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Thomas Frank has offered a fresh fitness update on one of Tottenham’s newest signings, and he could finally join in with first-team training this week.

Thomas Frank has managed to integrate several of his summer arrivals into the Tottenham squad, with Joao Palhinha, Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons all settling into life in north London and already making their mark on the pitch.

Others, however, have required a little more patience, as Randal Kolo Muani has only just been handed his first minutes in the Champions League, while another arrival, Kota Takai, is still waiting for his Tottenham debut.

The Japanese international, who joined from Kawasaki Frontale, has been sidelined with a foot injury since completing his move to Tottenham, which has delayed his introduction to English football and left fans eager to finally watch him in action.

It was confirmed yesterday that Takai had stepped back onto the training pitches at Hotspur Way, although his work was limited to individual sessions, which is still a clear sign that his recovery is moving in the right direction.

Tottenham fans are yet to see Takai feature in a competitive match, but Thomas Frank has now provided a timeline on when the centre-back could finally join full training.

Speaking to the club’s official channel, the Tottenham manager revealed: “He is very close to training with the group. I am pretty sure he will train with the group on Monday.”

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Spurs could hand Takai his first minutes against Doncaster

If Takai does return to full training on Monday, then it opens the door for him to potentially make his first appearance later in the week.

Tottenham are set to face Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup third round on Wednesday, 24 September at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which looks an ideal fixture to ease him into competitive action and allow the Japan international to build up valuable minutes.

Guglielmo Vicario has explained that Tottenham Hotspur are much better in one aspect tactically under Thomas Frank than they were under Ange Postecoglou.

The difference between Tottenham last season and this season could not be more obvious, with Frank having implemented a completely different structure than that of his predecessor, Ange Postecoglou.

The Lilywhites are a lot harder to break down defensively, as evidenced by the fact that they have conceded just three goals in their opening six matches of the season, which is not something that many would have seen coming on the back of their defensive struggles last season.

However, this Spurs side is still a work in progress, with Frank admitting that Tottenham have not clicked as an attacking force just yet.

Guglielmo Vicario says Tottenham are doing one thing differently under Thomas Frank

Vicario has remarked that Tottenham now have a much better understanding of when to press and how to deal with different phases of play in and out of possession.

However, the Spurs number one confessed that the Lilywhites did not deal with transitions the way they wanted to in the win over Villarreal.

Vicario told Gazzetta dello Sport: “Our ability to recognise the different phases of the game has changed – understanding when to press hard and when to cover the pitch better.

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“In general, we’re more focused on defending the penalty area, also because we have a clearer understanding of the different phases without the ball.

“Against Villarreal, we allowed too many transitions, and we need to take away some of our opponents’ hope when they go on the counterattack, but overall, it was an excellent defensive performance, and we need to continue like this.”

Vicario admits Tottenham’s mentality has changed since the Europa League win

Spurs had to wait 17 years to taste silverware, and Vicario has said securing the trophy in Bilbao has lifted a huge weight off the shoulders of everyone at the club.

The 28-year-old admitted that, having tasted a trophy, there is now a hunger within the squad to win more silverware.

When asked how lifting the Europa League impacted him and his teammates, the Italian responded: “Winning definitely gives you a different dimension, probably even in the eyes of others. And a bit of healthy respect: we had this thing, even within the club, of being the ones who always got there but then didn’t win, but now we’ve done it.

“This has unblocked us a bit. We’ve lifted a weight off our shoulders, so now we can move forward, aware of our strengths. And also with goals, which we keep to ourselves and which we absolutely want to achieve.”

Alan Shearer has made a comment about the importance of a Tottenham duo, which most Spurs fans will fully agree with.

Tottenham Hotspur have won four of their six matches across all competitions this season, conceding just three goals in the process.

However, that is not to say that Tottenham are purring as a side, with Thomas Frank himself admitting that his side struggled offensively against Villarreal.

The Lilywhites’ results have been built on their defensive resoluteness, which is not a term that one would have associated with the North London club over the last two seasons.

Alan Shearer makes claim about Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero at Tottenham

While Frank has rotated his options in midfield and the forward line, he has only made one change to his back four so far, and one can understand why.

Shearer puts Tottenham’s success so far this season down to the impressive qualities of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, and suggests that the duo need to stay fit for the club to have a good season.

Following Spurs’ 1-0 win over Villarreal, the Newcastle legend told The Rest Is Football podcast: “The two centre-halves had to work hard, (Micky) van de Ven and (Cristian) Romero again, and I do think if Spurs are to have a good season, then it’s key those two stay fit because they’re such an integral part to what they do. I mean, both of them at times had to put in a couple of great challenges.”

