Spurs Web

Thomas Frank has made a confident prediction about Dominic Solanke as the Tottenham striker edges closer to full fitness.

Tottenham have been boosted by the return of Radu Dragusin and Kota Takai over the last few matches, and they could soon get another major injury boost.

Dominic Solanke is back training with the Spurs team, with the striker nearing full fitness after being out since September.

The England international’s return will certainly ease Frank’s issues upfront, and the Dane is confident about what we will see from the former Bournemouth man.

Thomas Frank makes a Dominic Solanke prediction for Tottenham

The experience of having his main striker out for an extended period is not new to Frank, who had to do without Igor Thiago for almost the entirety of last season at Brentford.

The Brazilian has scored 12 goals in 19 matches this season for the Bees, and Frank is convinced we will see Solanke have a similar impact for Spurs when he returns.

When asked if there are parallels between what he experienced with Thiago and Solanke, Frank said (via Football.London): “Yeah, you could say that. I also think Yoane Wissa did well before that. The year before, he did very well, and then he continued playing. So even for the games when Igor Thiago was available, Wissa played because he was on fire. He ended up scoring 19 non-penalty goals. It’s an incredible achievement.

MORE SPURS STORIES

“What I knew was that I was convinced Igor would be a goalscorer for Brentford. I’m convinced by the way he is a personality, his mindset, but also his abilities, and he’s proven that. I think Keith and the coaching staff have done a top job to make him perform in every aspect.

“It’s a little bit similar here. You could say Richy now has played more or less a lot of minutes and done well. He was this far away from scoring two goals against Crystal Palace, but on the flip side, I’m also convinced that Solanke will score a lot of goals for us when he comes back.”

Frank is happy for Spurs to grind out wins

The Lilywhites showed a lot of fight to emerge with a hard-fought 1-0 win from Selhurst Park on Sunday, and Frank admitted that he would be happy if his side did the same at the Getch Community Stadium this afternoon.

He suggested that it is important for Tottenham to develop a winning habit, given where they are at as a team.

When asked about how crucial it is to win ugly, Frank responded: “I think it’s so important. I think every good team needs to be able to do that, and we are building something. I think it’s also fair to say we are not where City or Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool are right now, unfortunately. We really want to be there, but even them, they need ugly wins sometimes where they’re winning 1-0.

“How many times have Arsenal won 1-0 with a set-piece this season? So, we need to be able to do that, and I know it will be a very difficult team at Brentford. I am part of creating what I know I am facing. I know it will be very difficult at the Gtech. They have won six games, drawn two and lost one. They lost 1-0 to City.

“They have beaten Liverpool there, Newcastle, there, Man United there, recently 4-1 Bournemouth, so that is wow, and if you don’t show respect to that, the three points are going, but we will be very respectful. We know what we are facing. We need to be extremely competitive, and I know we will be.”

Thomas Frank has revealed how he has found his interactions with Tottenham fans over recent months, amidst the growing criticism he is facing.

The Tottenham head coach has put up a brave face to the media every time, but there is no doubt that he would have been feeling some of the pressure over recent months as the Lilywhites slid down the table.

Frank remains bullish that he will make Spurs competitive sooner rather than later, but the 52-year-old would be aware that he needs to earn the chance to do that.

Many Tottenham supporters appear to have written off the Dane already, and he has now revealed what his interactions with the supporters have been like.

Thomas Frank messages from Tottenham fans have been positive

The former Brentford boss revealed his recent interaction with a Tottenham fan, revealing that she encouraged him to keep going.

Frank insisted that he had only heard similar things from other Spurs fans since arriving at N17, insisting that his interactions have only been positive so far.

The 52-year-old said (via Football.London): “I was in London yesterday and met a couple. One was a Brentford fan, and the other, she was a Tottenham fan.

MORE SPURS STORIES

“The Brentford fan was very positive and said thank you for everything I had done at the club. I said, ‘You’re welcome, it’s not only about me, but it’s everyone doing things together’.

“The Tottenham supporter said ‘keep doing what you’re doing, you’re doing a top job, I love what you’re doing’. That was positive.

“I guess the ones who are not that positive are probably not brave enough to say it to my face. It’s probably a little bit easier behind the keyboard, but the messages that I have are genuinely positive.”

Frank wants to build Spurs legacy similar to Brentford one

The Tottenham boss will be returning to the Gtech Community Stadium this evening for the first time since leaving Brentford back in the summer.

Frank enjoyed seven very successful seasons at the West London club, and he admitted that he wants to stay just as long at Spurs.

Reflecting on his time at Brentford, he said: “There were many magical moments, it was a privilege to be part of with fantastic people. Of course, the promotion is the stand-out achievement. Getting promoted to the best league in the world, for the first time in 74 years or something like that, that’s very unique.

