Football London

Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank has now finalised his full coaching staff for the season ahead.

Frank arrived at Spurs last month with Justin Cochrane and Chris Haslam making the trip with him from Brentford as first team assistant coach and head of performance/first team assistant coach respectively. Joining them from the Bees was Joe Newton as first team coach analyst.

Ex-Manchester United and Arsenal coach Andreas Georgson, who previously worked with Frank at Brentford, has also arrived as first team assistant coach with an expertise in set pieces, both attacking and defensive. Cameron Campbell has now also joined Spurs as first team individual development coach having previously been head of player development at RB Leipzig.

football.london reported this week that Matt Wells, Ange Postecoglou's senior assistant coach, had been asked by Frank to remain on his staff to be joined by U18s coach Stuart Lewis in a new supporting role with the first team. Those two appointments have now been confirmed by the north London club.

The highly-rated 36-year-old Wells is the grandson of the legendary Tottenham double-winner Cliff Jones is believed to be friends with Cochrane after their years together as coaches in the club's academy.

Lewis, 37, has a growing reputation within the game, having picked up three trophies in as many years at Spurs, and has been promoted to become first team academy transition coach. As part of this newly-created role, he will help the development and integration of the young Tottenham players into the senior set-up. Spurs have begun advertising for a new U18s lead coach to replace him.

Postecoglou's goalkeeping coach Rob Burch has left the club with ex-Liverpool and USA goalkeeping coach Fabian Otte replacing him within the new-look staff.

Like Lewis, Dean Brill also steps up to become first team assistant goalkeeping coach, having previously worked as the head of academy goalkeeping at the club.

There is the possibility that Tottenham lose half of Ange Postecoglou's leadership group this summer. Following his appointment as head coach in June 2023, the Australian named Son Heung-min as his Tottenham captain and Cristian Romero and James Maddison as vice-captains.

The trio would later be joined in the leadership group by Guglielmo Vicario. Just how the leadership group will look under new head coach Thomas Frank remains to be seen.

Ahead of the 2025/26 season, Son has been linked with a move away from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after 10 years with the club. football.london reported last month that the skipper is more open to leaving Spurs than he ever has been before.

Then there is Romero, who continues to be linked with a move to Spanish side Atletico Madrid. The World Cup winner took a swipe at the club in an Instagram account when paying tribute to Postecoglou following his departure, and whether he wants to remain at Tottenham or head elsewhere could become clear in the weeks ahead.

Frank will certainly be hoping to keep Romero at the club as he is such a pivotal figure at the back for the Lilywhites. If both Romero and Son are to head for pastures new before the summer transfer window closes for business then the head coach will have a decision to make over the captaincy and also leadership group. So who else could step up and form part of the group?

Dejan Kulusevski is certainly someone who should be considered after wearing the captain's armband for Sweden over the past 12 months. He already appears to have made an impact in terms of his leadership on the international stage if Sweden left-back Ludwig Augustinsson's verdict is anything to go by.

"He has natural leadership qualities. He is a pusher," he told TV4. "He wants to move forward, he takes the initiative. He drives the team on the pitch and more and more in the dressing room.

"He is much more open and outgoing than before. He is growing more and more into a leader and he has a lot of experience at the highest level. It feels natural that it is he who takes the armband."

That area of Kulusevski's game has grown massively and he has been a leader for Tottenham on the pitch in terms of his performances even if he isn't wearing the armband. For someone who speaks honestly, has high ambitions at the football club and is a regular in the team, he could be the perfect player to step up.

Rodrigo Bentancur should also be under consideration for a leadership role as he is a pivotal figure in the middle of the park. The Uruguayan is someone who has been a guiding figure for Tottenham's young midfield stars and he would certainly be worthy of a more senior role.

Bentancur was in fact captain for Tottenham's 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace at the start of May as Vicario, Romero and Son were on the bench and Maddison missing through injury. Rather than handing the honour to long-serving defender Ben Davies, Postecoglou gave the armband to Bentancur and that just shows how valued he was by the former boss.

