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Thomas Frank has admitted that he is extremely frustrated with the performance that he saw from his Tottenham players at the City Ground.

There was some cautious optimism among the Spurs fan base ahead of the team’s trip to Nottingham Forest.

Not only had the Lilywhites registered back-to-back home wins against Brentford and Slavia Prague in the lead-up to the contest, but they also played on the front foot and created plenty of chances in those matches.

However, we saw Tottenham revert to type in the Midlands, failing to even lay a glove on the home side and emerging with a deserved 3-0 loss.

Thomas Frank says Tottenham were never in the game after going 2-0 down

The Tottenham boss asserted that his players failed to execute their game plan and keep their heads after Forest’s second goal, suggesting that it was a repeat of what we saw from the team last season as well.

Frank pointed the finger at the number of unforced errors that Spurs made in possession as the main reason why they did not create chances.

When asked if it was a case of two steps forward and a huge leap back for his side, the Dane said (via Football.London): “Yeah, absolutely agree. That was very disappointing. It was a bad performance. Frustrating, because I think the last three games were good in terms of performance and results, normally linked. And you can lose a game like this. That’s the frustrating part, of course.

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“I think every game, I think, until the 1-0 goal, it was a little bit back and forth for both teams. Hard transition both ways. And then after the first goal, I think we lost structure and were more disjointed. And then the 2-0 goal killed the game off.

“Basically, not in the game after that, in my opinion. And that’s part of keeping the structure, keep the game plan, keep going, keep doing the right things. So that’s definitely not the first time we’ve seen that, this year, last year, whenever. That’s something that’s ongoing work in progress before we’re more consistent in that.

“Doesn’t help that we made two mistakes with the first two goals. But again, that can happen in football. So we just need to keep doing the right things. So everything looks the right way. And then on top of that, we decide to throw the ball away at least 25 times. So we can’t hit each other 25 times. That’s going to make it difficult for you to create anything or to win a game.”

When pressed on if it was a mental issue, the 52-year-old responded: “I think it’s a combination of mental, structure, and coolness. Stick to the game plan, focus.”

Frank asked if Spurs players are failing to execute his game plan

Tottenham registered just one shot on target throughout the 90 minutes at the City Ground, and unfortunately, that kind of performance has become far too common this season.

Frank insisted that the issue does not come down to the game plan, but rather the players’ inability to make simple passes.

When it was pointed out that he has asked for more aggression and bravery from his side and asked if the players are not taking his messages on board, Frank responded: “No, I think it’s very simple. If you don’t perform, you can say all the right things. If you’re a little bit out of sync, then you see things like this. When you are on track and in sync, you see the last three performances. So that’s very simple.

“If you perform, you keep doing the right thing, then it makes it easier, of course. And then I just think of the little small thing that is difficult. We win together, we lose together, but we can’t pass the ball on the pitch. So if we lose the ball 25 times, I think it’s fair to say that it’s pretty difficult to create something.”

Mohammed Kudus has some strong words about Tottenham’s performance at the City Ground on Sunday.

Spurs went to the Midlands hoping to keep their momentum going and make it three wins from three ahead of their big clash against Liverpool next weekend.

Instead, what they produced was another extremely lacklustre performance, with Nottingham Forest emerging as comfortable 3-0 winners.

Spurs’ lack of creativity continues to be a concern, with Frank’s men once again struggling to fashion many opportunities of note.

Mohammed Kudus says Tottenham players need to play with more effort

Thomas Frank was as critical as we have ever heard him this season after his side’s performance on Sunday, and we have now heard something very similar from Kudus.

The Ghanaian admitted that he and his teammates failed to create enough opportunities, and put it down to a lack of effort and poor decision-making.

Kudus said (via BBC Sport): “Not good enough. A very disappointing result. We didn’t create enough today, including me. We need more effort in our all-around game.

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“To win a game in the Premier League is very difficult. We need the same input every single day. We lacked that. We needed to do more.

The final quality, including myself, some of the decisions we took today were a bit rushed. We need to pick it up and focus on the next game.”