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Thomas Frank wants to add more depth to his forward line

Radu Dragusin is back in training, which is excellent news for Thomas Frank, who also has Kevin Danso, Ben Davies, and Kota Takai at his disposal.

However, all four of those options represent a significant drop off from Romero and Van de Ven, which is perhaps why we have not seen the Dane rotate at the back.

Tottenham Hotspur youngster Luca Williams-Barnett netted a brilliant first-half hat-trick as Spurs’ Under-21s thrashed Leicester City away from home.

It is not just the Spurs first-team who have made an excellent start to the season, but also the U21s, who have an identical record to Thomas Frank’s men.

They sit fourth in the table, having won three and lost one of their first four league matches, and they sent a statement with a thumping win against the Foxes at Leicester’s training ground on Friday.

Wayne Burnett’s men emerged 6-3 winners against Leicester, and it was a 16-year-old who was the hero for them on the evening.

Watch Luca Williams-Barnett’s Tottenham U21 hat-trick against Leicester City

Tottenham’s highly-rated number ten has continued from where he left off last season, having managed six goals and four assists in six matches across all competitions so far.

It took him just 39 minutes to score his hat-trick against Leicester, with the teenager netting in the 2nd, 28th, and 41st minutes.

Williams-Barnett showed his goal poaching instinct for the first two goals before scoring a solo goal to complete his hat-trick.

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Williams-Barnett has a Tottenham dream

The 16-year-old was the standout performer for the U18s last season, scoring 19 goals and registering nine assists in 20 appearances, and he has seamlessly made his step up to the U21 level

Back in April, Williams-Barnett admitted that he is dreaming of scoring goals in front of a packed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Thomas Frank has revealed one quality that Brennan Johnson possesses that sets him apart from the other wingers in his Tottenham squad.

Johnson’s story at Tottenham Hotspur has parallels with that of Moussa Sissoko, with the winger going from a much derided one to an extremely popular figure among the fan base.

One gets the feeling that Spurs fans have now started appreciating the Wales international for the qualities he has rather than criticising him for the attributes he lacks.

The 24-year-old has written his name into Tottenham folklore by scoring the match-winner in the Europa League final, with Johnson finishing last season at Spurs’ top scorer with 18 goals.

Thomas Frank rates Brennan Johnson highly at Tottenham

The former Nottingham Forest man has already found the back of the net twice this season, having operated on the left under Thomas Frank rather than on the right, which is where he played most often last season.

The Tottenham head coach has insisted that he sees Johnson as someone who can play on either side, adding he is very happy with his contributions on the left.

Frank told Football.London: “I think Brennan is a very good player. He can play both sides. I agree he played mostly on the right [last season], but I definitely think he can play on the left.

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“He played on the left in two games and scored two goals so that is a decent output. He is a very important player for us, he came on and helped the team in the last couple of games, so very happy with him.

“I think it is also that Mo has come in and is doing very well on the right, with his left foot and coming inside, so he can produce outside and inswinging crosses as well, but I like Brennan.”

Frank reveals Johnson’s unique quality

According to reports, Frank tried to take Johnson to Brentford two years ago before Tottenham swooped in and beat the Bees to the attacker.

The Dane has now admitted that he is a big fan of the Welshman’s ability to arrive late in the box, which is what sets him apart from the other wide-players at his disposal.

Frank added: “What I like about Brennan is that both right or left, he is very good to arrive in the box, very good to run in behind and I think they are his key strengths.

Thomas Frank has made it very clear how he wants Tottenham Hotspur to play, and Spurs fans will certainly be excited by his statement.

While Tottenham have made a solid and strong start to the Frank era, their positive results so far have been founded on a strong defensive foundation.

The Lilywhites are yet to really fire on all cylinders as an attacking force this season, which, in a way, is the polar opposite of the problem they had under Ange Postecoglou.

It is a balance that Frank is looking to get right, but the new Tottenham head coach is very clear in his mind on how he wants his side to play.

Thomas Frank wants to play the Tottenham way but with defensive solidity

The 51-year-old has insisted that he wants his side to be brave in possession of the ball and score a lot of goals.

However, he explained that the offensive flair should not necessarily come at the cost of defensive solidity, pointing out that it is important to defend well to win titles.

Frank told Football.London: “I think it’s extremely important that we are brave and we are offensive and we play forward. I think that’s crucial. Over the years, all the teams I’ve been part of, we’ve scored a lot of goals, and I’m convinced we will continue that way because that’s the way Tottenham should play and will play.

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“I think playing offensively, bravely and forward is extremely important but if you want to achieve something big and consistently over the years, you also need to be pretty good at defending. I haven’t seen one team achieve something fantastic without being good at defending.

