Football London

Here's every single word the Tottenham Hotspur boss said after the defeat at PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday night

Thomas Frank had plenty of praise for his players despite Tottenham's 5-3 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Spurs opened the scoring on 35 minutes when Lucas Bergvall sent Archie Gray into the box and his chipped cross to the back post found Randal Kolo Muani, currently on loan from PSG, and the Frenchman headed it across for Richarlison to nod home.

In added time at the end of the first half though a short corner move from the hosts ended with a rocket from the edge of the box from Vitinha, which flew off the underside of the crossbar and into the net. Tottenham regained the lead five minutes into the second half. Pedro Porro launched a deep corner which Richarlison headed into the path of Gray. The teenager's flicked effort was headed on to the crossbar by a PSG defender on the line and bounced out for Kolo Muani to smash home a powerful volley. The lead lasted just three minutes though as Vitinha cut inside from the right and curled a strike into the far corner, this time with his left foot. Tottenham then gifted PSG the lead in the 59th minute. A dangerous pass out from captain Cristian Romero led to Pape Matar Sarr being caught in possession and Joao Neves picked out Fabian Ruiz to sweep home in an empty box. Six minutes later, a scramble in the box from a corner ended with Willian Pacho nipping in ahead of Sarr to poke the loose ball into the net. Spurs were not done yet though. Rodrigo Bentancur robbed Vitinha in the PSG half and the ball broke to Kolo Muani, who ran on and smashed home a second goal against his employers.

More drama followed as Vitinha's shot hit Romero's outstretched arm in the box and with 14 minutes to go the Portuguese rifled home the resulting penalty to complete his treble and bury Tottenham's comeback hopes. There was still time for a red card in added time as Lucas Hernandez flicked out an elbow into former PSG man Xavi Simons' face.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold is in Paris and was among those putting the questions to Frank after the game. Here's the full transcript from the press conference at the Parc des Princes.

Your first words to me last night were that the performance is always more important than the result and that is surely a performance you're very proud of?

Yeah, definitely. I'm pleased with the performance. It was the reaction I wanted from the players, from the team. We've been working very hard on that, the players, the staff, me, to make sure that we responded well and bounced back because that's crucial after a bad performance.

Today I saw more identity of the team I want to create, we want to create. Much more character, personality, aggressiveness. Three words you need to have in any team no matter how you want to do, how you want to play, whatever formation, whatever. Today we saw it, that I'm pleased with.

Of course, I think it was performance that was up there where we could get something out of the game, a draw or a win. So that's a little frustrating thing that we conceded some goals.

Of course, one with a little bit of margin from Vitinha, not top corner but top, top corner. And then, of course, goal three and four. Those are the ones we definitely need to avoid if we want to get something out of here, but something to build on. Strikers scoring two goals. The whole team, I think, all performed well.

Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, positive. When we played against a decent team where they have one Ballon d'Or winner and I think the next one is playing in midfield. Vitinha. Wow, what a player.

Aside from his two goals last night, did we just see what Randal Kolo Muani is capable of once he gets a bit of a run in the team and a bit of consistency under his belt?

Yeah, definitely. I think today we saw what hopefully we can expect. I think even two goals and assists in every game is probably too much. I would love to get that every single game. But as I said the whole time, he came in late with no pre-season, not top fit, had two setbacks, especially with the dead leg and then the broken jaw. Today we saw more of it. He's still not top fit. So hopefully he'll come in more.

With Archie and Lucas, how impressive is it for two 19-year-olds to come to a place like this and play with that kind of fearlessness?

Very impressive. Two young players, said from the beginning, that I believe a lot in. Archie was there ready before Monaco and then unfortunately picked up the calf injury. So we've been waiting for him to be ready again. Today he showed a lot. The way the two of them set up the first goal was also joyful to watch, but the mobility, technical, ball handling, mentality, character, I liked it.

Tell us a little bit about your formation tonight and especially the way that midfield worked?

