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As Tottenham Hotspur push to complete a big-money deal for Mohammed Kudus, Thomas Frank may decide to sacrifice one of his senior players, but only after he assesses him in pre-season.

There have hardly been any outgoings so far at Tottenham this summer and that might be down to the fact that Frank wants to meet the Spurs players in person before deciding on their futures.

Last week, it was claimed that Tottenham were ready to cash in for Richarlison for a cut-price fee, but this claim has since been rubbished by other sources.

Just a couple of days ago, Sky Sports claimed that Frank will give Richarlison a chance to impress in pre-season rather than pushing him out of the door.

The update also asserted that the Brazilian’s preference would be to stay at Tottenham Hotspur as long as he can get regular game time, with the 28-year-old feeling that injuries have prevented him from showcasing his best in a Spurs shirt.

Tottenham may have to sacrifice Richarlison for Mohammed Kudus

However, Football Insider have now said that Richarlison may be ready to pack his bags to head out of Hotspur Way.

This is because Spurs have already submitted massive offers for Mohammed Kudus which have been rejected by West Ham.

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It is asserted that the Lilywhites may have to sacrifice the former Everton man to fund a move for the Hammers star and make space in the squad for his arrival.

The outlet says that several clubs are monitoring Richarlison’s situation, but they too add that no final decision will be made on the striker until Frank has assessed his squad.

Why a decision on Richarlison is not expected to be imminent

So far, 19 Tottenham players have reported for pre-season duty, with the list comprising almost entirely of those who were not on international duty after the end of the season.

However, 16 Spurs players, including Richarlison, are yet to report for pre-season, and Brazilian is thus yet to meet Frank and his coaching staff.

Tottenham Hotspur officially confirmed the signing of Japanese centre-back Kota Takai on Tuesday morning, and he has already given his first interview to Spurs fans.

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed their second signing of the Thomas Frank era, signing Kota Takai from the J League for £5 million.

The 20-year-old arrives with a growing reputation, having been named Young Player of the Year last season in Japan.

Takai has signed a five-year contract, one that is expected to keep him at Hotspur Way until 2031, with the Japan International now set to be part of Frank’s team.

He already has four senior caps for the Japanese national team, an impressive feat for a player of his age, and one that has drawn praise from Japanese football experts.

Kota Takai gives first interview after joining Tottenham

Last weekend, Takai bid farewell to his former club Kawasaki Frontale, helping them to a 2-1 win over Kashima Antlers in the J League.

He impressed with a match-high 57 completed passes and ended his time in Asia on a strong note. After the game, he also said his goodbyes to fans and teammates.

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Now settled in north London, Takai has given his first interview since joining Tottenham, introducing himself to the club’s supporters and offering insight into his background, his football journey, and what he hopes to bring to the team.

He stressed his desire to give his all in a Tottenham shirt, telling the club’s official channel: “Having arrived in London, I am full of excitement. My position is centre-back. I can play either side – right or left.

“I was born in Kanagawa, Japan. I have always played football since my childhood. The reason why I love football is because as a team we can improve our skills together.

“The J League has very high intensity, and its level is high. I won the Young Player Award last year and I was very happy. I joined team Japan – it was always my dream. I had goosebumps when I went on the pitch for the first time as part of the national team.

“I played at the match with Kawasaki Frontale at the J League on Saturday, and I got on the plane the next day. And I am here today, now. I have always watched the Premier League a lot, since I was little. At Spurs, my first aim is to be on the pitch for a match and do my best.”

What Takai can offer Spurs under Thomas Frank

Takai is expected to begin pre-season training with the other 19 Tottenham players who have returned to Hotspur Way under new manager Thomas Frank.

While he is primarily a centre-back, capable of playing on either the left or right side of central defence, Takai also has the versatility to fill in at right-back if needed.

He stands at 6 ft 4, is comfortable on the ball and quick across the ground, with strong aerial ability to complement his style of play.

Tottenham Hotspur are seemingly advancing on a deal for Mohammed Kudus. We analyse the West Ham United star’s fitness record to see if Spurs fans should be worried.

Even though some reports are continuing to play up the possibility that Chelsea might hijack Tottenham’s move for Kudus, the Lilywhites are clearly in the driving seat to land the player.

It has been claimed that Kudus is giving preference to a move to Spurs right now and it has even been asserted by Fabrizio Romano that Tottenham are the only club Kudus is currently speaking with.

Spurs still have work to do to get the Kudus deal over the line, but if they do manage to do that, Tottenham fans would not have to be worried about the winger’s fitness.