“You can just see the Europa League final, I think that Tottenham did fantastic in that game, defended very well for a long time in the game. The best teams in the world are very good in almost all phases.”

Frank is confident Tottenham’s attack will click into gear

The Dane admitted that getting the offensive phase of play correct is harder and takes more time than mastering the defensive organisation.

However, Frank insists that he has already seen promising signs that suggest that his side will click into gear in the offensive phase of the game.

He added: “I think the most difficult thing in football is to try to score a goal. It’s a low-scoring game compared to a lot of other sports or a lot of other games. To get that free-floating type of play, that relationship between people, try to put structures in [takes time].

“Unfortunately, sometimes the opponent wants to interrupt it or disrupt it. So the offensive is definitely more difficult, but absolutely not impossible.

“And I also think that I’ve seen very promising, positive signs of the offensive part of the game as well.

“I think that the second half against Burnley was extremely good, how much we created. I like the way we went about it against West Ham, took a little bit of time to get into the game to create.”

Tottenham Hotspur came back from two goals down to earn a valuable point against Brighton & Hove Albion, but Randal Kolo Muani was unavailable to play the fixture.

Randal Kolo Muani is yet to make his first Tottenham Hotspur start since arriving on a summer loan move from PSG. However, he did make his debut in the Champions League, coming off the bench to play 15 minutes during the 1-0 win over Villarreal.

With Dominic Solanke remaining out with injury, Muani was expected to be given some first-team opportunities, but he was left out of the Tottenham first-team squad to face Brighton.

Spurs got off to a poor start and found themselves two goals down just after the half-hour mark. Despite this, Richarlison began a comeback which was completed by a Jan Paul van Hecke own goal, and each team ended up taking one point from the game.

Randal Kolo Muani missed Tottenham’s match through injury

It was reported that Randal Kolo Muani had a good injury history before he joined Tottenham. However, he has already been ruled out of his first match at Spurs due to a problem with his fitness.

Football London report that Thomas Frank left Muani out of his squad due to a dead leg he picked up in training. The striker was supposed to have been named on the Spurs bench until his injury.

Muani had only missed one game through injury in his senior career before today, due to a sore adductor while he was at Eintracht Frankfurt. The 26-year-old also missed a match at PSG with a virus.

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Will Kolo Muani get his Spurs opportunity?

Richarlison has rediscovered his goalscoring form after finding the back of the net against Brighton. As well as this, it seems Frank prefers Mathys Tel as a striker, considering he started there against West Ham.

Therefore, it is difficult to see how Muani will find his way into the starting lineup, especially when Solanke returns. However, he did well in his previous loan spell at Juventus and has not had enough time to showcase his talents. Tottenham’s schedule is already beginning to get busier, so perhaps Muani will get his chance when he returns.

Thomas Frank has provided an interesting response when asked about Tottenham Hotspur sitting near the top of the Premier League table.

Spurs sat third in the table going into matchweek five, having won three and lost one of their first four games. However, the Lilywhites picked up an extra point away to Brighton, pushing them up to second for a short time.

The most impressive thing about Frank’s men in the opening four games was their defensive solidity, with the Lilywhites proving nearly impossible to break down, conceding just one goal. Unfortunately, that tally tripled after conceding another two at the hands of Brighton.

Frank has labelled Cristian Romero as one of the best centre-backs in the world, and the Dane will be hoping that the Spurs captain can help his side keep plenty more clean sheets over the coming months.

Thomas Frank is not paying any attention to Tottenham’s position in the Premier League table

Tottenham may have made an impressive start to the 2025/26 campaign, but Frank insists he will not pay any attention to the standings until very late in the Premier League season.

When asked when he will start looking at the Premier League table, Frank smiled and responded (via Tottenham): “April? Let’s put it that way. I think I looked at the table a couple of times after one of the last games, and I thought, ‘ooh, is that team that high or that low?’ because I’m not looking at it.

“I’m trying really to focus on ourselves and our performances and what we can do. It is so easy to get dragged into something you can’t control.”

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Frank gives Spurs fans the license to dream

Tottenham have found themselves near the top end of the table at this stage of the campaign on a few occasions over recent years, only for the wheels to come off at the second of the season.

While Frank insisted that the supporters have a right to dream of the impossible, he also made it clear that he will remain focused on the here and now.

The Spurs head coach added: “I think for the fans, they should dream, they should hope and all that. That is what football is all about.

“I also dream and hope, but I’m a little bit closer to the action, so I need to stay level-headed and focus on the next training because it needs to be perfect like today.

“It was very good training, with the coaches, with the staff, top players. Everything ran very well, and then I need to do what I can to make sure we win more.”

The half-time whistle has blown between Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League, and the player ratings are in.