As you could see the game plan was to really go after PSG, man to man. If anyone's followed me just a tiny bit, they know that that's what I want. That's much more the identity, that aggressiveness, that dynamic into the team, and to do that against PSG, who are that fluid and that mobile all over the pitch, I thought we needed a more running, powerful midfield across the midfield four.

Just sort of linked to that, the team seems to be much more threatening in attack today. It created a lot more chances, a lot more physicality. What do you put that down to?

I think a combination of a good response, so we had a good performance. We simply just performed better. I also think that it was a more open game. So when you face teams that are banged in, you probably sometimes need a little bit different. Today it was more open and we could use the mobility of Archie, Lucas, Pape and then the two strikers that worked well together.

It's only the second time this season Lucas, Archie and Pape have all started together. The first was against Burnley, what made you decide that all three of them, as a very young trio, could start this game together and all work together?

I think the main bit was a little bit the game plan that we wanted for running midfielders. Not a winger, just because of the dynamic to follow their man-man pressure. That was one thing. And then because I knew when we wanted them in these open spaces, they're such willing runners, that definitely helped in the spaces they created from there.

Thomas Frank is holding his press conference following Tottenham's 5-3 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Spurs opened the scoring with a well-executed team goal on 35 minutes. Lucas Bergvall sent Archie Gray into the box and his chipped cross to the back post found Randal Kolo Muani, currently on loan from PSG, and the Frenchman headed it across for Richarlison to nod home.

PSG undid all of Spurs' fine first half work in added time at the end of the first half when a short corner move ended with a rocket from the edge of the box from Vitinha, which flew off the underside of the crossbar and into the net.

Undeterred, the visitors regained the lead five minutes into the second half. Pedro Porro launched a deep corner which Richarlison headed into the path of Gray. The teenager's flicked effort was headed on to the crossbar by a PSG defender on the line and bounced out for Kolo Muani to smash home a powerful volley.

The lead lasted just three minutes thanks to that man Vitinha. The Portuguese midfielder cut inside from the right and curled a strike into the far corner, this time with his left foot.

Tottenham then handed PSG the momentum in the 59th minute. A dangerous pass out from captain Cristian Romero led to Pape Matar Sarr being caught in possession and Joao Neves picked out Ruiz to sweep home in an empty box. Six minutes later, a scramble in the box from a corner ended with Pacho nipping in ahead of Sarr to poke the loose ball into the net.

Spurs were not down yet though. Rodrigo Bentancur robbed Vitinha in the PSG half and the ball broke to Kolo Muani, who ran on and smashed home a second goal against his employers.

More drama followed though as Vitinha's shot hit Romero's outstretched arm in the box and with 14 minutes to go the Portuguese rifled home the resulting penalty to complete his treble and bury Tottenham's comeback hopes. There was still time for a red card for the hosts in added time as Lucas Hernandez flicked out an elbow into former PSG man Xavi Simons' face.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold is in Paris and among those putting the questions to Frank after the game. Scroll down for his latest updates from the press conference at the Parc des Princes.

Here are our Tottenham player ratings after their Champions League defeat at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday evening

Tottenham were the architects of their own downfall as they threw away the lead twice to lose a goal-laden Champions League encounter at PSG and here are our Spurs player ratings after the 5-3 defeat.

Two Randal Kolo Muani strikes against his parent club and a first half Richarlison header were not enough against the title holders in Paris as Vitinha showed his quality with a hat-trick, alongside further goals from Fabian Ruiz and Willian Pacho which sent the see-saw contest in the Ligue 1 side's favour.

Spurs came into the game off the back of a humiliating north London derby defeat at the Emirates Stadium and the under-fire Thomas Frank named a much-changed line-up in Paris, including teenagers Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray in the midfield against their illustrious hosts.

Tottenham had lost to PSG on penalties in the UEFA Super Cup back in August, but on their home turf at the Parc des Princes, the French giants looked a different proposition with early chances for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Warren Zaïre-Emery.