Tottenham will not be scared by Mohammed Kudus fitness record

Over the last two seasons, injury problems have taken their toll on Tottenham Hotspur. It is unclear if that was primarily down to the demands of Ange Postecoglou’s system or if it is just due to the fact that Spurs have too many injury-prone players in their squad.

That is something that the North Londoners have to consider while deciding on their transfer targets, and in Kudus’ case, it is not an issue they need to be worried about.

According to Transfermarkt, the 24-year-old has only missed a total of four matches due to injury over the last few years.

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He did miss 17 matches in the 2021-22 season due to a rib fracture and another 17 matches in the 2020-21 season due to a Meniscus injury, but there is no evident pattern with his injuries as one sees with Micky van de Ven’s hamstring issues for example.

Why we can expect fewer injuries under Thomas Frank

Some even felt Postecoglou’s system was to blame for Tottenham’s injury crisis, with the Australian demanding maximum intensity from his players both on and off the ball.

However, in sharp contrast, pre-season under Thomas Frank is not expected to be extremely demanding, according to one of his former players.

In fact, the Dane is someone who is allegedly concerned about the bigger picture and prioritises injury avoidance.

As Tottenham Hotspur step up their pursuit of Mohammed Kudus, they have been handed another reason to push the boat out to land the West Ham star, and it has to do with his availability next season.

Tottenham are overwhelming favourites to win the race for Mohammed Kudus, according to updates from various sources over the last 24 hours.

However, that does not mean that a move to N17 is imminent for the winger, with Chelsea continuing to be keen on hijacking Spurs’ deal for Kudus.

According to reports, there is disagreement between Tottenham and West Ham over the add-ons for Kudus after the North London club’s third offer for the 24-year-old.

It does not appear as if Daniel Levy and Spurs are giving up on the former Ajax man, and there could be another interesting reason why.

Why Tottenham would not lose Mohammed Kudus to African Cup of Nations

The 2025 African Cup of Nations, which will be held in Morocco, goes on from 21 December of this year to January 18, 2026.

Several Premier League clubs will thus be without some of their African stars, particularly if their countries progress to the latter stages of the tournament.

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Tottenham will miss Pape Matar Sarr during that time and with Senegal being one of the favourites for the tournament, the midfielder could well be missing for more than a month. Yves Bissouma will also be unavailable as he is expected to line up for Mali at the AFCON.

However, Kudus’ Ghana have shockingly failed to qualify for the tournament. They astonishingly finished in the bottom of Group F in qualification, failing to win a single game.

That means that Mohammed Kudus will be available throughout the season for Thomas Frank if Tottenham do manage to get a deal over the line.

West Ham still hope to avoid selling Kudus to Spurs

It has been claimed that West Ham are quoting a higher price to Spurs for Kudus than other clubs, which is down to their reluctance to sell their star man to their fierce rivals.

Various sources have claimed that Graham Potter’s men are hoping for a bidding war between Chelsea and Tottenham for Mohammed Kudus.

As Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United continue to be locked in talks over a deal for Mohammed Kudus, an interesting development occurred at the East London club on Monday morning.

Tottenham have had three different offers turned down by West Ham for Kudus, with the Hammers not thought to be pleased with the unrealistic nature of the add-ons proposed by Spurs.

According to some sources, West Ham are frustrated that Tottenham are not taking their valuation of Kudus seriously.

The Hammers want the Lilywhites to pay £60m for Kudus, and as talks continue between the two clubs, the player is now back from his summer break.

Tottenham will want Mohammed Kudus in pre-season with them

The Standard have now confirmed that the Ghana international reported to West Ham’s training ground for the first day of pre-season training on Monday.

The outlet says that this is even though talks between Spurs and the East London club are ongoing, with Thomas Frank’s men weighing up another offer.

An improved offer is expected to arrive from Tottenham imminently for Kudus, with Spurs still confident that they can land the former Ajax man for considerably less than his £85m buy-out clause.

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Kudus is unlikely to join Chelsea, preference is Spurs

Over the last few days, several outlets have talked up the chances of Chelsea hijacking Tottenham’s move for Kudus.

However, over recent hours, The Daily Mail’s Sami Mokbel has assuaged the fear of Spurs fans by stating that Chelsea are unlikely to land Kudus.

This latest update from The Standard backs up that claim, explaining that the Blues and the Hammers are still some way apart in their valuation of the winger.

Tottenham could thunder back into the race for Bryan Mbeumo, with a fresh report suggesting that Manchester United may soon be forced to call off their pursuit of the Brentford star.

It has been widely reported that Mbeumo’s number one choice is to join Man United, which is why Tottenham Hotspur had admitted defeat in their pursuit of the 25-year-old.

