Eastern Daily Press

Spurs fans had started to turn on Frank after a run of five defeats in eight left them 14th in the Premier League on Christmas Day.

While there had been no suggestions internally that Frank’s job was under immediate threat, Tottenham needed to return to winning ways and Gray’s 42nd-minute header settled the contest between the current FA Cup and Europa League holders.

“I really liked the desire, details, mentality in the team and the character and resilience of the team is something I spoke about a lot,” Frank reflected.

“That is so important that we have that resilience in the team, because in a long Premier League season, you need to go to a very difficult away ground here and fight and show character. To get a clean sheet, win 1-0, that was a massive win in many ways.

“Was it a top performance? No. Are there things we can improve? Yes. But to go here, with the season having been a little bit up and down, I think it’s a huge mentality effort from the players.”

Gray was the unlikely match-winner after he opened his account for Spurs on his 60th appearance with a close-range header, which marked his first professional goal at the 112th time of asking.

Frank has backed the 19-year-old in recent weeks – even after an error in a recent 3-0 loss at Nottingham Forest – and was delighted to see his faith rewarded.

He added: “I think Archie is growing. He showed why he has a very good potential in many ways. I think it’s another fine performance overall.

“Talking about resilience, he made a mistake in the Nottingham game, played another good game against Liverpool, growing as a young man. He was alert. I loved that goal, because he was alert, he was seeing where the ball will land and he was ready on it.”

Gray’s effort occurred against the run of play with Palace dominant in the first half, but Jean-Philippe Mateta sent two efforts off target and Will Hughes failed to test Guglielmo Vicario from another opening.

The pattern continued into the second half with Justin Devenny only able to fire over before Maxence Lacroix headed wide, but Palace ran out of steam and Tottenham finished strong.

Spurs were only denied another after VAR cut short Richarlison’s celebrations for offside in the 75th minute and substitute Wilson Odobert smashed against the post late on, but it finished 1-0.

Palace boss Oliver Glasner acknowledged: “It’s again a performance where both teams, I think you shouldn’t lose.

“Creating enough to score goals, but miss all our chances and get punished by a corner and a set-play. It shows exactly what we have to improve.

“I can’t remember – and you all watch longer than me – that a Crystal Palace side dominate a Tottenham side like we did, but then leaving the pitch with a defeat, it makes it frustrating for all our players.”

Spurs fans had started to turn on Frank after a run of five defeats in eight left them 14th in the Premier League on Christmas Day.

While there had been no suggestions internally that Frank’s job was under immediate threat, Tottenham needed to return to winning ways and Gray’s 42nd-minute header settled the contest between the current FA Cup and Europa League holders.

It moved Spurs up to 11th but crucially they are only four points off fifth-placed Chelsea ahead of Frank’s return to old club Brentford on Wednesday.

Oliver Glasner watched his weary Palace team lose a third consecutive league game to further highlight the need for January reinforcements.

Both clubs had celebrated eagerly-awaited cup wins in May but Spurs were without one of their heroes from Bilbao with Cristian Romero suspended.

Kevin Danso replaced Romero and received a late Christmas present in the shape of a yellow card from referee Jarred Gillett after five minutes as Palace made the early running.

Chances remained limited, though, and Tottenham thought they had taken the lead in the 17th minute through Richarlison only for their celebrations to be cut short after Lucas Bergvall was deemed offside in the build-up.

Jean-Philippe Mateta signalled his intentions with an effort dragged wide from 20 yards soon after before a short free-kick routine created another chance for Palace’s number nine but he nodded over from Maxence Lacroix’s header.

Justin Devenny and Adam Wharton tested Guglielmo Vicario with tame efforts before Will Hughes curled wide after a slick move by the hosts.

It appeared a matter of time before Palace broke the deadlock but Spurs struck against the run of play in the 42nd minute.

After Randal Kolo Muani’s blocked shot forced a corner, Pedro Porro’s delivery to the back post was kept alive by Kolo Muani and then flicked on by Richarlison for Gray to head home from close-range to open his account for Tottenham.

Spurs’ slender half-time lead was immediately under threat as stand-in away captain Micky van de Ven blocked Yeremy Pino’s volley before an even better opportunity was created.

Pino produced a sumptuous outside-of-the-boot cross which was knocked down by Nathaniel Clyne but Devenny fired over on the turn.