Spurs kept pressing their hosts though and they opened the scoring with a well-executed team goal on 35 minutes. The two 19-year-olds combined as Bergvall sent Gray into the box and his chipped cross to the back post found Kolo Muani, currently on loan from PSG, and the Frenchman headed it across for Richarlison to nod home.

PSG undid all of Tottenham's fine first half work in added time at the end of the first half when a short corner move ended with a rocket of a shot from the edge of the box from Vitinha, which flew off the underside of the crossbar and into the net.

Undeterred, the visitors regained the lead five minutes into the second half. Pedro Porro launched a deep corner which Richarlison headed into the path of Gray. The teenager's flicked effort was headed on to the crossbar by a PSG defender on the line and bounced out for Kolo Muani to smash home a powerful volley.

The lead lasted just three minutes thanks to the quality of Vitinha. The Portuguese midfielder cut inside from the right and curled a strike into the far corner, this time with his left foot.

Tottenham then handed PSG all the momentum. In the 59th minute a dangerous pass out from captain Cristian Romero led to Pape Matar Sarr being caught in possession and Joao Neves picked out Ruiz to sweep home in an empty box.

Just six minutes later, a scramble in the box from a corner ended with Pacho nipping in ahead of Sarr to poke the loose ball into the net.

Spurs were not down yet though. Rodrigo Bentancur robbed Vitinha in the PSG half and the ball broke to Kolo Muani, who ran on and smashed home a second goal against his employers.

More drama followed as Vitinha's shot hit Romero's outstretched arm in the box and with 14 minutes to go the Portuguese rifled home the resulting penalty to complete his treble and bury Tottenham's comeback hopes.

There was still time for a red card for the hosts in added time as Lucas Hernandez flicked out an elbow into former PSG man Xavi Simons' face.

Here are our Tottenham player ratings after the loss in Paris:

Guglielmo Vicario

Reacted well to stop Zaire-Emery's run into the box 15 minutes in. Was never going to get anywhere near Vitinha's rocket or his curling second. Saved well from Lee Kang-in after the fourth goal but it was a night of fine finishes that he could not get near. 5

Pedro Porro

Had a busy night with PSG's attackers, with Kvaratskhelia switching sides to take him on midway through the first half. Curled in the deep corner that led to Spurs' second goal. Got overrun with PSG's attacks in the second half though along with the rest of the Spurs' defence. 5

Cristian Romero

Tried to close down Vitinha when he realised those ahead of him weren't but it was too late. His second half was poor though, putting Sarr into trouble for PSG's third goal, involved in the fourth and then handling Vitinha's shot for the penalty. Not a good day for the captain. 3

Micky van de Ven

As with the rest of the defence, the Dutchman started the game well but in the second half began to get ragged in his play. 5

Djed Spence

Did well with Kvaratskhelia which caused him to change flanks in the first half. Got forward well on occasions and was one of the better defenders on the night. 6

Pape Matar Sarr

Started the game well with great energy but tired in the second half and was caught for PSG's third goal thanks to a poor pass from Romero. He then was caught again trying to clear the ball from the corner scramble that led to the hosts' fourth. 5

Rodrigo Bentancur

One of his better games for Spurs in recent weeks, even if he seemed to swerve his body away from Vitinha's second goal to give it the room to curl into the net. Kept pressing and won the ball high up the pitch for Kolo Muani to score his second. 7

Archie Gray

Showed his quality in the first half in a rare start in his natural midfield role. Sent in a terrific left-footed cross for Spurs' first half goal. Understandably tired and came off in the 76th minute but this was an important night for the 19-year-old on a big stage. Has to start more games in the centre of the pitch as he's not overawed by it. 8