One other possible contender for a leadership role could be Pedro Porro. After all, he was in every matchday squad last season and didn't miss a game through injury, which was in fact quite the feat considering the issues Tottenham had to deal with. The Spaniard is a very popular member of the Tottenham squad and is someone who has the attributes to be a leader.

Porro, who is very vocal, has in fact captained Spain Under-21s previously during a 3-0 win over Israel in November 2020. Amid the possibility of some players needing to step up if Son or Romero are to depart, Porro, Bentancur and Kulusevski could be key men in Frank's first season in charge.

The transfer noise continues around Cristian Romero, even if it's all quiet at Tottenham Hotspur; and that will be a familiar feeling at the north London club.

Spurs and long-running transfer sagas with plenty of noise around them are a common occurrence. Think Gareth Bale and Luka Modric in the past and Harry Kane for most of his goal-plundering years at the north London club. Every summer with the England captain brought noise aplenty with interested clubs stoking up the atmosphere and attempting to unsettle the player and those around Tottenham.

All three of those players did eventually leave Tottenham but it was not when everyone expected they would depart, often a year or two later. In total they exited the Premier League club for abroad for a combined figure of roughly £220million including add-ons.

So the moral to the story seems to be that if you are going to take away one of Spurs' star players, then you are going to have to wait and pay the price tag.

This year, the subject of all the noise at Tottenham is Romero. As with Bayern's vocal pursuit of Kane two years ago when club officials spouted his name in interviews most weeks, so Atletico Madrid's interest in the World Cup-winning centre-back has been anything but reserved.

When Diego Simeone was asked in the mixed zone after the Club World Cup defeat to PSG about the Spurs defender he reportedly replied with a grin: "Do I want Cuti Romero? Of course! He's a great player."

The Spanish media reports around the Tottenham man have been similarly big and bold, with claims that Simeone calls Romero every day trying to get the move done for his compatriot and the view of some of the press there is that Spurs are expected to give in to the might of Atletico's powerful approach eventually for the 27-year-old.

The problem for Simeone is that if he has indeed been calling Romero every day, then he's been calling the wrong person. The phone number of chairman Daniel Levy is the one he really needs.

With two years left on the Argentine's contract and Romero having just been named as the player of the tournament in the Europa League and man of the match in that final in Bilbao, his price as a World Cup winner and two-time Copa America winner is going to be large. Don't forget, this was the man Lionel Messi declared 'the best defender in the world'.

So bearing in mind Levy's previous stance over star players - think Sir Alex Ferguson saying that dealing with the Spurs chairman over Dimitar Berbatov was more painful than his hip replacement - and you would imagine that the certainty over a deal in the Spanish media is more than a touch premature.

Tottenham signed Romero permanently for around £42million in 2022, after a first season technically on loan from Atalanta. Bearing in mind everything he's won since then for country and now club, suggestions that Spurs might accept a deal worth just a few million or so in profit seems a bit far-fetched.

For Spurs to even consider a bid it will have to be seriously head-turning for a player who in the words of former Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou makes those alongside him "walk a bit taller".

Recent reports coming out of Spain have suggested that Atletico had made a new bid of just €55million (£47.3million) with a potential further €15million (£12.9million) in add-ons.

However, football.london understands that at this point Tottenham have not received a new or recent bid for Romero. It's again worth looking at how close that reported base figure is to what they signed the Argentine for in the first place.

With all the noise in Spain, it seems to be quiet on the Romero front currently at Spurs. Whether that changes or not will likely depend on the player on his return in the coming days.

The centre-back is expected back at pre-season training at Hotspur Way among the group of internationals due later this week. New boss Thomas Frank is understood to be excited about working with Romero and wants him in his backline this season. As Simeone suggested, who wouldn't?