In fact, it was even claimed a little over a week ago that Mbeumo had personally told Thomas Frank that he only wanted to join Man United.

That appeared to be the catalyst for Spurs pushing ahead with a deal to land Mohammed Kudus from West Ham, but it turns out that the Lilywhites may have renewed hope of landing the Bees star.

Tottenham could be offered Bryan Mbeumo lifeline as Manchester United fall short

TEAMtalk now point out that it has now been a month since the Brentford star expressed a preference to move to Old Trafford and United had imposed a deadline of July 7 for the deal so that the 25-year-old could join the squad at the start of pre-season.

However, the deadline has now passed and the Manchester club have not been able to strike a deal with Brentford, who have turned down two bids from the Red Devils, the latest one being worth £62.5m.

The Bees are holding out for £65m for Mbeumo and want a large portion of the downpayment made upfront, but United may not be able to oblige.

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Given that money is tight in Old Trafford and they have not managed to sell some of their deadwood, they might be forced to walk away from the deal.

The report claims that Ruben Amorim’s men could decide to prioritise a move for a number nine instead, and this might open the door for Tottenham to be back in the race for Mbeumo.

Would Spurs prefer Mbeumo over Mohammed Kudus?

It has been widely reported over recent days that Tottenham are extremely keen on getting a deal for Kudus over the line.

According to some sources, Paratici believes that Thomas Frank can turn Kudus into a world star, with the Italian being a big admirer of the former Ajax winger.

However, it was reported two weeks ago Daniel Levy was doing all he could to land Mbeumo, whose signing Frank had requested to the Spurs chairman.

It would thus be interesting to see if the North Londoners abandon their pursuit of Kudus and go back in for the Brentford star if United do end their interest.

Bayern Munich have made a push to sign Mohammed Kudus, but the West Ham star’s response will put a smile on the faces of Tottenham Hotspur fans.

Over the last few days, various sources have claimed that Kudus is prioritising a move to Tottenham despite Chelsea stepping up their pursuit of the winger.

In fact, Fabrizio Romano claimed on Sunday that Kudus has already said ‘yes’ to Spurs and is only speaking to the Lilywhites at the moment.

It turns out that over the weekend, Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich made an effort to land the Ghanaian, but they too are expected to fail with their move.

Kudus turns down an approach from Bayern Munich

This update comes from TBR Football, who say that Bayern Munich made an approach to hijack the move for the 24-year-old.

Jamal Musiala picked up an injury in the FIFA Club World Cup, which is expected to keep him out of action for a minimum of four months. This sparked Bayern into action in the hunt for a replacement and they decided to pursue the West Ham man.

However, Kudus turned down the late approach from the Bavarians and has made it clear that he is focused on completing a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Kudus would not be the first player to turn down Bayern in favour of Spurs in recent years. Radu Dragusin also chose Tottenham Hotspur over Bayern in 2024.

Radu Dragusin said at the time: “Yes, that is right [I rejected Bayern]. I chose Tottenham because I felt it was the right step for me and I had a really good conversation with the coach.

“I saw that they wanted me from a long time ago, like one month before the transfer window, so I thought this is the right choice for me.

“My dream was to play in the Premier League, so that was part of it. I think the team here, the guys here, are on a good trajectory. I felt joining them can help me a lot.”

Tottenham run the risk of Mohammed Kudus deal being hijacked

It is clear from these reports that the former Ajax man has his heart set on a move to Tottenham Hotspur.

However, it has been widely reported that West Ham would prefer to sell Kudus to any club apart from Spurs, given the rivalry between the two clubs.

Rosario Central have been successful in agreeing on a temporary deal to sign Alejo Veliz from Tottenham, but the deal reportedly comes with an interesting clause.

Over the last week, a number of reports from Argentina had claimed that Rosario Central were stepping up their efforts to re-sign Veliz, two years after selling him to Tottenham.

On Sunday, it emerged that Rosario’s president had flown to London to hammer out a deal with Tottenham for Veliz.

Both of those reports stress the striker’s desire to return to his former stomping ground, and it appears that Veliz has now finally got his wish.

Tottenham agree to loan Alejo Veliz back to Rosario Central

According to a new update from TyC Sports, Rosario Central and Spurs have reached an agreement in principle for the centre-forward to return to his boyhood club on loan.

The outlet does not say if there is a loan fee involved, but they confirm that Rosario do not have an option to buy Veliz permanently.

Additionally, they reveal that Tottenham Hotspur have inserted a clause that will allow them to recall the 21-year-old to North London at the end of this calendar year.

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It would appear, based on the nature of this deal, that Tottenham did not want to cut their losses on Veliz and continue to retain hope that he can come good, despite his struggles on loan at Espanyol and Sevilla.