Lucas Bergvall

The other teenager in the midfield, in his first appearance since his concussion, and he was fearless from the first whistle. He played a couple of flicked backheels into Gray's runs and the second one led to the Richarlison opener. Like Gray, he came off with 15 minutes to go and he will have gained plenty of experience from this night. He just has to start matches from now on. 8

Richarlison

Battled well in the first half to hold up the ball and deserved his nodded home goal after the half hour mark. Struggled in the second half to reproduce that performance but it's three goals in three games now for the Brazilian. 7

Randal Kolo Muani

Ran his socks off against his parent club and sent a clever header back across the six-yard box for Richarlison to nod in. He then smashed home a second later in the game. This could be the night when his Tottenham career got up and running. 8

Subs

Mohammed Kudus

Tried to make things happen in the final 15 minutes. 5

Joao Palhinha

At least no goals were scored on his watch after he came on. 5

Destiny Udogie

Replaced Spence for the final minutes. N/A

Xavi Simons

Took an elbow to the face from Lucas Hernandez in added time which saw the PSG man sent off. N/A

Wilson Odobert

Here's the Tottenham Hotspur team that Thomas Frank has selected to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday night

Tottenham's team has been named with five changes to take on the reigning Champions League winners PSG in Paris on Wednesday evening.

Thomas Frank is looking for his team to bounce back from their 4-1 defeat in Sunday's north London derby which brought plenty of criticism for the Dane and his tactics, with Spurs failing to take a single shot in the first half and only three, all from outside the box, in the second period.

Spurs had taken on PSG in the UEFA Super Cup back in August just after the Ligue 1 side had returned to pre-season training following their Club World Cup exploits, only for the north London side to let a 2-0 lead slip in the final minutes before missing out on the trophy in a penalty shoot-out.

Frank has made plenty of changes for this game, perhaps looking to the Premier League game against Fulham on Saturday as the more important clash.

Pedro Porro comes in for Destiny Udogie, while Pape Matar Sarr, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Randal Kolo Muani all come in for Joao Palhinha, Kevin Danso, Wilson Odobert and Mohammed Kudus. There is no place in the starting line-up for Xavi Simons against his old side.

Here's the Tottenham team Frank has selected to take on Luis Enrique's Parisian giants:

Tottenham Hotspur are back in Champions League action on Wednesday night as they take on the champions PSG at the Parc des Princes.

Thomas Frank's side will be looking to bounce back from Sunday's dismal derby defeat at Arsenal in the Premier League, but they face the toughest test possible with the trip to the French capital to face Luis Enrique's talented outfit. Spurs will have to show far more than they did against the Gunners if they are to get anything out of the game.

Spurs have taken on PSG already this season, holding a 2-0 lead late on against the French giants in the UEFA Super Cup in August only to throw that away in the final minutes and lose on penalties to their opponents, who had only just returned to pre-season training after the Club World Cup.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold is in Paris to cover this latest clash between the two teams. Scroll down for his latest updates from the Parc des Princes.

Here's our Tottenham Hotspur loan latest as we check in on the club's 14 players out and about across the UK, Europe and South America

Tottenham's loan players have enjoyed mixed fortunes this week in their adventures away from north London.

Thomas Frank's side currently have 14 players out on loan at clubs at various levels across the English game as well as in Scotland, Germany, Spain and South America. All of them have been enjoying varying levels of game time and success across the divisions.

Spurs' Head of Loans and Pathways Andy Scoulding has been keeping a close eye on all them to decide what the next steps are, with the facility to recall many of them in January and potentially send them elsewhere.

Here's how every single one of Tottenham's large group of loan players got on across the world this week. We're leaving out George Abbott, because the young midfielder is currently out for Wycombe Wanderers until next month with a quad injury, and defender Alfie Dorrington, who is out of action for Aberdeen with a groin muscle injury.

Luka Vuskovic (Hamburg)

Luka Vuskovic tasted defeat on his return to Hamburg from an international break spent with both the Croatian senior and U21 team.