The aggressive nature of the Dane's brand of football should suit Romero, who enjoyed such a role under Postecoglou. It's also worth noting that up until this point, the centre-back has been respectful about Tottenham as a club he has affection for, albeit venting his feelings on some of the decisions taken by the hierarchy over the years.

The defender did say that he would like to play in La Liga at some point in his career, but he will also have Champions League football this coming season on the menu at Spurs. It's not like he would be slumming it in N17 if he were to stick around.

At 27-years-old, time is still on Romero's side and he may not have even reached his peak as a centre-back. He has now won a trophy with Spurs, the first club prize of his career, and he will know that he did so while not being available for much of last season due to injury.

All eyes will be on his return this week and that first meeting with Thomas Frank. There's plenty of noise around Cristian Romero but Tottenham will just want quiet focus in the weeks ahead.

Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United remains a transfer that has potential, rather than being a done deal.

The Red Devils have been attempting to sign the Cameroon forward from Brentford for some time, but have yet to conclude a deal for the 25-year-old.

Mbeumo wants to make the move to United, although Brentford sporting director Phil Giles admitted he could yet stay at the Gtech Community Stadium this summer.

"There's significant interest in Bryan, I think it's been documented and publicised about his current preference, from what I understand, if needs be he'd be happy to stay at Brentford next year as well," Giles said.

"It's not a given that he's going to depart this summer, he had a great season last season, if we get the right offer there's potentially a deal to be done."

United imposed their own deadline on sealing the deal for Mbeumo, with the Red Devils wanting to complete the transfer before the start of pre-season. That deadline has, however, now passed, with the United players returning to Carrington on Monday and it remains to be seen if they will continue to pursue a deal for Mbeumo.

Tottenham, with former Bees manager Thomas Frank now in charge, had also been linked with a move for Mbeumo, although turned their attentions towards West Ham forward Mohammed Kudus upon hearing Mbeumo wanted the move to Old Trafford.

But Spurs could still be in the race to sign Mbeumo, given they have seen bid rejected by the Hammers for Kudus.

United have had two bids - £55million and £62.5million - rejected by Brentford and have yet to return to the Bees with a third proposal.

Having signed Mathys Tel permanently following a loan move last season and with Kota Takai set to complete a £5million move to north London from J.League team Kawasaki Frontale, Spurs are yet to make their first big-money transfer of the summer transfer window.

Mbeumo could be up for grabs once again and Frank would be only too happy to reunite with the player he spent six years developing in west London.

Tottenham Hotspur are after a marquee signing to kickstart the summer for new manager Thomas Frank, and West Ham's Mohammed Kudus is the top target as his departure grows more likely - and some fans in the football.london comments section reckon he would be a great addition to hone Spurs' attack as they look to make a big improvement next season.

The 24-year-old reportedly has an £85m release clause for Premier League clubs which is only active in the first 10 days of July. West Ham will be in no great rush to sell, with the forward's contract running until 2028. It's been claimed that Spurs have already submitted a bid worth £50 million for the Ghana international, but this has been rejected and the club will have to improve their offer if they are set on bringing Kudus in.

Kudus has been one of the Hammers' most exciting players since his £38 million move back in 2023, and his versatility means that he can play all across the forward line, despite being most often deployed out wide. Spurs look to have been beaten out by Manchester United in their pursuit for Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo, and are after more forward options this year.

The move would be a great one to start off the Thomas Frank era, according to some fans. Reader Atxspurs says: "I think Mo could become a superstar for us under Frank. Mbuemo is great, but he's been leveled up as much as he's going to under TF.

"Eze, amazing as he is, at 27, he's also maxed out I believe. Kudus is already pretty incredible, and his ceiling is stratospheric. Frank wanted Brennan before, maybe he envisions him as a LW/LF being right footed, with Mo on the right. With his dribbling and passing he can be a great creator as well as goalscorer."

Commenter HarrowSpur writes: "Kudus isn’t top draw but he’s much better than Johnson who is at best a one trick pony. We lost 22 games last season mainly because our front 3 were pants and the midfield nonexistent."