Glasner turned to his bench with Eddie Nketiah introduced and another Palace chance was squandered with 20 minutes left when Jefferson Lerma teed up Lacroix but he sent his header wide.

Five minutes later and Tottenham had the ball in the net again through Richarlison after a wonderful Mohammed Kudus cross only for VAR to deny the visitors again as the Brazil forward was marginally offside.

Palace captain Marc Guehi went close next after he headed over but no grand finale occurred as Spurs defended resolutely, with substitute Wilson Odobert unlucky to hit the inside of the post from range before Dean Henderson denied Rodrigo Bentancur as it finished 1-0.

Frank watched Spurs suffer a third consecutive defeat in a horror week after they conceded twice in the first six minutes at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – the second following a moment of madness by goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

An early strike by Kenny Tete and Harry Wilson’s sublime lob put Frank’s team immediately on the back foot and, despite Mohammed Kudus’ 59th-minute effort, Tottenham slumped to their fourth defeat in six Premier League games.

This latest bad result extended an awful run of results at home, with Spurs only winning three of their last 21 home league matches.

Those statistics, combined with a string of toothless attacking displays, mean Frank has plenty of questions to answer going into December, with scrutiny growing.

A spirited display in defeat at Paris St Germain on Wednesday had earned Frank some credit after the derby hammering by Arsenal where fans were scathing of his tactics.

Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall provided green shoots of encouragement in Paris and Frank trusted the 19-year-old duo in what felt a significant fixture.

Yet before the highly-rated pair had even had time to make a handful of passes, Tottenham were 2-0 down in shambolic fashion.

Fulham broke the deadlock in the fourth minute when, within seconds of a poor header by Kevin Danso, the excellent Samuel Chukwueze cut inside from the left and picked out Tete, who had an 18-yard shot deflected beyond Vicario by Spurs’ Destiny Udogie.

Tottenham were stunned but 136 second later conceded again in a moment to forget for Vicario.

The keeper rushed out to intercept Joachim Andersen’s pass ahead of Raul Jimenez, but instead of knocking the ball out for a throw, he inexplicably cleared it infield and Joshua King teed up Wilson to curl home wonderfully.

It was a sensational 40-yard lob by Wilson, but Vicario’s comical error saw him heavily booed straight after by the home fans.

Chukwueze curled against a post moments later before Danso had to block a shot by Wilson.

Tottenham’s lop-sided 4-2-3-1 formation with no left forward continued to struggle to create chances and only a superb tackle by stand-in captain Micky van de Ven prevented another Fulham goal as he slid in to thwart Chukwueze, who had rounded Vicario after Pedro Porro’s lapse in concentration.

It was masterful defending by Van de Ven but did not stop loud boos at half-time and, despite no changes by Frank, Spurs returned with much-needed attacking intent.

Randal Kolo Muani had an effort blocked seconds into the second period before a succession of promising openings ended with a poor Tottenham delivery.

When Porro did finally produce a quality cross, Kolo Muani sent his 57th-minute header into the side-netting.

Spurs finally had momentum, though, and the deficit was reduced with 31 minutes left when Bergvall chipped into the path of Kudus and he lashed into the top corner.

Frank immediately sent on Rodrigo Bentancur, Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons and the latter had a shot deflected over by Andersen as Tottenham pushed for a leveller.

The equaliser nearly arrived in the 67th minute when Bergvall flicked on Kudus’ corner, but Jimenez brilliantly headed clear and there was no grandstand finish, with Kolo Muani sending a backheel wide as Spurs lost again at home.

Spurs are without a Premier League home win since the opening day and have claimed victory in only four of their nine matches at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in all competitions this season.

It places extra significance on the battle with Fulham, and after a humbling 4-1 loss at rivals Arsenal last Sunday, the performance of Bergvall and Gray in a spirited 5-3 defeat away to Paris St Germain in the Champions League has provided food for thought for Frank.

Gray, 19, has only featured in two league games this season whilst Bergvall has started five times in the Premier League, with the experienced duo of Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur often preferred in midfield.

However, with a lack of creative spark a longstanding issue during Frank’s short reign, the bravery and dynamism of both Gray and Bergvall on Wednesday showed a potential blueprint to help the Danish coach land on the right formula at Spurs.