The 18-year-old and HSV went down 1-0 at Augsburg on Saturday and Vuskovic played the entire game, picking up a yellow card in the 85th minute of the frustrating Bundesliga defeat.

The teenager centre-back has been linked with a move away from Spurs in Germany thanks to his eye-catching performances in the Bundesliga but football.london understands that many within the north London club see him as a future star so any such permanent move would be unlikely.

Whether the Croatia international heads out on another loan next season remains to be seen as part of his continued development but his progress in the Bundesliga means Tottenham will take a good look at him next summer to see if he's ready to step into the first team.

Vuskovic has played 10 times for Hamburg since joining, scoring once and the booking at the weekend was only the second yellow card he has picked up for the battling side from Hamburg.

Alejo Veliz (Rosario Central)

Alejo Veliz played the full 90 minutes in Rosario's 1-0 Clausura play-off defeat to Estudiantes at the weekend that made headlines for what happened just before kick-off.

In the week, Rosario had been awarded a controversial new title, the new Champion of the League trophy, which it was unexpectedly decided would be awarded to the team with the most points in combining this year's Apertura and Clausura tournaments in Argentina.

That meant that despite Rosario not winning any competition all season long, they would be crowned league champions, much to the disappointment and upset of other teams and most of the Argentinean football-watching public and pundits.

So in the weekend's match, while Estudiantes congratulated their opponents in the tunnel they also informed them that on the pitch they would be delivering a show of dissent to the authorities by turning their backs during a 'guard of honour' that they had been informed they had to perform by the Argentinean football association.

It made for an unusual sight and Rosario and Veliz would go on to lose the game after all the controversy.

Mikey Moore (Rangers)

Just as Mikey Moore was starting to find his feet for Rangers and netted his first goal for the Glasgow giants, he now faces a spell out of the action.

Danny Rohl spoke about both the 18-year-old and John Souttar ahead of the 2-1 win against Livingston.

"Before the international break, we had nearly no injuries," he explained. "John is out with a muscle injury. We have to wait [to see] how long. Mikey's out with a muscle injury. How long, it's difficult to say at the moment."

He did add though: "John and Mikey, I hope at the end of December. But it's a muscle injury, it could be 25 days, it could be 40 days. You never know."

Moore has played 17 times for Rangers this season, scoring that one goal and providing two assists.

Manor Solomon (Villarreal)

Manor Solomon was left unused on the bench as Villarreal lost 4-0 at Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

The Israel international had got his first minutes in a month at Villarreal as the winger came off the bench for the final 16 minutes of Villarreal's 2-1 home win against Mallorca on Saturday.

The 26-year-old has made just one La Liga start for the club and had been left unused on the bench for three of the previous four matches in the league and missed out entirely on their last matchday squad due to a back problem.

Solomon's back problem kept him out of international duty with Israel this month but he was back in action for the short cameo in the weekend's win.

The Spurs winger could return from Spain to head out on loan elsewhere in January if his situation does not improve.

Alfie Devine (Preston North End)

Alfie Devine continues to impress with another 90 minutes under his belt as Preston drew 1-1 at Watford in the Championship on Tuesday night.

That came after the 21-year-old midfielder notched his third goal of the season on Friday night in North End's 2-1 defeat at Blackburn Rovers. It was a great effort with a one-two in the box before dribbling past a couple of challenges and then sending a shot that four stumbling Blackburn players could not stop from crossing the line.

Devine has now notched three goals and two assists from his 18 matches for Preston so far this season and he's taken to the turf for 1,148 minutes of action.

Will Lankshear (Oxford United)

Will Lankshear played 77 minutes of Oxford's hard-fought 1-1 draw at home with Middlesbrough. The young striker then came off the bench for the final 24 minutes on Tuesday evening as United travel to Norwich in the Championship and drew 1-1.

Lankshear has been a success so far with five goals from 16 league matches in his second senior loan after last season's spell at West Brom.