“There are a lot of memories from those days, pictures and bits and pieces that one day, when I’m not in football anymore, I will create that special room in my home of the seven years I spent in Brentford and everything I achieved there, and then the seven years in Tottenham with everything I achieve here. That I’m looking forward to.”

Thomas Frank will not be able to select one of his senior attackers for the clash against Brentford, but it is through Tottenham’s own choosing.

Despite Thomas Frank insisting that Brennan Johnson remains part of his plans, it has been an open secret for days that the winger is nearing an exit from Tottenham.

It emerged a few days ago that Tottenham had agreed a £35m deal with Crystal Palace for the winger, who was expected to make a final decision on his future.

The 24-year-old, who has just started six Premier League matches this term, appears to have now made a decision.

Tottenham winger Brennan Johnson is expected to be a Crystal Palace player very soon

Fabrizio Romano has now taken to social media to confirm that the Wales international’s switch to Selhurst Park is now at its ‘final stages’.

The journalist says that the former Nottingham Forest man is now discussing personal terms with the Eagles, with a medical soon expected to follow.

Romano confirms that the pacy winger will not be part of the Tottenham squad travelling to the Gtech Community Stadium this evening.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Romano writes on X: “Brennan Johnson and Crystal Palace, deal at final stages as Tottenham give permission to the player to discuss personal terms with CPFC. Medical could follow next as Brennan Johnson will NOT be in Spurs squad to face Brentford. Palace are on it. Here we go, soon.”

Spurs already working on landing Johnson’s replacement

It has been claimed over recent days that Tottenham are keen on landing RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande as Johnson’s replacement.

Spurs are also ready to reignite their interest in Savinho after having their interest in the Brazilian rebuffed by Man City in the summer.

Jamie Redknapp has suggested that Tottenham Hotspur may need to act in the January transfer window if they are to keep pace in the race for a top-five finish.

There is still plenty of work to be done at Tottenham Hotspur as they continue their push back towards the top under Thomas Frank’s guidance.

The Dane has his work cut out, as consistency in results is needed on the pitch, with Spurs currently sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

Still, Tottenham are only four points off fifth-placed Chelsea following their 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, and Jamie Redknapp believes he knows what is required if they are to bridge that gap.

Jamie Redknapp on Tottenham’s January transfer window needs

Speaking to Sky Sports, Redknapp first highlighted the importance of getting key players fit again, while also touching on injuries that have disrupted Spurs this season.

He said, “Yeah, that will get enabled as well by bringing players back and getting players fit. I do not know, obviously, James Maddison has got a long-term one, which is a blow. I do not know what Dejan Kulusevski is, what the latest is with him. I mention him all the time, he is such a good player, he makes a difference.

“Solanke will make a difference to Tottenham when he comes back as well, so that is as important as buying players. Alan said it and he knows it better than I do, the January transfer window is not that easy.

MORE SPURS STORIES

“Yes, you will get gems, you will get your Virgil van Dijk’s and you will get your Suarez-type signings in January and it is amazing, but they are not that easy to find.

“We still do not know what the future is with the Lewis family, what kind of players they would be attracting, who they are going to sign, and as Alan said, is it maybe Paratici part of the old regime, so does it really matter?”

Redknapp identifies attacking focus and Spurs outlook

Redknapp went on to explain where he believes Tottenham may look to strengthen, suggesting discussions with Frank will already be taking place behind the scenes.

He said: “So they will have an idea what they want. I am sure they will be speaking to the manager, Thomas Frank, who will say I need players in this area. I think if they were to look to address one part of the pitch, it would certainly be going forward.

“Brennan Johnson has had a few mentions, maybe he might be leaving, and certainly there would be clubs that will come in for him because he has got a lot of pace. There are some other players who just need to do a little more for Tottenham.

“So I will be fascinated to see what the next move will be, but the most important thing is getting that win today. Now they are four points behind Chelsea in fifth, they have got a run of fixtures that look good possibilities for them, so they are not in a bad place.

As Tottenham Hotspur plot a move for a Premier League forward, his national team boss has said what he would like the player to do.

The speculation regarding Tottenham’s potential moves has gone into hyperdrive over the past week as the January window approaches.

It is now clear that Spurs are set to miss out on their top target, Antoine Semenyo, and the Lilywhites are thought to have identified alternatives for the Bournemouth man.

Over recent days, it has emerged that Tottenham are plotting an ambitious move for Omar Marmoush, who has found game time hard to come by at Man City this season.

Egypt boss weighs in on the future of Tottenham target Omar Marmoush

The 26-year-old forward is currently with the Egyptian squad for the African Cup of Nations, and his international boss has now said that he is hopeful that the former Eintracht Frankfurt man will remain in the Premier League.

The North African side’s head coach, Hossam Hassan, also made it clear that his star man will not be distracted by the transfer talk.