Asked if he had any hesitation about starting them together against Fulham, Frank replied: “Absolutely not.

“I think if you perform like they did against the European champions away from home, I think you’re ready to start in the Premier League.”

Frank used a 4-2-2-2 formation in Paris with Gray alongside Bentancur in the double pivot and Bergvall further forward, but summer additions Palhinha, Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons were only on the bench.

Quizzed on whether that formation could work in a home game, Frank said: “I liked a lot of the intensity and aggressivity in the pressure. I liked the forwardness and the running forward, playing forward.

“We played four midfielders across the midfield. That could be for some games. It could also be different for some games. I think it’s fair to say it’s one game away to Paris and it’s a different game for Fulham.

“Everything is possible but I think it depends on the opponent. It depends on the type of game.”

Frank has shuffled his pack in an attempt to balance freshness with a congested fixture list along with working out the basis of his strongest line-up.

Yet, he must solve the conundrum of Tottenham’s attack and with only three wins in 12 fixtures, the 52-year-old is acutely aware decisions taken with the long-term in mind must be married up with short-term success.

“The challenge that we are facing, that we are embracing, is that away to Arsenal, three days later away to PSG, three days later home to Fulham, three days later away to Newcastle,” Frank smiled.

“So, how can we find that perfect balance of energy, intensity, freshness and the right structure and relationship on the pitch? So that’s a nice coaching challenge.

“We said from the beginning when I walked in the club, every decision I take is to do everything I can to win the next game, but it’s for the long run. If you can’t build something that lasts, it doesn’t matter.”

The Paris St Germain loanee suffered a blow to his jaw in Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Manchester United on November 8 and subsequently missed international duty with France.

He joined a lengthy injury list for Tottenham, but Frank provided positive updates on a number of players and Kolo Muani can unexpectedly play after he was fitted with a protective mask in order to train this week.

“Pape (Sarr) trained today, ready and available. Lucas (Bergvall) trained today and is available. Kolo Muani, yes trained today, available – of course he has a mask he needs to play with,” Frank revealed.

Defenders Ben Davies and Kota Takai also returned to training this week and centre-back Radu Dragusin took part in a behind-closed-doors friendly earlier this month to step up his recovery after he sustained anterior cruciate ligament damage in January.

Archie Gray is another back and Mohammed Kudus, who missed international duty with Ghana, has also returned to training in a further boost for Frank.

James Maddison, Yves Bissouma and Dejan Kulusevski remain sidelined along with Dominic Solanke, who has not featured since August 23 and had minor surgery on his ankle last month.

Frank added: “Dom is not ready yet. We are very aware that when we put him out there, we want to be as sure as we can that there will be no setback going forward. I am comfortable he will soon be ready.”

Ex-Brentford boss Frank has only one win in nine competitive meetings with Arsenal, but did get the better of Mikel Arteta’s men in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong in July.

“Yeah this is the real one. Super excited. Of course before I stepped into the club I knew about the north London derby, but it’s when you’re in it, you sense it and feel that this is important,” Frank said.

“You feel it from the fans, you feel it from the staff members, the players, the people that have been working here for years. This is the big one.

“I always say the next game is the most important game, I always have that, but I’m very, very, very aware there’s two games in a year that’s even more important and this is the first of them.

“We’re ready, we’re up for it, we’re looking forward to it and we’ll do everything we can to win.”

A big focus ahead of Sunday’s match at the Emirates will be on the club’s two set-piece coaches and Arsenal’s Nicolas Jover started under Frank at Brentford, which was also the case for Spurs’ Andreas Georgson.

“Well, it is very simple. I educated both of them at Brentford,” Frank smiled.

“I think maybe some of it is the bit we did at Brentford where we really laser-focused on it and used a lot of time to excel to a high level.”

The British billionaire, who handed ownership of the club to the Lewis Family Trust in 2022, was fined five million US dollars (£3.8 million) after he pleaded guilty in January 2024 to charges alleging he had committed securities fraud and conspired to commit securities fraud by insider trading.

A White House official confirmed the pardon and said Lewis, 88, requested it so that he could receive medical treatment and visit his grandchildren and great-grandchildren in the US, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

He had initially denied the charges of securities fraud and conspiracy with which he was faced.

According to prosecutors, he passed secrets to romantic partners, personal assistants and friends.