Tottenham player ratings vs Brighton

Guglielmo Vicario – After his first-half howler, the Italian had little to do after the break as Spurs pushed for a leveller. Barely tested, but the damage was already done. 4.

Pedro Porro – Saw lots of the ball in both halves of the pitch, sticking to his defensive duties while also supporting attacks as Tottenham pushed higher up. Put in some lovely crosses that Richarlison and co should have got a lot closer to. 6.

Cristian Romero – Much improved after the interval. Aggressive, front-foot defending and keen to step into midfield to win possession with the line higher. 5.

Micky Van de Ven – A quieter shift once Brighton’s threat faded. Stuck to his defensive basics and ventured forward only at set-pieces 5.

Destiny Udogie – Looked really bright considering this was his first 90 minutes of the season. Defended well on his side, while also overlapping and getting into some really dangerous positions. 6.5.

Rodrigo Bentancur – Improved in the second half, sharper on the ball as Spurs hunted an equaliser. Withdrawn for Simons as Frank reshuffled his midfield. 5.

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Joao Palhinha – With Spurs focused on attack, the Portuguese had little to mop up defensively but did his bit when needed, breaking up play with tackles and keeping possession moving. 5.

Lucas Bergvall – Loose with the ball at times, guilty of stray passes and lacking composure under pressure. However, he did drag Spurs up the pitch a few times too. You can see him trying to sniff out more goalscoring chances. 6.

Wilson Odobert – More direct after the break and tidier in possession, but still carried little threat in the final third. Replaced by Johnson. 4.5.

Richarlison – Dropped deeper to link play and involved himself more in the build-up. Still, his first-half goal was his only real impact in the box. 5.5.

Mohammed Kudus – Tottenham’s brightest spark once again, picking up where he left off in the first half, as he laid on Spurs’ second with a teasing cross that forced Van Hecke into an own goal, and he also created a glorious chance for Simons with a clever cut-back, only for the Dutchman to fire wide. 7.

Substitutes

Xavi Simons – On for Bentancur and operated as a No.10. Brought energy and incision, forcing a save from Verbruggen before dragging a Kudus cut-back wide. Spurs’ best chance fell to him. 6.

Brennan Johnson – Replaced Odobert on the left but had little impact and no clear sight of goal. 5.

Djed Spence – Came on for Pedro Porro in the 88th minute. N/A.

The half-time whistle has blown between Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton and Hove Albion as Thomas Frank looks to make it three wins in a row, and the player ratings are in.

Tottenham Hotspur trail at the break in their Premier League fixture against Brighton, with a single goal separating the two sides.

We’ve rated every Tottenham player from 1 to 10 based on their first-half performance at the Amex Stadium.

Tottenham half-time player ratings vs Brighton

Guglielmo Vicario – Nothing the Italian could do about the opener, beaten cleanly by Minteh. But he’ll be kicking himself over the second, as Ayari’s strike from range should have been a routine save. Instead, Vicario let it slip by. 3.

Pedro Porro – Up against a tricky customer in Mitoma, and it showed, with the Spaniard beaten a few times down his flank. That said, his passing was sharp, and he tried to release the ball quickly when in possession; he also made a couple of overlapping runs. 5.

Cristian Romero – Brighton didn’t create much after their opener, but Romero will know he was at fault for playing Minteh onside in the build-up. 4.

Micky Van de Ven – Caught out for the first goal, far too eager to press high into midfield and leaving space behind for Minteh to exploit. 4.

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Destiny Udogie – Making his first start of the season and offered plenty going forward. Direct, aggressive, and repeatedly reached the byline to deliver crosses. Brightest of Spurs’ back line. 5.

Rodrigo Bentancur – Completely bypassed for Brighton’s opener, nowhere near Rutter in midfield as the move developed. 4.

Joao Palhinha – Spurs dominated the ball for large spells, leaving Palhinha with little defensive work. Still, he didn’t close down Brighton’s midfielders quickly enough, allowing them to pick passes and shoot too easily. 4.

Lucas Bergvall – The Swede worked hard to impact both ends of the pitch, but it was his mistake at the wrong end that proved costly. Sloppy in possession, gifting the ball straight to Ayari, who fired in Brighton’s second. 4.5.

Wilson Odobert – Given his first start and looked lively early on, linking nicely with Udogie down the left. But he lacked strength in the build-up to Brighton’s opener, muscled off it far too easily as the hosts broke away. 5.

Richarlison – Marked his afternoon with a poacher’s finish, reacting sharply after Kudus’ pass found its way into his path to pull one back for Spurs. Beyond the goal, his link-up play was tidier than usual, knitting attacks together with more composure. 6.