Yang Min-hyeok (Portsmouth)

Yang Min-hyeok was an unused substitute as Portsmouth won 3-1 at home against Millwall in the Championship on Saturday.

The 19-year-old's impressive spell last month, which included two goals and an assist in three matches, has given way to just seven minutes in the past three games and two of those encounters spent watching on from the sidelines.

Ashley Phillips & Jamie Donley (Stoke City)

Even a first goal for Northern Ireland during the international break could not earn Jamie Donley a place in Stoke's matchday squad as they won 3-0 at home against Charlton on Tuesday night.

A recall appears to be beckoning for the 20-year-old, who has not started a single game in the Championship and has only come off the bench four times in the league so far this campaign, with no minutes in the past month under Stoke boss Mark Robins.

His Spurs team-mate Ashley Phillips is now fully back in contention at least and has started the past 10 matches in the league for the Potters, playing every single minute of them.

Damola Ajayi (Doncaster Rovers)

Damola Ajayi has not been in the past three matchday squads as in the latest match, Doncaster drew 0-0 at Stevenage in League One on Saturday.

Ajayi has been getting experience though on his first loan with 16 appearances and one goal with 630 minutes under the 19-year-old winger's belt.

Tyrese Hall (Notts County)

Tyrese Hall continues to impress for Notts County and grabbed an assist in their 3-1 defeat at home against Colchester United in League Two on Saturday.

The 20-year-old midfielder has been a revelation on his first loan with six goals and two assists across 1,084 minutes in 18 appearances since heading out of Tottenham.

Calum Logan (Braintree Town)

Nineteen-year-old left-back Calum Logan is also enjoying his first spell away from the north London club with a 28-day youth loan at National League side Braintree Town.

The defender has played the full 90 minutes in both of his matches so far, including Braintree's 1-1 draw at Scunthorpe on Saturday afternoon.

Thomas Frank has come under scrutiny due to Tottenham's recent performances

Thomas Frank has been urged to lay down the law to his Tottenham players and stop being "nice" about their poor performances.

Spurs suffered a humbling defeat in the north London derby against Arsenal on Sunday. Frank was only appointed as Tottenham's head coach in June after making the move from Brentford.

However, there is a growing sense of unrest among the club's fanbase over the Lilywhites' sub-par displays after falling to their fourth league defeat of the season. The Danish manager stopped short of blaming his players after the loss against the Gunners and said he took full responsibility for the result.

However, former Manchester United and Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster reckons Frank needs to be more forthright in delivering his assessment of his team to the press, despite expressing doubts over whether he shows the same calmness in the dressing room.

Speaking on his Fozcast podcast, Foster said: "You don't know what he's like behind closed doors, but he is very nice in the media. I don't think that performance warrants nice. I think he's got to come out all guns blazing there, because the Spurs fans are fuming.

"They were abysmal and they were miles off it. From the get go, you knew how the game was going to go because Spurs just straight away went, 'We're just going to sit here and we're not really going to give this a go.'"

Spurs officials are reportedly keen to give Frank time to turn things around despite the run of poor results. According to The Telegraph, the club's owners, the Lewis family, are steadfast in their belief that Frank's appointment should be seen as a long-term project.

Tottenham are currently in Paris ahead of the Champions League clash against champions PSG on Wednesday night. Frank will be without the suspended Brennan Johnson, taking the total number of unavailable players for Spurs up to eight.

Speaking before the game, Frank said: "Part of taking this job was to sit here and have the challenges. Of course, I would have loved to sit here and we've beaten Arsenal and then face Paris. We lost and we lost badly. Part of this is to manage those setbacks and learn from it and move on from here.

"One thing I'm 1,000 per cent sure of is that I know how to build a team. I know how to build a club and we will do that. Along the way, we'll learn and the big thing is how we learn from the bad spells.

"The first four months, I learned a lot about the team. I learned a lot about the individual players and all that learning needs to materialise in how we find the right formula, with the right players on the pitch and with some players coming back."