The information allowed them to bet on companies in which he had invested, using information only those with access to the business could have known.

The Lewis family took full operational control of Tottenham this year, after former chairman Daniel Levy stepped down.

Lewis will not be returning to the club, which will continue to be run by the next generation of the Lewis family.

Lewis said: “I am pleased all of this is now behind me, and I can enjoy retirement and watch as my family and extended family continue to build our businesses based on the quality and pursuit of excellence that has become our trademark.”

A source close to the family added: “Joe and the Lewis family are extremely grateful for this pardon and would like to thank President Trump for taking this action.

“Over his long business career, Joe has been a visionary, creating businesses across the world which multiple generations of his family are now taking forward.

“This is why there is so much more to the Joe Lewis story than this one event.”

Lewis built his wealth through the investment company Tavistock Group, and bought a controlling stake in Tottenham Hotspur in 2001.

In 2022 he ceded control of the club and formally handed his stake to a family trust and has no day-to-day involvement with the club.

Spurs is now run by Joe Lewis’s daughter Vivienne, his son Charles, and Vivienne’s husband Nick Beucher, as well as non-executive chairman Peter Charrington and chief executive Vinai Venkatesham.

Mr Levy stepped down as chairman of the club in September after nearly 25 years.

An expression of interest by Earick’s consortium, which was reportedly ready to launch a £4.5billion takeover bid, was “unequivocally rejected” by ENIC, which is run by the Lewis family Trust, on September 26.

On Monday, it was confirmed via the London Stock Exchange that Earick had pulled out of the running, which was welcomed by the Lewis family Trust, who again reiterated a long-term commitment to Spurs. This news follows Asia-based consortium Firehawk Holdings Limited also ruling out a bid.

“The Board of Tottenham Hotspur Limited (the “club”) notes the recent announcements from the Firehawk and Mr Earick’s consortiums that they do not intend to make an offer for the club,” a statement on London Stock Exchange read.

“The Board thanks them for the constructive approach taken in the discussions with the club’s and the Lewis family’s representatives and respecting the clear position of the Lewis family that the club is not for sale.

“Following the announcements made by the consortiums, the club is no longer in an offer period under the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers.”

It was announced at the start of September that Spurs’ majority owners ENIC had “unequivocally rejected” two expressions of interest in acquiring the north London club, with one from a consortium of investors led by Dr Roger Kennedy and Wing-Fai Ng through Firehawk.

Amanda Staveley’s PCP International Finance immediately confirmed via the London Stock Exchange on September 8 that it did not intend to make an offer for Tottenham and Firehawk confirmed its intentions on October 3.

This left a consortium led by Earick as the only public interested party in Tottenham, but he has withdrawn his interest in the Premier League club.

ENIC, run by the Lewis family Trust, owns almost 87 per cent of Tottenham, but due to the remaining shares being publicly traded, the club is subject to the UK Takeover Code. This means any expression of interest or bid must be lodged with the Takeover Code panel and made public.

Since Daniel Levy was invited to step down after 24 years as chairman on September 4 by majority owners ENIC there have been three expressions of interest to buy Tottenham, but the Lewis family Trust insists the club are not for sale.

A source close to the Lewis family told the PA news agency on September 26: “This unsolicited and unnecessary interest does nothing to change the family’s resolve and commitment to do whatever it takes to drive success on the pitch. The club is not for sale.”

The Browns had been on course for victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after a touchdown from David Njoku gave them a 17-14 lead in the third quarter.

The Vikings had led earlier after replying to a Harold Fannin touchdown and Andre Szymt field goal with scores from Josh Oliver and Jordan Mason.

Addison had the final say on a 12-yard pass from Wentz, lifting the Vikings to 3-2 in NFC North, while the Browns slip to 1-4 in AFC North.

England forward Solanke has endured an injury-hit few months and only featured three times this season, with his last appearance for Spurs on August 23 against Manchester City.

After a lengthy lay-off in pre-season with the same issue, Solanke’s absence over the past five weeks has sparked a flurry of questions for new boss Thomas Frank and he finally underwent surgery on Wednesday.

“The last few months have been very frustrating as I’ve tried everything possible to try and push through my ankle issue before taking the option of surgery,” Tottenham’s £65million forward Solanke said on Instagram.