Veliz was adamant about his transfer desire

The update from TyC Sports also backs up what we have heard from other sources over recent weeks by stating that Racing Club de Avellaneda and Boca Juniors both tried to sign Veliz this summer.

His former Rosaria coach, Miguel Angel Russo, who is currently in charge of Boca, personally contacted the Tottenham man to ask him about joining the Buenos Aires-based club.

However, Veliz only wanted to join Rosario and had his heart set on returning to his boyhood club to play alongside Argentine legend Angel Di Maria, and Tottenham gave the youngster what he wanted.

Tottenham Hotspur have officially completed their second signing of the summer, subject to international clearance and work permit.

Tottenham Hotspur fans are still waiting for the club to spring into action in a major way this summer, with Mathys Tel being the only new Spurs signing to arrive through the door so far. Kevin Danso has also joined the club permanently, but that obligation to buy was agreed back in January.

Last month, Alasdair Gold predicted that Spurs would make two or three signings before the start of pre-season. However, with pre-season kicking off this week, the Lilywhites are still yet to kick into gear.

The Lilywhites have now secured another deal, with Frank adding to his defensive stocks by landing a highly rated 20-year-old – Kota Takai.

Kota Takai signs for Tottenham Hotspur on five-year deal

It first emerged on Monday that Spurs were on the verge of securing Kota Takai from J League side Kawasaki Frontale in a £5m deal.

That has now indeed come to fruition, with Tottenham announcing that the Japanese centre-back has completed a move to N17 following a successful medical.

The defender, who has been capped four times for the Japanese national side, has now put pen to paper on a five-year contract at the North London side.

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Takai won the J League Young Player of the Year award last season, but now faces a monumental challenge as he makes the step up to a side who will be competing in the Champions League next season.

Will Spurs loan out Kota Takai this summer?

Alasdair Gold previously reported that Takai is expected to be part of Thomas Frank’s first-team squad, which may surprise a few, given that the youngster is coming to Spurs straight from the J League.

Many might have expected the centre-back to be loaned out to get some experience like Yang Min-hyeok was last season.

However, the defender is no stranger to playing on the big stage, having been part of Japan’s Olympic squad last summer and having already played for the Blue Samurai in World Cup qualifiers.

Steven Caulker has now backed new Tottenham boss Thomas Frank to thrive at in North London, labelling him a brilliant manager, while also stating the upcoming season will be an exciting one.

Thomas Frank is no stranger to the Premier League, having spent the last four seasons managing in the English top flight following Brentford’s promotion in 2021.

Ever since, the Danish manager has kept the Bees as top-flight regulars, achieving two top-half finishes in his last three seasons.

Frank had Brentford playing some brilliant attacking football last campaign, with his side scoring the fifth-most goals in the English division.

Thomas Frank backed by Steven Caulker to succeed at Tottenham

The 51-year-old manager has often received praise from his managerial peers, with Pep Guardiola predicting in September 2024 that Frank was bound to get a big move to a top European side.

On 12 June, Tottenham announced that Thomas Frank is the man expected to lead them into a new era, as the Europa League champions aim to be competitive in the Premier League following their dismal showing last season, where they finished 17th.

Several former players have backed Thomas Frank to succeed at Tottenham, including Jermaine Defoe, who described the Dane as a “top manager” before his appointment by the club.

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Steven Caulker is now the latest to throw his support behind Thomas Frank, with the former Tottenham defender describing Frank as a brilliant manager and one who has earned his right to be at a top club.

However, he also noted that it would be important for the Tottenham board to back the new boss, as Frank is set to compete on all fronts next season.

He told talkSport: “I think he is a brilliant manager, a brilliant man manager. From what I have heard he just comes across as a great guy, has a great aura about him.

“I think he has earned the right to be at a big club. He has done really well at Brentford, he has done a fantastic job. It is going to be really interesting to see now how he transitions.

“I thought big Ange was harshly sacked if I am honest. But we are onto a new era, that is the past for Tottenham Hotspur. It is Thomas Frank now, let us see what he does with the squad.

“Let us see how much Daniel Levy backs him. It is an exciting time at Spurs, it is always an exciting time at Spurs. There is always something going on.

“But with the Europa League win under the belt, there are going to be certain expectations this year, so it is not going to be an easy job for him but I am excited to see what he does there.”

Spurs preparing for key pre-season under Frank

Of course, the upcoming season promises to be an exciting one, as Tottenham fans would be eager to watch Frank implement his rather flexible style of play at the club.

The Dane has already met up with 19 of his Tottenham players ahead of his first pre-season friendly game against Reading on 19 July.