A trio of Tottenham players will be taking a trip down memory lane on Wednesday night and one will have some fond childhood memories of tonight's stadium

It will be a full circle moment for Wilson Odobert when he steps back on to the pitch at the Parc des Princes as Tottenham take on PSG in the Champions League.

Three Spurs players will be returning to the club they have played for with Odobert and Xavi Simons both coming through the Ligue 1 outfit's academy and Randal Kolo Muani currently on loan from the Parisian giants. Odobert turned down a professional contract from PSG after five years in their youth set-up, but did enjoy one big memory as a 15-year-old ball boy on a Champions League night in the Parc de Princes in 2019.

"I remember holding the big UEFA flag and now it is so great to be able to be back as a player,” said the 20-year-old. "It was such a dream and now I have objectives and goals, because I am not a kid any more, I want to perform and give as much as I can back to my team."

It was a story that inspired Odobert's Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank, who believed it demonstrated the beauty of football.

"What a wonderful story with Wilson there, being part of that as a 15-year-old player. Now he's sitting here, I think we need to remember that. We always forget that in all the focus on winning and losing. That’s what football’s about," he said. "That’s why we do it. We're all part of loving football and we started, all of us, playing in different levels. That's why we're here."

Frank has high hopes for Odobert as he looks to rebuild a Tottenham team that has lost its biggest attacking stars in recent years in Harry Kane and then captain Son Heung-min to Bayern Munich and LAFC respectively.

This current Tottenham side and Frank have been criticised for not playing with the free-flowing attacking style the fans demand and the Dane was asked how long it would take to build something more adventurous.

"I think hopefully it will not take that long time, but it's fair to say, the young man next to me, Wilson, who I think is a fantastic player and has got huge potential, I think he, compared to last season, is really taking a step up and I’ve a big hope for Wilson, but he's still taking over from a club legend in Sonny, for example, who played last year," said Frank.

"And Maddison and Solanke and Kulusevski, who were the main guys, I’ve said that before. That’s not saying that Wilson, Brennan [Johnson], Mo [Kudus], Xavi, Mathys [Tel], Richy, whatever, they can't do it. It just takes a little bit of time in that. And then the next bit, we have to play every third day in Premier League and in Champions League. So just, no complaints, just the way it is. It just makes it a little bit more complicated."

Odobert is looking forward to continuing his relationship with fellow PSG alumni Xavi and Kolo Muani over the coming months at Tottenham.

"Being younger and playing with Xavi, we definitely have a natural connection. It is the same with the other players though. I am trying to connect with everyone, but I know Xavi very well. It is lovely to combine with him, if he wants to combine with me, and it’s really natural to combine together," he said.

"Kolo Muani is a quality player. To have him with us is really beneficial. He always gives the best of his ability at training as well. It can only be beneficial for us."

Odobert lost much of his first season at Spurs to a serious hamstring injury and a subsequent setback following his £30million move from Burnley and he told football.london that it would not stop him making an impact at the north London club.

"I always gave my all. I was injured, but I worked hard to get back to my level. I'm young. I don't limit myself," he said. "I have goals and I will always give my all, no matter what happens."

Tottenham Hotspur have been hampered by injuries so far this season, but they did welcome back a number of key stars to their matchday squad against Arsenal.

Thomas Frank was able to welcome back a number of key players ahead of the weekend's disappointing defeat to Arsenal in the North London Derby as their injury crisis eased. Tottenham Hotspur have been blighted by injuries to some of their star names since the season began.

Mohammed Kudus, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Randal Kolo Muani returned to their matchday squad for that defeat to Arsenal and could feature against the current Champions League holders. Spurs also have a crucial clash with Fulham on the horizon when they return to Premier League action this weekend.

With all of that being said, football.london has taken a look at the latest Tottenham injury news and when those currently missing could return;

Dominic Solanke

Spurs boss Frank is hoping to have Dominic Solanke back for the busy festive period with the striker yet to start a competitive fixture this season.