Kudus defends Archie Gray despite his error

It was an individual error that once again cost Tottenham on Sunday, with Archie Gray’s pocket being picked after he took a touch from Guglielmo Vicario’s pass in the lead-up to Forest’s first goal.

Kudus praised the 19-year-old for not hiding and continuing to show for the ball even after his mistake.

The winger said about Gray’s error: “It happens. For me, I’m really glad he [Archie Gray] wants to get on the ball. That’s how we want to play, players who want to be on the ball. I’m very happy to see that after the mistake, he still wanted to get on the ball.”

Tottenham Hotspur suffered their worst defeat of the season on Sunday afternoon, so finding any positives from the game is far from straightforward.

The North London derby was a new low point for Tottenham Hotspur, but at least the 4-1 defeat that day was against the best performing team in the Premier League.

Nottingham Forest were 16th in the Premier League table prior to kick off yesterday, yet thrashed Spurs by a three-goal margin.

Any positivity from Tottenham’s previous two victories is well and truly gone and the pressure is mounting on Thomas Frank.

Here are the three winners and losers from one of the worst Spurs matches in recent memory.

Some Tottenham fans will have been unable to purchase a ticket

Every loyal Spurs supporter would like to get to as many away games as possible, but sometimes it can be a blessing in disguise not to have enough points to get a ticket.

The biggest winners of Sunday’s clash were those who did not travel to the City Ground. Watching the match on TV does not make a defeat any better, but at least it avoids the hours spent getting to and from the game.

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Then again, at least the visiting fans were each given a free scarf for their troubles. Perhaps it would have been better to put the money spent on this pointless gesture towards signing a forward in January who can actually remain consistent for more than two fixtures.

Ben Davies is still getting minutes for Spurs

The Wales international was expected to leave the club last summer, but he stuck around and was even named in Frank’s five-man leadership group.

Davies made more defensive contributions in 31 minutes than Djed Spence managed in an hour against Forest and he must be delighted to have continued receiving game time after all these years.

Joao Palhinha is more likely to start for Tottenham after Sunday’s defeat

Frank was heavily criticised for starting Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur together and it seems he actually listened to the feedback, given his recent lineups.

However, Spurs were poor in midfield against Nottingham Forest and this could cause the Danish boss to reconsider his new strategy.

Palhinha came on and immediately got to work making tackles and contributing in the defensive areas. It would be strange not to see the Portuguese star play against Liverpool next weekend, considering he is clearly an improvement on both the holding midfielders who started on Sunday.

Now, let’s take a look at the three losers from Nottingham Forest 3-0 Tottenham.

Archie Gray made a dreadful error

Archie Gray has gone from starting against Burnely to being frozen out of the Tottenham team, only to now be playing pretty much every week.

The young Englishman has shown promise in some of his performances, but he was really poor against Nottingham Forest.

Gray was responsible for the hosts’ opening goal, as he lost possession on the edge of his own penalty box. Other than this, the ex-Leeds United player did very little during the game and failed to win a single duel.

Guglielmo Vicario was at fault for Tottenham again

The negativity surrounding Guglielmo Vicario had gone quiet after a couple of decent performances from the Italian. However, he is back in the firing line after a dreadful display against Forest.

Vicario must take some responsibility for the first goal he conceded. Ultimately it was Gray’s fault, but the goalkeeper had better options than to play the ball to the 19-year-old.

Fast forward into the second half and Vicario had no one to blame but himself for Forest’s second goal. His positioning was awful as Callum Hudson-Odoi’s shot from the left wing went right over his head.

Thomas Frank is the ultimate Spurs loser

Nobody is more responsible for yet another embarrassing Tottenham defeat than Thomas Frank. Being good away from home was the only positive to take from his current tenure, but now even that is gone.

The ex-Brentford manager continues to set up Spurs as if they are a team fighting for a mid-table finish, so it is no wonder they are 11th and just two points off 15th.

Frank still believes Tottenham’s problem is losing duels and misplacing passes, but this is only scratching the surface of what is actually going wrong at the club. Spurs are terrible in attack and something has to change immediately.

Football finance expert Stefan Borsen believes that the Tottenham hierarchy’s latest decision tells us a lot about their relationship with Daniel Levy.

