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Tottenham’s Cristian Romero returned from his one-match suspension on Thursday night and he has already done something to face the wrath of yet another opposition manager.

Cristian Romero is having a season of ups and downs as the Tottenham Hotspur captain. He was the hero against Newcastle a month ago, scoring two late goals, but a moment of madness against Liverpool later in December saw the Argentine sent off.

Romero returned to the Spurs first team on Thursday, and his performance was far more convincing than when he faced the Premier League title holders.

However, the 27-year-old has once again failed to avoid controversy after committing a clumsy challenge, which could have seen him given his marching orders.

Keith Andrews claims Cristian Romero deserved to be sent off

According to Brentford manager Keith Andrews, Romero should have been shown another red card.

This is due to a foul the Spurs skipper committed against Thiago which saw him completely miss the ball and make contact with the Brentford forward’s knee.

Andrews was especially frustrated because he believes Romero also got away with an offence when the teams met in December. Along with his red card against Liverpool, that would have made for three reds in three games for the Spurs skipper. Thankfully, Andrews is not in charge of the referee’s whistle.

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He said in his post-match press conference (Football London): “It should have been a red card and he [Romero] should have had a red card in the first game 26 days ago for a scissors tackle.”

Romero needs to be more careful when he plays for Tottenham

It is understandable that Romero was not sent off in the most recent game against Brentford because there was not much force in his challenge. However, he did make contact with Thiago’s knee after missing the ball, so another referee might have taken a harsher approach.

Romero has already served two suspensions this season, and he cannot continue to be unavailable as a result of his own unavoidable actions.

The club captain should be trustworthy and reliable, but every time Romero plays, it feels like there will be a moment when he loses the plot.

After weeks of refusing to speak about Dominic Solanke’s recovery, Thomas Frank has finally provided an update on the Tottenham striker’s fitness.

The England international cannot return fast enough for Tottenham Hotspur, who are struggling to create chances and score goals.

Frank is convinced that Solanke will score a lot of goals in his system once the striker is back, but there has been no official communication from the club on when he is expected to return.

Earlier this week, the Tottenham striker posted a positive update on social media, which showed that he is back in training.

Thomas Frank reveals when Dominic Solanke could be back for Tottenham

Over the last few weeks, Frank has refused to put a timeline on Solanke’s return, simply stating that he will provide an update on the striker when he is fit to return.

However, the club’s recent training video shows the striker back among the squad, and the Tottenham boss has confirmed that the 28-year-old is indeed training with the team.

When asked about the video showing Solanke training, Frank responded (via Football.London): “So that is positive, no doubt of that. He is out there on the pitch, and part of training with the group.”

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When asked if the former Bournemouth man could be back this month, the Dane said: “It feels that there could be a possibility for that, yeah.”

Solanke’s return will boost Spurs’ attack

Frank’s system relies on transitions to create chances, which is why Solanke is a much better fit for the system than the likes of Randal Kolo Muani and Richarlison.

The 28-year-old is a tireless presser off the ball and has pace to burn, and his return will undoubtedly make the Spurs much more effective on the counter-attack.

However, the centre-forward’s return will certainly not transform the side, with the Lilywhites struggling to progress the ball at the moment.

Thomas Frank will be hoping for a more positive response from his Tottenham Hotspur side this weekend, with the Spurs boss now offering an update on the fitness of his squad ahead of their next Premier League test against Sunderland.

Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur side kicked off 2026 with a dull goalless draw against Brentford when they visited the Gtech Stadium.

Tottenham barely created any chances and failed to take advantage of dropped points from elsewhere, with Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea all failing to secure victories in their own matches.

That draw means Spurs remain in the bottom half of the Premier League table, still four points off the top five, but Frank will be hoping for a more positive outcome on Sunday, when Tottenham take on Sunderland at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The newly promoted side is above Spurs in the Premier League table following a strong start to life in the Premier League, but a victory here would see Tottenham leapfrog over them, making this a crucial encounter.

Frank, however, will head into the game short of options, particularly in the number ten position, given the number of absentees he is dealing with.

Against Brentford, the Dane reverted to his sixth-choice option in the creative midfield role, with Archie Gray filling in for the injured Lucas Bergvall, who did not make the matchday squad.

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Xavi Simons remains suspended with a game still to serve, while James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski remain sidelined through injury.

Destiny Udogie is working his way back to full fitness, while Dominic Solanke remains unavailable for this encounter.

Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma are also absent as they are away at AFCON, and Thomas Frank has now provided an injury update on the fitness of his Tottenham squad.

On Lucas Bergvall’s availability, Thomas Frank said (Tottenham Official): “Lucas Bergvall is a doubt, but we hope he’ll be ready.”

On Dominic Solanke’s return date, he added: “To say mid-Jan, end of Jan or 5 Jan, I won’t do that.”

There appears to be growing unease behind the scenes at Tottenham Hotspur, with one Thomas Frank decision not going down well this week.

Tottenham Hotspur are edging closer to their first sale of the January transfer window, with Brennan Johnson close to sealing a move to Crystal Palace.