On our Facebook page, Glenn Jenkin writes: "Kudus would be a good signing. He had a dip in form last season. I am sure Frank can get the best out of him."

Matt Taylor says: "Kudus is a talent, just give him the freedom in the middle of the park to do his thing and he will do well."

Others are down on the prospect of Kudus joining Spurs, for a variety of reasons. Troilus writes: "Why would anyone pay 60 mill for Kudus, by that reckoning Johnson is worth 150 mill."

Kim1980 says: "Kudus has been disappointing for 2 seasons now. And they price him at 60 million while there is talk about Romero who is worth at least 80-100 million."

Dean1959 writes: "Perhaps a failure to have appropriate finances in place is why the previous statement signings have all gone by and Kudus has become the 'marquee' name. As if he's worth the same 60m to us as Romero."

Thomfire says: "I really fail to see how anyone could see Kudus as a marquee signing. He scored just 5 goals last season for West Ham which does not suggest someone who commands a £65m fee."

Thomas Frank will have plenty of choice when it comes to his Tottenham centre-back options during the 2025/26 season. Already boasting players such as Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Radu Dragusin, Kevin Danso, Ben Davies, Ashley Phillips and Alfie Dorrington in the position, Luka Vuskovic is now officially a Tottenham player and Kota Takai is set to follow.

Vuskovic was at the club's Hotspur Way training base on Saturday for his first day of pre-season training. Spurs struck a deal with Hajduk Split for the centre-back in September 2023 but FIFA rules always meant he would link up with the north London club in 2025 once he had turned 18 years of age.

The signing of Takai from Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale will hopefully be confirmed in the coming days after he bid farewell to his club's fans at the weekend. The 20-year-old is set to join Tottenham in a £5million deal.

Fans could get a glimpse of the duo on the field in a Spurs shirt for the first time very soon as the team have away friendlies at Reading and Luton Town coming up before heading off to Asia for their summer tour.

Tottenham have been active in the transfer market so far this summer but plenty more still needs to be done to see them kick on in the Premier League after finishing 17th last season. Frank has a large squad at his disposal, which will get even bigger with further new signings, and he will have to cut it down to size at the beginning of September to comply with the Premier League's 25-man squad regulations.

As ever, clubs cannot name more than 17 non-homegrown players on their main list. The rest of the squad, up to a total of 25 players, must be homegrown.

Clubs also submit an additional Under-21 list that allows their youngsters to be eligible for Premier League football, which in turn frees up space in the 25-man playing squad. For the 2025/26 campaign, Under-21 players will have had to be born on or after January 1, 2004 to make the list.

The good news for Tottenham is that both Vuskovic and Takai can be named on the Under-21 list rather than the main list as they are both under the age of 21. Vuskovic, who turned 18 back in February, was born in Split on February 24, 2007 and Takai was born in Yokohama on September 4, 2004.

As Takai is set to turn 21 in September, he can only be classed as an Under-21 player for this season and then from 2026/27 he will have to be included on the main list. The fact the duo qualify as Under-21 players is a huge help for Tottenham due to the amount of non-homegrown players they have on their books.

The issue for Tottenham, though, is that Premier League and UEFA rules differ when it comes to registering a 25-man playing squad for the competition. Both Takai and Vuskovic won't be able to be named on Spurs' B List in the Champions League as they haven't been at the club for the required amount of time and will instead have to be named on their main list .

That is something Frank and those at the club will have to solve come September.

Tottenham are in ongoing talks about extending the contract of goalkeeper Josh Keeley ahead of a potential new loan move, football.london understands.

The 22-year-old Spurs stopper had a huge season of development at Leyton Orient with 16 clean sheets, scoring a dramatic headed goal in the FA Cup tie against Oldham, receiving praise from Pep Guardiola before earning a senior call-up to the Republic of Ireland squad.

Orient reached the League One Play-Off Final but fell just short against Charlton at Wembley. Soon after Keeley received his first call-up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad.