Levy left his role as Tottenham chairman back in September after two and a half decades at the helm.

According to reports, Vivienne and Charles Lewis completely blindsided Levy by asking him to leave following an internal review headed by Tavistock Group, who are the majority shareholders of ENIC.

According to a new report in Bloomberg, the Lewis Family Trust are now conducting an accounting review into Daniel Levy’s time at the club. Although, it should be said that no wrongdoing is suspected of the former Spurs chairman.

Expert claims Daniel Levy’s relationship with the Lewis family has broken down

Football finance expert Stefan Borson has suggested that someone among the Spurs ownership has leaked the information about the accounting review to the media.

He suggested that the leak is evidence of a fallout between the Lewis family and Levy, who remains a minority shareholder in ENIC.

When if the Bloomberg report is evidence that all is not well between Levy and Tottenham’s majority owners, Borsen told Football Insider: “I mean, I think it’s definitely a sign of that and the fact that it’s even in the public domain is a further sign of it because it shouldn’t be something that anybody knows about, so somebody’s leaked it and we know for sure it’s not Daniel Levy.

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“Somebody has seen fit to put that story out into Bloomberg. The relationship is not good, and you can write all day long that there’s no suggestion of any wrongdoing from Daniel Levy, but you don’t conduct an accounting review, a forensic review of what happened in the past, unless you’re trying to find some wrongdoing or reasons to leverage your position in a dispute.

“It may be that they are in some sort of legal dispute about Levy’s exit or the shares or something of that nature. It’s a bad read across. There’s obviously something going on. There’s obviously a breakdown of the relationship and, as I say, it’s not just the fact that this is happening, but it’s the fact that we know about it.

“It may be that they are in some sort of legal dispute about Levy’s exit or the shares or something of that nature. It’s a bad read across. There’s obviously something going on. There’s obviously a breakdown of the relationship and, as I say, it’s not just the fact that this is happening, but it’s the fact that we know about it.”

Simon Jordan claims Spurs’ accounting review is nothing out of the ordinary

Simon Jordan had a different take on the matter, suggesting that accounting reviews are commonplace when the leadership structure changes.

The former Crystal Palace owner insisted that, irrespective of what the findings are from the review, Tottenham were successful commercially under Levy.

Watch what Jordan said on talkSPORT below:

Liverpool could be without two of their key players for their trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next week.

Spurs have a full week to prepare for their clash against Liverpool, which is not a luxury that Thomas Frank has had many times over the last few months.

The Lilywhites were thrashed 6-3 when Arne Slot’s men visited the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but this is a Liverpool side who have stuttered for much of the season.

Spurs’ chances have now been boosted as Reds have been handed a potential double blow ahead of their trip to North London.

Liverpool could be without two key players for Tottenham clash

Liverpool emerged 2-0 winners against Brighton at Anfield on Saturday but there were a couple of major setbacks for the Merseyside club.

Joe Gomez, who started at right-back, lasted just 26 minutes of the match before going down off the ball. The England international received treatment on the pitch, but was unable to continue.

Then, in the 83rd minute of the game, Dominik Szoboszlai landed awkwardly after jumping to dodge a collision. The Hungarian appeared upset as he received treatment and had to be replaced.

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Arne Slot admits things are not looking promising for Liverpool duo

Speaking after the game, Slot revealed that Gomez does not appear likely to return for the Tottenham clash on the back of his muscle injury.

The Liverpool boss revealed that Szoboszlai suffered an ankle injury and admitted that the early signs were not promising for the 25-year-old.

Slot said at full-time (via The Standard): “If I have a player who goes off with a muscle injury like Joe, that’s normally not a positive thing.

“I would not expect him to be in the squad next week [at Tottenham Hotspur]. But sometimes you get a positive surprise.

“People now maybe understand a bit better why I was always so cautious not to play him so many games. I assume many people thought, ‘If you have a defender, if you have a right full-back, why don’t you play him?’”

He said about Szoboszlai: “Dom, it was his ankle. It didn’t look great when I just saw him. But he has unbelievable mentality, so let’s hope for the best.”

