol to residents that live here.'

One pub attempted to distance itself from the unpopular decision, sticking up notes which read 'say thanks to the UEFA' and 'it's not our fault'.

Serving drinks with an alcohol content above five per cent is also banned.

A statement on the website of Udine's city council reads: 'The event is considered "extremely high risk" due to the expected large influx of fans.

'To prevent alcohol abuse and dangerous behavior, restrictive measures have been adopted regulating the sale, serving, and consumption of alcoholic beverages, as well as the sale of beverages in glass containers and cans.'

Fans will not be allowed to consume beverages in public places beyond the relevant establishments, the Stadio Friuli, the ground's southern parking lot, and fan zones.

Even local motorway services have been slapped with the banning order in a bid to clamp down on people getting their hands on the 'contraband'.

Tottenham go into the game as underdogs after scraping into the tournament after beating Manchester United 1-0 in last season's Europa League final.

Meanwhile, PSG booked their place by thrashing Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final, before subsequently being runners-up to Chelsea in the Club World Cup.

Spurs will be without James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Radu Dragusin, and Kota Takai, who are all injured.

Dominic Solanke and Destiny Udogie are also doubts.

Yves Bissouma has not travelled with the squad after being late for training too many times, manager Frank explained.

As for PSG, Gianluigi Donnarumma has been left out of their squad after they signed Lucas Chevalier from Lille, while midfielder Joao Neves is suspended.

Tottenham are set to further test Manchester City’s resolve over Savinho in a bid to bolster Thomas Frank’s attacking armoury.

City knocked back an enquiry for the Brazil international, revealed earlier in the week, and are thought to only be entertaining offers of more than £50million.

Spurs will go again for Savinho, who cost £31m from Troyes this time last year and made 48 appearances during his debut season under Pep Guardiola.

City possess Phil Foden and Oscar Bobb as competition on the right wing – with Rayan Cherki capable of operating out there too.

But Savinho was noticeably given the nod for City’s two biggest matches at the Club World Cup, the victory over Juventus and defeat by Al Hilal.

The 21-year-old is, however, uncertain over his future role at the Etihad Stadium and Tottenham are looking to pounce.

Were City to do business with Spurs, they would turn their attentions to Real Madrid superstar and Savinho’s international team-mate Rodrygo.

Rodrygo has been a constant thorn in City’s side during the titanic Champions League battles of recent seasons and is thought to want a fresh challenge away from the Bernabeu.

Khaldoon Al Mubarak had promised aggression in the transfer market, with City having brought in five new faces either side of the Club World Cup.

Landing Rodrygo and Gianluigi Donnarumma, the latter in the potential eventuality of Ederson leaving, would signify a serious show of intent.

City still need to let a number of non-homegrown players go to avoid having to omit anybody from their European squad, which limits the number of registered foreign stars.

If there is an obvious void in Thomas Frank’s credentials to manage Tottenham it comes in Europe.

His experience is minimal and Bill Nicholson, the most illustrious of his predecessors, once claimed the club was ‘nothing’ without European football.

It explains the tidal wave of euphoria unleashed upon a long-suffering fanbase by the Europa League triumph under Ange Postecoglou in Bilbao three months ago.

Past glories were rekindled and prestigious opportunities served up, including the glitzy decoration of tonight’s UEFA Super Cup date with Paris Saint-Germain in north-eastern Italy and the altogether more meaningful prospect of a Champions League draw before the end of this month.

Thus far, Frank’s experience of managing in Europe amounts to a couple of brief Europa League campaigns back in his native Denmark with Brondby, neither of which made it beyond the qualifying rounds.

Now this first high-profile test since crossing London from Brentford is upon him in a hurry, with questions swirling about how ready Tottenham are for it and what comes next.

They have added two players to a senior squad that crashed to 17th in the Premier League, losing 22 of 38 games, a record dismal enough to get Postecoglou the sack, despite the silverware.

Beyond the managerial change, and a summer of diligent tactical work the players have been keen to talk about, reinforcements were clearly required if Frank was to compete across four major competitions.

Thus far, however, they have brought in Mohammed Kudus for £50million from West Ham and Joao Palhinha on loan from Bayern Munich.

An audacious swoop for Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White failed, while captain Son Heung-min has been sold to LAFC and James Maddison will miss most of the season after damaging cruciate knee ligaments on the Asian tour.

Dejan Kulusevski is still weeks from a return after a serious knee injury. Dominic Solanke, ruled out of all but one pre-season friendly with an ankle injury, is available for the Super Cup, but there remains an obvious absence of craft and imagination at Frank’s disposal.