What Frank has said: "Dom is not ready yet. We want to be absolutely sure, as sure as we can be, that there's no setback going forward. I'm confident he will soon be ready, but I will not put a time frame on it."

Potential return date: December/January

James Maddison

James Maddison is expected to be out of action until May 2026 at the earliest as he recovers from an ACL injury.

Potential return date: Summer 2026

Dejan Kulusevski

Sweden star Dejan Kulusevski had surgery on his knee back in April and is expected to return in the New Year.

What Frank has said: "Deki is still not on the grass. We're working very hard to get him fit as quickly as possible."

Potential return date: January 2026

Radu Dragusin

Spurs defender Dragusin took another step towards a return to the first team with a 45-minute appearance in a behind-closed-doors friendly earlier on this month. He's also trained with his international side during the recent international break.

What Frank has said: "He played his first 45 minutes in nine months, something like that, last Wednesday, very happy with that. He's trained fully today. He's definitely getting very close to being selected - it's just a matter of performance and probably just a few more game minutes to be fully available."

Potential return date: December 2026

Brennan Johnson

The Spurs forward is suspended for their showdown with PSG after being shown a red card in their 4-0 win over Copenhagen in their last Champions League outing.

What Frank has said: "I think I understand why it can be given. But I think it's a little bit - what I've talked about before - that still footage, studs on leg, is what the ref sees the first thing. That's where it looks bad.

"There was no recklessness in this tackle from Brennan. He goes down into a sliding tackle. You can say; 'Why give the opportunity'? But when he goes down, there's literally no leg in front of him.

"So when he slides, then the player steps down, then it looks bad after that. I think it was a little bit unfortunate, and I think it was harsh."

Potential return date: November 29 vs Fulham (H)

Ben Davies

Ben Davies is nearing a return after suffering an injury during last month's international break.

What Frank has said: "Kota (Takai) and Ben (Davies) both trained with the team today - first time - so that's also positive."

Potential return date: December

Yves Bissouma

Yves Bissouma had a minor surgery on his ankle after picking up an injury on international duty back in October.

What Frank has said: "Biss, unfortunately, had a situation with the national team, I think everyone saw it, so he got a ligament injury to his ankle that will keep him out for weeks."

Potential return date: n/a

Kota Takai

Summer signing Takai is yet to appear for his new team because of plantar fasciitis and a quad issue.

What Frank has said: "Kota (Takai) and Ben (Davies) both trained with the team today, first time, so that's also positive."

Here's the Tottenham team that we reckon Thomas Frank will select to face PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday evening

Tottenham are looking to restore some pride as they take on the reigning Champions League winners PSG in Paris on Wednesday evening.

Thomas Frank's side were humbled in the north London derby with a 4-1 hammering at Arsenal on Sunday resulting in criticism from the fans who felt that the team's back five was too negative, with no shots taken by Spurs in the first half and three from outside the box in the second.

Frank had some success with a back three against PSG in the UEFA Super Cup back in August just after the Ligue 1 side had returned to pre-season training following their Club World Cup exploits, although Tottenham let a 2-0 lead slip in the final minutes before missing out on the trophy in a penalty shoot-out.

Sunday's criticism may force Frank to abandon any potential plans to use an extra defender again and that could open up a space in the midfield. That means Xavi Simons likely comes into the team against his old side as a playmaker and the question is then whether the Dutchman plays in a midfield three or off the left of the attack.

Pedro Porro will return to the starting line-up, leaving Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence to fight it out over the left-back spot. Frank could decide to bring in one of his returning players and that may mean the introduction of either Pape Matar Sarr or Lucas Bergvall to add some legs in the middle of the park. Up top Randal Kolo Muani could come in to face his parent club in place of Richarlison.

Here's the Tottenham team we reckon Frank could select to take on Luis Enrique's Parisian giants.