Reports now claim that Tottenham Hotspur are prepared to act decisively to shut that interest down in Luka Vuskovic.

Tottenham Hotspur have continued to keep close tabs on their young defender Luka Vuskovic, who is currently out on loan with Hamburg as he gains valuable senior experience away from north London.

The teenager has settled in impressively, playing his part in helping the newly promoted side climb to 14th in the table, with composed and assured displays in both penalty areas standing out despite his age.

Spurs will be keen to keep Vuskovic within their long-term plans, but his progress has not gone unnoticed, with the Croatian continuing to attract interest from several clubs across Europe.

Tottenham rebuff Bayern Munich interest in Luka Vuskovic

According to TeamTalk, Tottenham are understood to have rebuffed enquiries from several high-profile clubs, including Bayern Munich, for their highly rated central defensive prospect Luka Vuskovic.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Tottenham are exploring handing Vuskovic a new contract to fend off interest from multiple clubs.

It is now claimed that some within Spurs’ hierarchy are exploring another means to keep the Croatian on their books.

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It is believed that some higher-ups at Tottenham believe that Vuskovic should be recalled from his loan spell at Hamburg, a move that could help bring an end to the growing speculation around a permanent switch elsewhere.

RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund and Hamburg are among the clubs to have registered interest in Vuskovic in recent months, underlining the level of competition Tottenham are facing to retain control of his future.

Why Spurs see Luka Vuskovic as a long-term centre-back option

The Croatian has immense potential, and Spurs will need to do everything within reason to ensure they keep hold of one of their most promising young defenders.

Since signing for Tottenham, Vuskovic has been sent out on loan to three different clubs and is yet to make a competitive appearance for the north London side.

If Spurs allow him to continue developing on his current trajectory, he could yet become a long-term option at the heart of the defence, given the level of experience he has already accumulated at such a young age.

Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of a teenage sensation with 11 goal contributions this season has now taken a back step.

Reports from recent weeks have linked Tottenham Hotspur with the exciting wide man at RB Leipzig, Yan Diomande.

The battle for the 19-year-old is already shaping up to be stern, with several Premier League clubs reported to be monitoring the teenager’s situation closely as his reputation continues to build.

Diomande has been electric in Germany, proving difficult for defenders to contain, with the winger already registering 11 goal involvements in 17 appearances this season.

Reports had previously claimed that Yan Diomande had entered advanced talks with Tottenham, but despite that, it was reported that Spurs still have plenty of work to do.

Florian Plettenberg has now poured cold water on those earlier reports, stating that the teenager is not in any concrete or advanced talks with another club at this stage.

The journalist did, however, underline the scale of competition, confirming that several top English sides have Yan Diomande firmly on their radar, including Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City.

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RB Leipzig stance puts pressure on Spurs transfer plans

RB Leipzig remains in a strong negotiating position, with Diomande tied to a long-term contract that runs until 2030, giving the Bundesliga side full control over the terms of any potential deal.

The winger also does not have a release clause in his contract, a factor that allows Leipzig to dictate the valuation of their teenage sensation without compromise.

A summer move appears more realistic, with Plettenberg stating that Leipzig are considering a fee in excess of €100 million (£86 million), a figure that would test the resolve of any club weighing up a serious approach.

Tottenham Hotspur are expected to push the boat out in an unprecedented manner to beat the Premier League’s big guns to the signing of Antoine Semenyo.

Spurs face no shortage of competition for Semenyo’s signature, with the likes of Man City and Liverpool thought to be keen on the Bournemouth man.

However, this has not deterred Tottenham, who have reportedly intensified their pursuit of the Cherries star, and are willing to pay his £65m release clause.

In fact, it was even reported a couple of days ago that Spurs have offered Semenyo a higher salary than any other Premier League club in an effort to convince the 25-year-old to greenlight a move to N17.

Tottenham could break their own wage structure to land Antoine Semenyo

A report in TEAMtalk has now claimed that Spurs are ‘ready to swing a financial sledgehammer’ to disrupt the race for the Bournemouth man.

The outlet claims that Tottenham are ready to shatter their wage structure and offer Semenyo a deal that eclipses the salary of their highest earners to lure him to the club.