It probably explains the air of mild scattergun panic accompanying a flurry of fresh moves linking Spurs with various talented players, including Nico Paz of Como, Savinho of Manchester City and Eberechi Eze of Crystal Palace. Frank’s early summer interest in Eze fizzled out amid the front-heavy make-up of the fee established by a since-expired clause and the wage demands of the player.

But it could be revived, especially as interest from Arsenal has faded for the time being.

Eze, who was said to be interested in the Arsenal move, is now thought to be keen on a switch to Spurs. Frank declined to comment when quizzed on the matter last night.

Some of those all too familiar with the way it works in N17 are rolling their eyes. For them it seems like another new dawn and yet the same old story, with transfer targets slipping away, injuries biting and a new season looming with an incomplete squad.

The fans’ movement Change for Tottenham are organising a demonstration in the High Road before Saturday’s Premier League opener at home to Burnley, protesting about ticket prices and recruitment strategy in what they have dubbed ‘a summer of failure’. Things change, but some things stay the same.

On top of this came revelations by Frank that Yves Bissouma had not travelled to Italy, axed from the squad for disciplinary reasons having shown up late on more than one occasion, a bad habit which used to irritate Antonio Conte when he was Spurs boss.

Postecoglou also disciplined Bissouma in August last year, dropping the Mali international midfielder after he had been filmed inhaling nitrous oxide from a balloon. He turns 29 before the end of the month but Bissouma, rather than maturing into a senior professional, has claimed an unwanted hat-trick by offending the new boss before a ball of the new season has been kicked.

He has only one year left on his contract and Spurs would sell him if they could, but this will not do anything to generate an attractive offer.

‘He has been late several times and the latest time was one too many,’ was Frank’s explanation. ‘With everything you need to give your players a lot of love, but also have demands and there needs to be consequences. This time there was a consequence for that.’

It is a wholly unnecessary headache for a new head coach still learning to understand the idiosyncratic rhythms of his new club and yet confident they will be in a better place by the time the transfer market closes at the end of the month. ‘I think I have a good team and a good squad,’ said Frank last night in Udine.

‘This transfer window, we are definitely in the market and will do everything we can to make the best possible and strong squad for September 1.

‘There are a few things in the air, shall we say, along the way. The last two days, we trained Sunday, Monday, two top training sessions. Nice, light training and we will be ready tomorrow.’

Paris Saint-Germain beat four English teams and destroyed Inter Milan as they won the Champions League. Tottenham lifted the Europa League without coming even close to a team of their calibre. Yet there is the usual caveat, because the Super Cup is no more than a glorified friendly and Luis Enrique’s team finished last season barely a month ago, losing to Chelsea in the Club World Cup final.

Nobody is sure what to expect of the European champions, but they are unlikely to be at their best. As for Spurs, six games into pre-season preparations, we wait with breath bated to see if Frank can find the elusive formula.

Yves Bissouma has been axed from the Tottenham squad for the UEFA Super Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain for turning up late – again.

Thomas Frank has not taken long to tire of Bissouma's behaviour, which drew comment form his predecessors.

Antonio Conte complained of his punctuality and Ange Postecoglou left the Mali international midfielder out of a game at the start of last season after he was filmed inhaling nitrous oxide from a balloon.

'He has been late several times and now this time is one too many,' said Frank. 'With everything you need to give your players a lot of love, but you also have demands and there need to be consequences.

'There has now been a consequence for this trip. I'll park it for now and we will follow up when we come home.'

Bissouma adds to Tottenham’s list of absentees against PSG but Frank has confirmed Dominic Solanke, who has missed all but one of the pre-season friendlies, is fit from an ankle injury and available for the game.

Destiny Udogie is not ready to return but getting closer.

Spurs beat Manchester United to win the Europa League in May, while PSG thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final.

Ange Postecoglou was brutally sacked by Tottenham in June despite winning the Europa League - but he is clearly living his best life away from football.

Postecoglou, 59, received an $8million payout from the Premier League club, and a recent TikTok video shows the ex-Socceroos boss isn't kicking stones as he patiently waits for his next managerial opportunity.

'Aussie Ange' can be seen dining at Sta Kala Kathoumena, an exclusive eatery on the Greek isle of Paros, where he rubbed shoulders with celebrity chef Stefanos Saratsis.

As the former A-League coach at Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory watches on, Saratsis slices the steak into ribbons before spearing a section on to his knife to add seasoning.

Postecoglou gestures his approval to the chef as the clip ends.

It comes after Spurs chairman Daniel Levy recently revealed why Postecoglou was moved on from the North London club.

'Ultimately, the decision sits with me,' Levy said.