The O's FA Cup exit earlier in the season had come with a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City with a shot from the halfway line from Keeley's Spurs team-mate Jamie Donley forcing the home side's goal before the Irish goalkeeper kept an expensively-assembled City side at bay.

"We were lucky at the end because they had chances, but we created a lot, their keeper was really, really good and it was a tight game," Guardiola said of Orient and Keeley.

Orient boss Richie Wellens said after that game: "Josh was class and he’s been brilliant. I think 75% of his performances have been clean-sheets. He’s got good character for a young kid and he’ll only go on and develop potentially into a top-level Premier League goalkeeper if he keeps his feet on the ground."

Earlier in the season, Wellens had said; "His reputation is growing all the time. I'm a big believer that goalkeepers... it's not making great saves from penalties, it's about having the character about you to believe you can save it.

"Josh has got that personality and that swagger. The fact that he comes up and keeps us in the competition with that header is the extreme, but the kid has got a lot of character and will go far in the game."

Tottenham have a strong trio of first team goalkeepers in Guglielmo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky and Brandon Austin, which will make it difficult for Keeley to break through into Thomas Frank's team but he will be looking to catch the eye this summer.

That the Irishman cannot be considered homegrown despite spending the past three years at the club after arriving from St Patrick's Athletic makes it difficult to register him in European competition.

However, Keeley's rise and development has not gone unnoticed at Tottenham and football.london understands that ongoing talks over a new contract are taking place, plus plans for a loan as his next challenge.

Keeley has previously gone on loan to Barnet in the National League and then stepped up to League One with Orient last season. With a large number of clubs in the Championship and League One interested in taking him on loan as well as permanently, the young goalkeeper has a bright future ahead of him.

Ashley Phillips was one of a number of players to return to Hotspur Way on Saturday for the first day of pre-season training. Spending the 2024/25 campaign on loan with Stoke City in the Championship, it remains to be seen where the Tottenham centre-back will be playing his football come August.

Since joining Tottenham from Blackburn Rovers two summers ago, things just haven't gone to plan for the 20-year-old in north London. Phillips is still to make his senior debut for Spurs, although he has played in a couple of pre-season games for the club.

During his first season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Ange Postecoglou elected against using the Salford-born player despite his team suffering with a lack of defensive numbers. Duly heading on loan to Plymouth Argyle in January and winning their young player of the season award after only 20 appearances for the club, he was once again given the green light to depart on loan and linked up with Stoke last August.

Again, the talented defender caught the eye for his loan club and that has subsequently seen Sheffield United mentioned in regards to a permanent swoop for him. Phillips will be hoping to make his mark at Tottenham this season under new head coach Thomas Frank.

The change of management could potentially work for the defender and see him remain part of the plans for the 2025/26 season and beyond. However, what could make things tricky for him is that there has been a lot of movement in his position since he departed for Stoke City last August.

Firstly, Kevin Danso added to the centre-back numbers late in the winter transfer window after initially joining on loan from RC Lens. That move has now become permanent due to an obligation to buy clause in the agreement between both clubs.

Luka Vuskovic is now officially a Tottenham player after agreeing to a move to north London from Hajduk Split back in September 2023. The Croat was present for the first day of pre-season training at Hotspur Way on Saturday and he could well make his debut in the pre-season friendly at Reading later this month.

Vuskovic may only be 18 years of age but he has already built up a good amount of senior football to his name after playing for Hajduk Split, Radomiak Radom and Westerlo over the past two years. Seen as one of the most talented youngsters in the game, he may immediately end up leapfrogging Phillips in the pecking order.

That's not it for new centre-backs at Tottenham as Japanese starlet Kota Takai is set to complete a £5million transfer to the club from Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale. The 20-year-old said his goodbyes to supporters on Saturday and he was even given a guard of honour by his teammates as he re-emerged from the tunnel after the game to bid farewell.