It is revealed that Spurs’ audacious bid for the Ghana international is fueled by the recent £100 million equity injection into the club from ENIC.

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The publication says that the Tottenham hierarchy want to make a statement of intent by landing Semenyo and that they are keen to demonstrate that they are ready to challenge the most successful sides in the Premier League.

Spurs may still fall short despite the lucrative Semenyo offer

However, despite Tottenham’s attempts to throw the financial kitchen sink at the winger, they are not the favourites to land him.

Several sources have claimed that Semenyo would prefer to join one of Liverpool, Man City or Arsenal over Spurs as he wants to compete for major trophies.

An exciting winger, who has been repeatedly linked with Tottenham, has just copied Mohammed Kudus’ iconic stool celebration.

Tottenham Hotspur must be pleased with how quickly Mohammed Kudus has adapted to life in north London.

The Tottenham forward has impressed with his all-round play, combining direct running with composure in tight areas, and has already scored twice and provided six assists across all competitions.

Kudus’ latest goal arrived in Spurs’ midweek clash against Slavia Prague in the Champions League, when he converted from the penalty spot before pulling out his now familiar celebration, sitting on a bench in front of the Tottenham faithful.

Tottenham target Rayan Viktor mirrors Mohammed Kudus celebration

That celebration has now travelled beyond England, with Vasco da Gama winger Rayan Viktor recreating the moment after scoring Vasco’s equaliser in a 2-1 win over Fluminense.

The teenager, who has been linked with a move to Tottenham in recent weeks, sat on a stool by the byline and posed for photographers as his team-mates gathered around him, mirroring Kudus’ pose.

Unsurprisingly, the moment has fuelled further speculation around the winger’s future, particularly given the existing links to Spurs and the timing of the celebration so soon after Kudus’ display in north London.

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Rayan Viktor is not only attracting interest from Tottenham, with several other clubs also believed to be tracking his progress closely as the season develops.

The celebration itself does not move Spurs ahead in the race for the winger, but it does suggest that the teenager is at least aware of Tottenham and the players currently making headlines in north London.

With the January transfer window approaching, it remains to be seen where Tottenham choose to strengthen and whether Rayan Viktor will emerge as a genuine option when Spurs assess their wide attacking targets.

Tottenham are expected to be active once the winter transfer window opens, and the club’s three-man winger shortlist has been revealed.

Tottenham Hotspur are expected to show ambition in the winter transfer window as Thomas Frank looks to strengthen his squad.

The Tottenham boss has already alluded to a busy period in the market during a recent press conference, openly stating that the club are looking to bring in new players.

That stance comes on the back of reports suggesting that the Lewis family are prepared to operate differently financially, with money available to be spent in January, giving Frank greater scope to act decisively if the right opportunities present themselves.

Tottenham winger shortlist takes shape ahead of January window

It has been claimed that Tottenham are looking to strengthen several key areas of the squad, with the forward line emerging as one of the priorities as Spurs assess their options ahead of the January transfer window.

TeamTalk has now revealed three of the names believed to be on Spurs’ radar, reporting that Tottenham are being kept informed on Ademola Lookman’s situation as January approaches.

Spurs did try to sign the Nigerian international on deadline day last summer window, but no deal was concluded.

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At present, however, it is reported that interest from Tottenham is not as strong, with Turkish sides heavily linked to Lookman. The Nigerian, though, is just one of two wide options on Spurs’ radar.

TeamTalk further claims that more ambitious targets, such as Rodrygo and Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz, are viewed as dream options on a shortlist drawn up over recent weeks.

Brennan Johnson’s sale could fund Rodrygo purchase

Rodrygo was also on Tottenham’s radar last summer, but he remained at Real Madrid, although game time has been harder to come by for the Brazil international this season.

The Real Madrid forward would represent a major upgrade for a Spurs attack that could yet lose a key piece, with Brennan Johnson attracting interest from Crystal Palace as the club monitors his situation closely.

Tottenham supporters appear split on the idea, with some feeling the time may be right to cash in on the winger if it helps fund a marquee arrival, while others remain unconvinced about sanctioning an exit.