The Wales international, who joined Spurs in the summer of 2023, managed to have an impressive spell in north London, scoring 27 goals and providing 18 assists from 106 appearances.

Indeed, Johnson’s standout moment came back in May, when his toe poke against Manchester United was enough for Tottenham to secure their first trophy in nearly two decades.

Tottenham dressing room reaction to Brennan Johnson exit

With personal terms agreed with Crystal Palace and a £33.5m fee agreed with Spurs, Johnson is now one medical test away from completing a move to Selhurst Park.

According to Football.London, it is believed that the Welshman’s transfer has not gone down well with several Tottenham players.

It is explained that the decision to sell Brennan Johnson has not been particularly well received in a dressing room where he was a popular figure.

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It is said that Thomas Frank and Fabio Paratici informed Johnson that he is not a part of Tottenham’s long-term plans, hence the early January transfer.

Why Johnson departure has caused frustration at Spurs

No names were mentioned as being unhappy, but it is quite understandable if there is unrest, given Johnson’s influence.

The 24-year-old was the club’s top scorer last season and, as aforementioned, helped many of his team-mates secure their first piece of silverware with his decisive goal in Bilbao, Spain.

Tottenham supporters made their feelings unmistakably clear on Thursday night, with frustration spilling over into the stands as the football on display once again failed to match expectations.

Thomas Frank still has his work cut out in the Tottenham Hotspur dugout, with the football on display remaining anything but entertaining.

Spurs’ latest outing against Brentford largely summed up the manager’s current predicament, as Tottenham failed to create anything of note and ended the league fixture with zero big chances created.

To make matters worse, Guglielmo Vicario was booked for time wasting during the Brentford clash with the scoreline still at 0-0, despite there being an opportunity to capitalise on dropped points from Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea, who had all failed to secure victories earlier in the gameweek.

Tottenham fans make feelings clear against Brentford

The Tottenham faithful did not hold back on Thursday night at the Gtech Community Stadium, with many making their feelings clear about the football on display.

Supporters appeared increasingly bored by what they were watching, leading them to turn to chants celebrating some of the club’s past stars.

During the encounter against Brentford, four different chants were sung by the Lilywhite faithful, including familiar classics such as “Jan, Jan, Jan, Jan Vertonghen”, “Toby, Toby, Toby, Toby Alderweireld”, with the Dele Alli song also heard across the away end.

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Spurs fans call for a Thomas Frank refund after boring draw against Brentford

The frustration of the Tottenham fans only intensified as the game wore on, with chants of “We want our money back” and “Boring, boring Tottenham” echoing around the ground.

It is clear that some supporters are beginning to lose faith in the man in the dugout, with Frank struggling to deliver the brand of football many fans have become accustomed to.

Frustration continues to grow among Tottenham supporters, with Thomas Frank again finding himself under scrutiny following a flat draw that did little to lift the mood around the club.

What was once a strong start to life for Thomas Frank at Tottenham Hotspur is quickly becoming a difficult one for the 52-year-old.

In his opening five games in all competitions as Spurs boss, the Dane managed to secure four wins, with his only defeat coming against Bournemouth.

However, the past couple of months have seen results take a nosedive, with Tottenham sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League table, having managed seven wins and seven defeats from their opening 19 matches.

Tottenham fans boo Thomas Frank after Brentford draw

Frank has largely been criticised for being overly cautious in his setup at Tottenham, with the Dane more often than not opting for a defensive approach rather than playing on the front foot.

Against Brentford in the Premier League last time out, it was more of the same as Spurs failed to create a big chance and settled for a 0-0 draw against the Bees.

It was a boring encounter from start to finish, and the pragmatic approach from Frank left Tottenham fans frustrated, with many making their feelings known at full-time, when the manager came over to applaud their support, and boos were aimed at him.

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Style concerns grow at Spurs under Frank

It is clear that the manager still does not understand what it means to be in charge of a big club, where the demands go beyond results.

The style of play is just as important as the results at a club like Tottenham, where fans expect their team to dominate games from start to finish.

Frank clearly does not grasp that and more or less still has the mentality of his Brentford days, where picking up a point against an in-form side is seen as positive regardless of the approach.

Luca Williams-Barnett was not included in Thomas Frank’s matchday squad to face Brentford and the Tottenham Hotspur youngster has dropped a clue as to how he feels about the decision.

Tottenham Hotspur were looking to win a second consecutive Premier League game since August on Thursday, but they were unable to break down the Brentford defence.

Spurs kept another clean sheet and did not really suffer any major scares at the back, but there was far less quality on display in attack.

The lack of an attacking-minded midfielder was clearly an issue, with Xavi Simons remaining suspended and Lucas Bergvall recovering from an injury.

Luca Williams-Barnett posts telling Tottenham Instagram story

There was a possibility that the gap in Tottenham’s midfield would be filled by academy talent Luca Williams-Barnett, but Joao Palhinha came into the team instead.

The 17-year-old then proceeded to post an Instagram story with the expressionless face emoji, with Respect that you earn by Yo Gotti playing in the background.