'Ange won us a trophy – a European trophy – highly significant and he's always going to be in our history.

'However, we couldn't lose sight of the fact that we finished 17th in the league, we lost 22 Premier League games... it is impossible for Tottenham to be in that position.

'We had to take the emotion out of it.

'Whichever level you do it, no one likes telling somebody, "You're losing your job", but it is the nature of football.

'We are there to win and yes, we won a European trophy – and it was fantastic – but we also need to win on all fronts – and the Premier League says it all.'

Levy then swiftly appointed former Brentford boss Thomas Frank as Spurs' new manager in June.

Postecoglou - who also received a $4.2million bonus for winning the Europa League - has been linked to a move to the MLS to manage Los Angeles FC.

He was also reportedly approached by Al-Ahli, who won the AFC Champions League in May and play in the Saudi Pro League.

Socceroos legend Robbie Slater is adamant Postecoglou won't be out of work for too long.

'He put himself in that top echelon by being at a big club and winning a big trophy,' Slater told Code Sports.

'(But) the way he plays football, I don't think a lower club in the Premier League will look at him and go 'we can take that risk.'

'He might get that opportunity in Europe, maybe Spain or France. 'He's gonna get a job, he will be in demand.

'He won't have a job to start next season, but as we know in football it won't take long.'

Tottenham may still bid for Eberechi Eze this summer despite also showing interest in Manchester City winger Savinho.

Eze has a release clause of about £68million in his contract although there have been suggestions that this agreement was due to expire at some time in August, leaving Crystal Palace free to set their own valuation.

The 27-year-old has two more years left on his contract at Selhurst Park but Palace anticipate offers before the window closes.

Eze has admirers at both Tottenham and Arsenal – and that creates a possible game of cat-and-mouse between the great north London rivals.

While both like Eze, neither would want to bid publicly for the player if there was a risk he could reject them in favour of joining the other. Both clubs will compete in the Champions League this season.

Mail Sport has already reported that Arsenal will have to make significant sales if they are to fund a move for Eze.

His £68m release clause is understood to expire two weeks before the window closes on September 1, leaving Palace free to demande even more money for him if they wish.

The Gunners have already signed Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Kepa Arrizabalaga, and Cristhian Mosquera for almost £200m in total.

Players such as Reiss Nelson, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira, and Albert Sambi Lokonga are all on the chopping block.

Tottenham, meanwhile, have shelled out around £126m on Mohammed Kudus, Mathys Tel, Kevin Danso, Luka Vuskovic, Kota Takai, and Joao Palhinha, the latter with a loan fee.

They are also looking to negotiate a shock move for Savinho but Manchester City would demand significantly more than £50m for the Brazilian winger to leave.

The two clubs have discussed a potential deal, although City are not set on selling a player who featured in 48 matches during his debut campaign in England.

Savinho joined City from sister club Troyes – via a loan deal at Girona – for £31m last summer, scoring three goals and recording 10 assists in all competitions.

Crystal Palace beat Liverpool on penalties on Sunday to lift the Community Shield and chairman Steve Parish whether he wanted Eze and Marc Guehi – another Spurs target – to stay.

Parish said: ‘Yeah of course, but listen, players come and go in football clubs. I mean it’s a life cycle isn’t it? Hopefully they’ll still be here, that’s what I’d like. But we’ll see.’

After Liverpool and Palace drew 2-2, the game was decided on spot-kicks for the third year running, and though Eze missed his, Palace went on to win thanks to a pair of saves from Dean Henderson.

Palace subsequently made their way up the 107 steps of the trophy presentation route to celebrate their success, but questions immediately turned to the future of their star man.

As the England international made his way down the stairs, a fan questioned him on the speculation surrounding a potential move to the Emirates.

Eze briefly made eye contact with the supporter in question before appearing to crack a smile at the remark as he walked away.

The apparent gesture led to some fans on social media insisting that Eze will be making his way to north London this summer to join Mikel Arteta's side.

Tottenham are believed to have began discussions with Manchester City over the recruitment of Savinho as the north London club plot their next move in the transfer window, according to reports.

The Europa League champions were quick to change their manager in the aftermath of a decidedly mixed season that saw them win European honours but finish 17th in the Premier League, trading Ange Postecoglou for Brentford head coach Thomas Frank.

But their transfer business has given some fans pause, with only a handful of deals done over the summer so far after securing standout forward target Mohammed Kudus from West Ham.

Spurs were thwarted in their pursuit of Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White, with the Tricky Trees threatening to report their rivals for an allegedly 'illegal' approach after Tottenham activated the attacking midfielder's £60million release clause.