“None of this managed to solve the problem, so we had to go ahead with minor surgery, which I underwent this morning.

“It was all successful so hopefully I’ll be back on the pitch in the very near future. Thank you for all your love and messages.”

Tuesday’s 2-2 draw at Bodo/Glimt was the sixth match Solanke has missed this season and stand-in captain Micky van de Ven admitted to being disappointed at the team’s overall performance in Norway.

Spurs had to fight back from being 2-0 down after two fine second-half strikes by Jens Petter Hauge to leave with a point in the Champions League.

Van de Ven was given the armband in the absence of injured captain Cristian Romero and started the comeback with a 68th-minute header for his maiden goal in the competition before Archie Gray’s low shot forced an 89th-minute own-goal from Jostein Gundersen.

“A tough game, really tough and 2-0 down, so I think we can be happy with a point,” Van de Ven told SpursPlay.

“It’s a nice feeling (to score) and I’m happy also we get the point otherwise if you lose 2-1 and you score it doesn’t matter, but happy to score my first goal (in the Champions League).

“Yeah, really proud moment. I am happy to help the team as well today. I was hoping for a better performance from our team, but I am happy with the point and a really proud moment for myself and my family (to be captain).”

A flying header by Dutchman Van de Ven from Pedro Porro’s cross came 146 seconds after Bodo’s second goal.

The Spurs centre-back acknowledged the instant reply was significant, adding: “That is also important because I think that gives some extra pressure on them.

“They knew if we score the 2-1 straight away, they need to drop and we are coming. I think we played really well after this and got the point.”

It is the third time in September that Tottenham have been forced to come from behind to claim a point.

Spurs trailed by two goals at Brighton and required an equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time on Saturday to rescue a point at home to Wolves.

Centre-back Kevin Danso added: “Our mentality came out. I think that is the third time this season we have been down and come back.”

Solanke, who last played for Spurs on August 23 against Manchester City, was absent from training again on Monday ahead of the Champions League fixture away to Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday.

England forward Solanke had returned to training earlier this month before he was pulled out last week, but Frank revealed in Norway that a final decision had been made to go down the surgery route.

“Dom has got that ankle issue that’s been bothering him for a little while, so now we’ve decided to make a minor surgery,” Spurs boss Frank told a press conference.

“It’s a small procedure, so that will mean he is not ready for today of course and of course Leeds (on Saturday) as well. We’ll have more news about a timeframe after the international break, but I don’t expect it to be long.”

Frank had played down concerns over Solanke’s fitness in Friday’s press conference before a 1-1 draw at home to Wolves on Saturday night.

Solanke missed the majority of pre-season with an ankle issue, but it appeared to be fixed by the start of August after he featured in matches against Paris St Germain, Burnley and Manchester City.

However, with the 28-year-old not able to play for Tottenham during the last five weeks, Frank was asked whether the club could have opted for surgery sooner.

He said: “No, I think you can look at it two ways. That is the easy answer but it is not that easy because if we knew we could have done the surgery a month ago, we probably would have done it.

“For me I am always ‘it is what it is’. We deal with it now and no doubt the way we dealt with it was because we thought that was the right thing. In general no one wants surgery.”

Surgery for Solanke leaves Frank light on attacking options in Bodo, with Paris St Germain loanee Randal Kolo Muani unable to train on Monday.

Frank provided a positive update on the France international, but he will be unavailable for this rematch with Bodo four months on from a Europa League semi-final victory at Aspmyra Stadion.

Mathys Tel featured in the 2-0 win in the Arctic Circle, but is not registered for Tottenham’s Champions League squad, which is also the case for summer recruit Kota Takai and Yves Bissouma.

Takai and Bissouma took part in training on Monday along with Ben Davies – after a minor knee issue – but Frank revealed captain Cristian Romero has been left in England as a “precaution” after a bruising encounter with Wolves.

Frank added: “Kolo Muani, I think now we’re finally on top of his dead leg, so that is also progress there and good. Cuti was just a precaution.”

Danish coach Frank heaped praise on Norwegian minnows Bodo after their historic run to the Europa League semi-final was followed by qualification for the Champions League for the first time.

Asked about Spurs’ 2-0 win under his predecessor Ange Postecoglou, Frank admitted: “How many months is that? Four months ago? With all due respect, I was not the coach.

“This is a new game. This is a new situation.”