When asked about the speculation over Marmoush’s future, Hassan told Asharq: “Marmoush would be an asset for any team in the Premier League, and I hope he stays there. He has an agent who will discuss his future with him.

MORE SPURS STORIES

“Nothing will distract him from the national team during the tournament, especially after his brilliant performance in the first match.”

Man City not expected to let Marmoush join Spurs

It was initially reported that Man City may be willing to let Marmoush leave if they win the race for Semenyo.

However, over the weekend, The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed that Pep Guardiola’s men are not likely to sell Marmoush mid-season.

An interesting Tottenham Hotspur stat shows that they are doing much better in one aspect of their game this season than they should be.

Spurs came away with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Selhurst Park on Sunday, which saw them move up to 11th in the Premier League table.

It was just the Lilywhites’ second league win in the last nine games and temporarily absolves some of the pressure that was building on Thomas Frank.

However, it was once again a game where the Lilywhites failed to create many chances, and a shocking stat suggests that the North London club are continuing to buck the trend in one key area.

Tottenham are overperforming considerably in front of goal

As per Opta, the Lilywhites should have scored far fewer goals than they have this season.

According to the data analysis platform, Frank’s men have found the back of the net 27 times in the Premier League despite having an xG of just 17.2 across their 18 matches.

Tottenham have outperformed their xG by 9.8, meaning they have scored almost 10 more goals than they should have this season.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Spurs’ lack of chance creation remains a big problem

Tottenham have registered some of the worst xG scores in the Premier League so far this term.

Even though Spurs had the ball in the back of the net three times against Palace, with two being ruled out for offside, they once again looked devoid of ideas in the final third.

That would be one of the priorities for the Lilywhites to address in the January window, with the side in desperate need of some creativity and attacking enterprise.

Christian Eriksen has now made an admission about one of the most difficult moments he faced in his Tottenham Hotspur career.

Erisken was an important part of the Mauricio Pochettino revolution at Tottenham, with the Argentine building a young, hungry squad which competed for the biggest trophies regularly.

However, that Spurs side was never able to get over the line and win silverware despite being in two title races and reaching a number of cup semifinals.

It felt like they would ultimately get the biggest reward when the Lilywhites made it into the final of the Champions League for the first time in history in 2019, but it turned out to be a night to forget in Madrid.

Christian Eriksen admits Tottenham bubble burst after 2019 Champions League final

The Danish midfielder, who left Man United for Wolfsburg last summer, has been speaking about that Tottenham team.

He admits in an interview with The Times that he and his teammates let important moments slip just when they came close to doing something special.

Eriksen said: “We weren’t sharp enough in the crucial moments. It was everyone against us, everyone making sure if the big six don’t win it, Leicester have it.”

MORE SPURS STORIES

The 33-year-old described the Champions League final loss to Liverpool as “one of the biggest nightmares of my career” and accepts that Spurs never recovered.

He says about the 2-0 loss to Liverpool: “It was all the pressure from the few years before that, like the balloon got bigger and bigger, and when we lost, the air just went out of the balloon, for the club and for the players.”

Many will have forgotten that neither Jurgen Klopp nor Mauricio Pochettino had won a trophy at Liverpool and Spurs, respectively, coming into that final.

After winning it that night, the Liverpool project went from strength to strength under Klopp, while the Spurs one collapsed, with Pochettino being sacked just months later.

It can be argued that never in modern history has one single game changed the trajectory of two clubs the way that clash at the Metropolitano Stadium did.

Six and a half years later, it feels like Tottenham are still struggling to recover and get back to where they were under Pochettino.

Micky van de Ven has spoken about the impact that Thomas Frank has had at Tottenham Hotspur and highlighted one of the Dane’s fantastic qualities.

Some in the media have suggested, in light of Tottenham’s recent struggles, that Thomas Frank has lost the Spurs dressing room.

However, the fight and the character the Lilywhites showed at Selhurst Park on Sunday was clear evidence that the players are still playing for the Tottenham boss.

Frank remains confident that he will turn things around at Spurs and get them challenging the best clubs in the Premier League, and one senior Tottenham man has now sung the Dane’s praises.

Micky van de Ven admits he has a good connection with Thomas Frank at Tottenham

Van de Ven has now revealed that he gets along very well with the former Brentford boss and admitted that the team needs time to adapt to his principles.

The 24-year-old singled out Frank’s kindness as his best quality, praising the Tottenham boss for the way he interacts with everyone at Hotspur Way.

When asked about life under the Danish coach, Van de Ven told Sky Sports: “You always need to adapt a bit. There’s a new gaffer coming in with his new style and his ideas. There are little switches you need to make and in pre-season, you know the tactics, training and even the bits in the training ground are going to be different.

