Pre-season block and final weeks of transfer window likely to determine how ready Spurs are to compete on multiple fronts
Crucial test: Thomas Frank has to ensure there is no repeat of Tottenham’s injury crisis
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Matt Verri
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A new season, a new man at the helm, and yet there was an obvious familiarity at the Tottenham training ground last week.
Thomas Frank sat down for his first press conference since taking charge and, like his predecessor Ange Postecoglou so often did, found himself talking about injuries.
How is James Maddison's recovery going? The midfielder is back in part-training. What about Dejan Kulusevski? He will miss the start of the season. And of particular interest: was the club doing something wrong last season to have so many injuries?
"It’s always difficult for me to look into what happened before me," Frank responded.
"Of course, we try to look into it and speak to people who were there last year and try to learn from it.
"We need to learn from last season. I have some ideas of what we can improve and do better. It should be possible to improve."
Per Premier Injuries, Tottenham had players out for a total of 193 matches last season, with 41 separate injuries. That was the second-worst record in the Premier League. Spurs were without their two first-choice centre-backs for nearly four months, and went into the Europa League final with their three most creative midfielders sidelined.
Tottenham had disastrous injury problems last season
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A summer overhaul of the medical department therefore came as no real surprise. Adam Brett and Nick Davies have departed, with Frank followed to Spurs by Chris Haslam, his head of athletic performance at Brentford. Tom Perryman and Nick Stubbings have also arrived as a strength and conditioning coach and medical lead.
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Frank spoke of his desire for Spurs to challenge on several fronts and these pre-season weeks are viewed as crucial. After the disastrous injury problems last term, there has been an emphasis on fitness in the summer sessions.
"Hopefully the way we train, building layers, building robustness into the players is going to be a big part and make the players more available through the season," Frank said.
There was also a nod to the importance of squad management. "Hopefully we can make good decisions... when to rotate and when to rest is a big thing as well.”
These were criticisms levelled at Postecoglou, with it argued that a stretched squad could not cope with the intensity of his playing style.
Frank will be more versatile tactically but still wants his side to be aggressive and brave. He will to an extent be learning on the job, with this the Dane's first season contending with such a congested fixture list.
Rotation will be key but the degree to which he can do so will be decided by this transfer window. With the added strain of a Champions League campaign, Frank needs a squad ready to compete on multiple fronts.
Mohammed Kudus is a positive signing and looked sharp in the pre-season win over Reading. The arrival of Luka Vuskovic, signed in 2023, also adds depth in defence.
There is still work to be done, though. A midfielder is sorely needed and the pursuit of Morgan Gibbs-White has come to a standstill. Speculation continues to surround Heung-min Son and Cristian Romero, with Frank particularly non-committal when asked about the South Korean's future.
"Right now, he’s here," was about as far as the Spurs boss was willing to go.
Daniel Levy spoke recently of the "need" to win the Premier League, insisting failure is "not an option". Those are easy words to say in an in-house media interview but the proof will come over the next five week in the transfer window.
A title challenge would be an unfair expectation to put on Spurs — Frank himself labelled it as an "aim for the future".
How distant that future is will become clearer by the end of the summer. By then, Frank will hope to be armed with a fitter, stronger squad.
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