Frank's side have also lost a number of key figures, with talismanic captain Son Heung-min moving to LAFC, and James Maddison suffering an ACL injury which will keep him out for much of the season.

But with just under a month left of the window, Tottenham appear to be primed to restart their bid to bolster their attacking ranks.

As per Fabrizio Romano, the two Premier League clubs are believed to be in negotiations over the winger, who arrived at the Etihad just one season ago.

Frank is thought to see Savinho as an ideal player for his vision for his new club, and the Brazil star is believed to be open to a move south should the opportunity arise.

The 21-year-old has been part of the City Football Group eco-system for over three years, with the attacked bought from Atletico Mineiro by City's sister club Troyes in 2022.

Savinho then cut his teeth at PSV Eindhoven before a formative loan move to fellow City Football Group club Girona, where he played a key role in their title-chasing 2023-24 season.

The player's move to jewel in the organisation's crown came amid a hail of fanfare last July, and Savinho ended the season having made 48 appearances under Pep Guardiola throughout the club's challenging 2024-25 season.

Before Tottenham's move for the star, there were few suggestions Man City were keen to offload Savinho, with the player featuring in their Club World Cup campaign - and scoring a goal and registering an additional assist in the United States.

In the wake of Maddison's ACL injury, Tottenham have also been keeping tabs on Como star Nico Paz.

New Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has wasted little time in putting his mark on the club's training ground.

Inside Sport understands that a new Padel court is currently being installed at the state-of-the-art facility in Enfield.

Frank is a keen Padel player and earlier this year dispatched Daily Mail Sport's Oliver Holt and a friend 6-0, 6-0 in a doubles match while he was at Brentford, where there was a similar set-up.

In 2019 it was revealed that Spurs had installed a putting green at the complex, with former striker Harry Kane among a group of keen golfers at the club.

FOREST LAWYER UP

Nottingham Forest sent five lawyers to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after Crystal Palace included both them and Lyon in their appeal against UEFA's decision to demote the Eagles from the Europa League to the Conference League.

Palace are attempting to replace either Forest, who were effectively promoted to take their spot, or Lyon.

The French side are owned by John Textor, whose company also held a 43 per cent stake in Palace which UEFA deemed was a breach of its rules on multi-club ownership.

They took the one slot on offer to MCOs because they finished higher in their domestic league than FA Cup winners Palace.

The Eagles have thrown the kitchen sink at overturning what they believe was an unjust decision, and both Forest and Lyon, who were also represented, could claim for legal expenses.

A verdict, following a gruelling 10-hour hearing on Friday is due on Monday.

RUSSIAN ATHLETICS BRACED FOR CHANGE

Russian Athletics is obviously anticipating big progress in the Trump and Putin peace talks.

The body has suddenly invited international media to their National Championships in Kazan and has talked optimistically about a return to international competition.

However, Lord Sebastian Coe and the council at World Athletics will not make a call during the World Championships in Tokyo next month.

Inside Sport understands that realistically only Russian youth and women athletes will be considered for immediate international athletics events - and that any such decision will only be made after a ceasefire in Ukraine. Next year is most likely.

APP TAKES RIO'S FANCY

Rio Ferdinand continues to spread his portfolio post-football.

The former Manchester United and England defender, who Daily Mail Sport revealed was to leave TNT Sports at the end of last season, is backing a new sports app called Koora Break, which has recently partnered with national Saudi Arabian airline Saudia and will provide in-flight content.

Ferdinand himself has appeared on the App, interviewing Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

UNITED CHIEF SPEEDS OFF TO NEW ROLE

Another off-field departure at Manchester United, where head of corporate comms Michael Gibson is off to a new sport.

Gibson has landed a role in MotoGP, the grand prix of motorcycling where he will lead their global comms strategy.

Before arriving at Old Trafford in 2022 he previously worked on the 2019 Cricket World Cup and Rugby League World Cup three years later.

Gibson's move follows the decision by Andrew Ward to leave as director of media relations and public affairs at the club, which continues to change rapidly on and off the field following the arrival Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos as co-owners.

SALMON IN HOT WATER

Choppy waters for Swim England chief executive Andy Salmon, who has made a number of redundancies and stated that more are on their way.

Staff have been left with a bitter taste, to say the least, after Salmon cancelled the annual team conference and Christmas Party - but failed to do the same to a three-day team building trip to Wales this month, for him and senior leadership.

When challenged on how he could justify what some see as a jolly on the back of such cuts, he is said to have claimed it was a vitally important trip and something which could not be done at HQ in Loughborough.

Morale among staff is said to be at ‘an all-time low’ according to an insider.