MORE SPURS STORIES

“At the beginning, you need to get used to it a bit. I have a good connection with him. He helps me out on the pitch a lot and at times, he asks something from us from my side. Just like opinions on how I saw the match or the training session.

“He’s a really kind man to everyone in the training ground. When he talks about the chefs, the medical staff, everyone, he’s so kind and wants to make sure the environment is really good. He’s a really kind man, loves a joke as well.”

Van de Ven is proud of Spurs leadership role

One of Frank’s first big decisions at Tottenham was making Cristian Romero the captain, and soon after, he made his centre-back partner the vice-captain.

Van de Ven admitted that he is proud to be part of the leadership group at the North London club.

When asked about his new leadership role, the centre-back responded: “It’s not something day-to-day, being a part of Spurs’ leadership group, but sometimes when there are little problems or some things need to get solved, you get the leadership group together and talk about it.

“Thomas came in, and he wanted to see how every player worked in the pre-season and how everyone was in the squad, then he decided the leadership group, and I was part of it. It’s a really proud feeling being the first player to walk out of that tunnel sometimes.”

Chris Sutton has submitted his score prediction for the New Year’s Day clash between Brentford and Tottenham in the Premier League.

Tottenham Hotspur recently entered another poor run of results, but this ended with a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace, which saw a further two goals scored by Richarlison disallowed.

As a result of this scoreline, Spurs have reclaimed their position at the top of the Premier League table for away matches only. Arsenal have taken the same number of points on the road, but they have found the net fewer times than Tottenham.

Brentford are the next opponents Spurs will face, and there will be confidence in Thomas Frank’s team, due to their away form this season and the fact that they defeated Brentford earlier this month.

Chris Sutton does not expect Tottenham to defeat Brentford

Despite all these positives, Chris Sutton is not convinced that Spurs have what it takes to do the double over Frank’s old team.

Although Brentford were poor at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, they are a different side at home, and this was shown by their 4-1 thumping of Bournemouth last Saturday.

Sutton told BBC Sport: “Spurs have got the best away record in the Premier League again, thanks to their win at Crystal Palace on Sunday that saw them climb to 11th place, but Brentford are absolutely flying at home too.

MORE SPURS STORIES

“So, how do I call this one? Let’s be honest, Spurs are not an attractive team to watch at the moment, and they are very stuffy and scrappy whether they win or not.

“Their form on the road will probably give Thomas Frank a bit of confidence going back to his old club, and he will get a good reception there, I am sure of that.

“But Brentford have snuck up to eighth after taking seven points from their past three games, and they won’t lack belief either.

“Anyone can beat anyone in this part of the table, which doesn’t help me when it comes to making a prediction. I can’t pick a winner here, so I am going for a draw.”

Sutton’s prediction: Brentford 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs do not usually win two consecutive Premier League matches

While many Tottenham fans will be feeling a little more optimistic after the win over Crystal Palace, Sutton’s prediction actually makes sense considering their record this season.

Spurs have only achieved two successive Premier League victories all season, and those came in August against Burnley and Manchester City, respectively.

This is simply not good enough, and Tottenham must collect all three points against Brentford to show they have the ability to be consistent.

Ahead of Brennan Johnson’s impending move to Crystal Palace, Thomas Frank has identified one area in which Tottenham Hotspur have to operate better.

The media is rife with rumours that Tottenham have agreed to sell Johnson to Palace for £35m, and this has created a big debate among Spurs fans on social media.

While many are not happy that the club are selling a player who was their top scorer this season, others feel that Spurs could have held out for a bigger fee for Johnson.

However, the Tottenham head coach has pointed out an important factor in the decision.

Thomas Frank admits Tottenham have to be better at selling players

Under Daniel Levy, Spurs often did not get the timing of their players’ sales right, regularly hanging on too long to players in the hope they would come good.

That was the case with the likes of Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli, who saw their values plummet before the Lilywhites eventually decided to bite the bullet.

Frank has admitted that deciding to sell players at the right time and in the right manner is a crucial detail for Spurs to get right to compete at the highest level.

MORE SPURS STORIES

When asked about the importance of selling players, Frank told Football.London: “I think that’s key. It’s not only doing one thing right, playing a specific way or getting the culture right or whatever, there’s a lot of elements that we need to do well to be able to compete at the highest level.

“Part of it is being able to sell. You see the other top clubs, they are quite good at selling. That’s something we need to be improving. That’s something I know the guys above me are working very hard on. Everything’s linked.”

Spurs need to become a selling club in the PSR era

The era of some big clubs aspiring not to be ‘selling clubs’ is over, given the new financial restrictions now in place.

In order to compete for top players in the transfer market and be able to pay them competitive salaries, it is crucial that every club sells smartly.

We have seen the likes of Chelsea and, to a lesser extent, even Man City, do that over recent years, and Tottenham cannot continue taking £20m-£30m hits on every player if they want to compete at the top.