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This song features the lyrics ‘I’m gonna give you the respect that you earn from me’, which could be an indicator of how Williams-Barnett feels towards Thomas Frank.

It did not take long for the player who claimed the club’s 900th legacy number to delete his story and replace it with one asking his teammates to claim all three points from the game.

Williams-Barnett has a right to feel frustrated with Thomas Frank

Spurs had absolutely no creative outlet against Brentford, and this is why the match ultimately ended in a goalless draw.

However, Williams-Barnett offers something different to the players who took to the pitch on Thursday night. It would have been a great opportunity for him to be given some minutes in the first team in a game where he might actually make a difference.

Some will view the inexperienced midfielder’s actions as unprofessional, but he cannot be blamed for feeling frustrated when Tottenham are playing so poorly without him.

Kota Takai is yet to feature for Tottenham Hotspur since his summer move and he will have to wait a while longer before playing in the Premier League.

Tottenham Hotspur added defensive reinforcements to their squad last season, with both Kevin Danso and Kota Takai joining the team.

Danso has already made 19 appearances in all competitions since his move to Spurs became permanent, but Takai has been nowhere to be seen.

The Japan international picked up an injury in pre-season and this meant he missed the club’s two Carabao Cup fixtures which he might otherwise have started.

Kota Takai has left Tottenham on a short-term loan deal

According to Florian Plettenberg, Takai has left Spurs on loan to join Borrusia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga. The deal will last until the end of June, after the conclusion of the 2025/26 campaign.

The 21-year-old has already joined up with his new team’s training camp and he will take part in first-team training this afternoon.

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This comes after Takai joined Tottenham just last summer from Kawasaki Frontale, where he made 81 appearances and reached the AFC Champions League final.

The Bundesliga is where Micky van de Ven played before joining Spurs and Luka Vuskovic is currently thriving there since he joined Hamburg on loan.

There are already expectations that Vuskovic will have a role to play in Tottenham’s first-team next season and Takai could too if he does well at Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Although the centre-back has not made the impression he would have hoped for at Spurs, he made a name for himself in Japan and has the potential to develop into a fine player.

Brennan Johnson has made up his mind on whether to leave Tottenham Hotspur after learning about what his future role would be if he remained in North London.

Tottenham Hotspur are close to sealing their first January sale with Brennan Johnson set to join Crystal Palace in a deal worth £33.5m.

The Welsh winger has not been a regular starter for Spurs this season, although he has made 22 appearances in all competitions, 16 of which have come in the Premier League.

It has even been revealed that Johnson is reluctant to leave Tottenham, but he has been forced out by the club who are taking a harsher approach to their transfer business.

Thomas Frank and Fabio Paratici are the men behind Brennan Johnson’s Spurs exit

Alasdair Gold has made a claim which appears to back up the report claiming Johnson does not want to leave Tottenham.

According to the journalist, the 24-year-old was informed by Thomas Frank and Fabio Paratici on Wednesday that he was not part of the club’s plans for the future.

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This has helped Johnson come to the decision to join Crystal Palace and the player is undergoing his medical ahead of a move to the FA Cup winners.

It seems rather ironic that the Director of Football is delivering ‘no future’ messages to players when Paratici himself is reportedly about to leave Spurs for Fiorentina.

Tottenham will have a replacement for Johnson lined up

It would make no sense at all to sell Johnson without signing a new winger. After all, Spurs already lacked wide options even when the far post finisher was available to them.

Tottenham must have their eye on a replacement winger and their supporters will watch on with bated breath to see who ends up walking through the doors at Hotspur Way.

Tottenham Hotspur have set their sights on a player who is quickly developing a reputation as one of the best defenders in the Italian top-flight.

There has been plenty of speculation suggesting that Radu Dragusin could return to the Serie A in January, with the Romanian attracting plenty of transfer interest.

Additionally, Ben Davies has only six months left to run on his contract, which means that the Lilywhites could be left short of options at the back.

Unsurprisingly, it has now emerged that the North Londoners are looking to reinforce their backline in the January window.

Tottenham hold an interest in 25-year-old Udinese star Oumar Solet

TEAMtalk have now claimed that Tottenham Hotspur are eyeing a possible January move for Udinese centre-back Oumar Solet.

Solet arrived at the Italian club from Red Bull Salzburg 12 months ago and has had a fabulous 2025, becoming a fixture in the Udinese backline and delivering consistently solid displays.

The Frenchman’s performances have not gone unnoticed in the Premier League, with Tottenham alleged to have him in action this season.

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It is revealed that Thomas Frank wants more competition and cover for Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, with Solet being one of the names on the club’s wishlist.

Spurs fighting four other Premier League clubs for Oumar Solet

However, getting a deal over the line for the centre-back will not be easy for the Lilywhites, who are competing with several of their rivals for the player.

Chelsea and Crystal Palace have also been keeping an eye on Solet, while West Ham and Man United have been ‘long-term admirers’ of the defender.

Additionally, the Udinese star’s displays this season have also attracted ‘a great deal of attention’ from Inter Milan, AC Milan and AS Roma.