The three transfers could very well have a huge say on whether Phillips is to make it as a Tottenham player or not. All will become clear over the coming weeks as Frank takes a closer look at his players and decides whether they are to be in his thinking for the 2025/26 campaign or not.

Tottenham face missing out on Mohammed Kudus after a surprising transfer decision was made involving Chelsea. The West Ham star is expected to depart London Stadium this summer but remain in the capital with Spurs and the Blues interested.

Despite the Ghana international having an £85million release clause in his contract, the Hammers are open to accepting less than that but not quite £50million with that the value of Tottenham's bid that was rejected.

According to the Athletic, negotiations are continuing between the two clubs with Kudus giving priority to the Lilywhites. There is still a chance that Chelsea will hijack that move, but their focus is currently elsewhere.

Ahead of the Club World Cup, three new signings were confirmed with club chiefs also finalising deals for Jamie Gittens and Joao Pedro. With roughly £150million spent, sealing exits are now the priority and the hope is funds will mostly come from selling Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku.

Barely any Chelsea stars are untouchable though with that evidenced by Arsenal setting their sights on Noni Madueke. Personal terms have reportedly been agreed and therefore an official approach from north London is expected.

It has been claimed the Blues value him at £50million but that Arsenal are looking to spend closer to £40million with funds still needed for other signings.

If that switch goes through, even with three attackers signed this summer, a replacement will likely be needed. If a deal for Kudus to join Spurs is wrapped up before that, Chelsea have alternatives lined up but none of them have the profile of Kudus, which is very similar to Madueke's.

Therefore, a formal approach could be made to test Kudus' desire to actually sign for Tottenham. It is unclear where Thomas Frank and Co. would go after that having already seen Bryan Mbeumo stick by his stance to join Manchester United.

The likes of Johan Bakayoko and Maghnes Akliouche, linked to Arsenal, are more than suitable alternatives but it would be another delay that Spurs want to avoid especially as a new No.6 is needed.

Decisions on the futures of Son Heung-min and Cristian Romero are also required with the latter wanted by Atletico Madrid. The Spurs captain meanwhile, has one year remaining on his contract with interest from Saudi Pro League and MLS clubs.

Luka Vuskovic may prove to be a popular name when it comes to shirt printing at the Tottenham club shop. Spurs reached an agreement for the centre-back almost two years ago and supporters have been counting down the days until his arrival ever since.

Vuskovic is now officially a Tottenham player and Saturday saw him get the opportunity to work alongside his new teammates for the very first time following the start of pre-season training. The countdown will now be on when it comes to his first appearance in a Tottenham shirt.

That could potentially come at Reading on Saturday, June 19, in what is Thomas Frank's first game as Spurs head coach, Prior to the match in Berkshire, there may well be an announcement over Vuskovic's shirt number for the 2025/26 season and beyond.

The teenager appears to be a big fan of having the number four on his back after previously wearing No.44 for Hajduk Split and Belgian side Westerlo. During his time with Radomiak Radom, Vuskovic was in possession of the No.4 shirt.

Vuskovic unfortunately won't be able to inherit No.44 at Tottenham unless Dane Scarlett is to opt for a new number for the 2025/26 campaign. No.4 is also currently taken by Kevin Danso following his move to the club at the end of the winter transfer market.

In terms of numbers with a four in there for Vuskovic, No.34, No.41, No.43, No.46 and No.49 are currently free. Other available shirts include No.2, No.3 and No.5, although those established numbers may not be for the player just yet considering the fact he's only just made his move to the club and he's at the start of his professional career.

No.12, No.16 and No.20 are vacant following the recent departures of Emerson Royal, Timo Werner and Fraser Forster. The goalkeeper's old number will no doubt appeal to Mohammed Kudus if he is to move from West Ham as that's the number he wears for Ghana and the one he previously donned at Ajax.

Other free shirt numbers include No.25, No.26, No.32, No.38 and No.39. No.26 is also there for the taking but it is virtually retired in all but name as no player has taken it on since club great Ledley King called time on his career back in 2012.