Football London

Tottenham have already had one new arrival in the January transfer window and the supporters have been waiting to see him involved

Tottenham are making sure that a minor back issue for January arrival Mason Melia is completely gone before the highly-rated young striker gets to work, football.london understands.

The 18-year-old is one of the biggest young talents in Irish football and his move to Spurs has been long in the offing with the club agreeing a deal with St Patrick's Athletic back in February, worth an initial £1.6million - a record transfer for the League of Ireland - with the potential for add-ons to double that figure.

Tottenham saw off competition from top clubs across the Premier League and Europe to land the striker's signature and Melia, who won the PFA Ireland Young Player of the Year award last year, put pen to paper on a contract with the north London outfit until 2031.

Melia has already played 98 senior matches, including Europa League games, despite his age and been directly involved in 33 goals, scoring 25 and recording eight assists.

Tottenham fans were hoping to see him involved with Thomas Frank's first team but football.london understands that a very minor back complaint, which the young striker played with during his final months in Ireland, is just being dealt with to ensure Melia can hit the ground running at 100 per cent with the club.

Frank is then expected to decide whether the teenager will be involved in first team training to help his development or if the Republic of Ireland U21 international will head out on loan during this January transfer window to increase his senior minutes.

Melia finished his most recent campaign with St Patrick's Athletic with 13 goals and four assists from 35 League of Ireland matches and also netted and provided an assist in the club's six Europa League qualifiers.

Former Tottenham goalkeeper Josh Keeley told football.london last summer after joining Luton Town to expect big things from the teenager once he settles into life at the Premier League club.

"I mean he is a young lad, who has played a lot of senior games at the minute and he is playing constantly for St Pats. I think him coming over, signing for Spurs and getting to know all the boys is only going to help him progress," said the keeper. "He is going to do very, very well."

When leaving St Pat's, Melia wrote on social media: "Never thought the day would come that I would be closing my chapter at @stpatsfc, I would like to thank everyone that has supported me while at my time at pats to the staff, teammates and to all the fans.

""From making my debut to scoring my first league goal, winning the cup and making so many memories with my teammates. I’ve met some good people and not so good….

"Everyone has a played a vital role in my career and I can't say how thankful I am for that, I’ve made some close friends that I will always have by my side. Thank you to all of yous that believed in me and gave me a path to get to where I am today. Once a saint always a saint."

Radu Dragusin has made just one appearance for Tottenham since returning from a serious knee injury and Italian side Roma would like to sign the Romanian on an initial loan this month

The agent of Tottenham defender Radu Dragusin has revealed he wants to push through a loan switch to Roma within the next 48 hours.

Dragusin recently made his long-awaited return to action following ACL reconstruction surgery, playing the final five minutes of the 1-0 Premier League victory at Crystal Palace in late December.

However, Thomas Frank is unable to provide the Romania international with the playing time he needs to get himself back up to speed following a substantial 10-month lay-off.

Therefore, the 23-year-old's representative Florin Manea is now putting pressure on Spurs to agree a deal with Roma for his client.

Manea told Tele Radio Stereo: "The decisive days will be between today and tomorrow. I'd like to avoid talking, but we hope to reach a conclusion in the negotiations with Roma."

football.london understands the Europa League winners have already rejected a loan offer from the Giallorossi for Dragusin, though discussions are evidently continuing between the parties.

Given Spurs have already loaned out Luka Vuskovic (Hamburger SV) and Kota Takai (Borussia Monchengladbach), any final decision could yet hinge on not only financials but whether Ben Davies and Archie Gray are regarded as sufficient centre-back cover by Frank and the hierarchy.

Italian side Roma are also admirers of attacker Mathys Tel, who is open to departing N17 on loan this month amid a lack of starts since the beginning of the season.

Fiorentina, who departing sporting director Fabio Paratici is expected to join following the conclusion of the January window, had also shown an interest in Dragusin after signing winger Manor Solomon on loan.

The Romanian joined Spurs from Genoa two years ago in a package worth around £26.7million.

Outside of injuries, he has largely played second fiddle to both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven since signing on the dotted line at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and that is not going to change anytime soon given the club are now out of both domestic cup competitions.

Juventus have also been linked as former Genoa sporting director Marco Ottolini, who knows Dragusin well, has just started work in Turin.

Spurs are currently focusing their efforts on bolstering Frank's ranks with a left-back, midfielder and forward all on the agenda.

Young Brazilian Souza is poised to undergo a medical this week ahead of a £13million switch from Santos.

Cristian Romero sent an emotional message on social media following the midweek 3-2 Premier League loss against Bournemouth.

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Gary Lineker has theorised that broken transfer promises could be behind Cristian Romero’s social media outburst last week.

Following the disappointing 3-2 loss against Bournemouth on Wednesday night, the Spurs captain took to social media to send a passionate message. Although the post has now been edited, the defender originally accused some people at the club of telling ‘a few lies’.

Following the post, Thomas Frank revealed that he and sporting director Johan Lange have held a conversation with the player. He also confirmed that Romero will continue as the club captain despite the comments.

Romero wasn’t part of the squad for Saturday’s FA Cup defeat against Aston Villa, after being handed a one-game suspension by the FA following an incident in last month’s loss against Liverpool.

First half goals from Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rogers piled more pressure on Frank, with Spurs’ second half fightback not enough to turn the game around.

Following their exit from the tournament, Lineker gave his thoughts on the situation at the club and shared a theory on the Rest is Football Podcast:

“Do you know how many games they’ve lost since last season? 37,” he said.

“It must be all comps, but that’s an extraordinary statistic.

“Obviously, they’ve had the issues with Ange Postecoglou and then they’ve brought in Thomas Frank and it’s been largely the same. They’re probably bereft of confidence, they’ve had a lot of injuries over the last 18 months, more than their fair share and probably the recruitment has not been quite right.

“I’ve seen one or two people speaking out, Romero of course in mid-week. I sense with Romero because he signed a new contract not that long ago, that they might have made him a few promises about players coming in, because for reason to do that sort of rant, must be something along those lines I would imagine.

“Yeah, it’s worrying times for Spurs.”

Tottenham are next back in action on Saturday when they face another team struggling to find form in West Ham United. The Hammers needed extra time to beat Championship side Queens Park Rangers in their FA Cup third round tie.

Manager Nuno Espirito Santo is coming under increasing pressure with the team sitting in 18th place in the Premier League table, seven points adrift of safety.

Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank is set to be without one of his key midfielders for much of the remainder of the season

Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur is set to miss the next three months at least and requires surgery on a hamstring injury, football.london understands.

The 28-year-old Uruguayan suffered the injury late on in the defeat at Bournemouth last week before Antoine Semenyo's winning goal for the hosts, and he will now face an operation on the problem with the rehabilitation time keeping him out for much of the remainder of the campaign.

Bentancur has been a key player under Thomas Frank, starting all but four of their Premier League games and every one of their Champions League encounters across 28 appearances this season.

The midfielder was handed a bumper, new long-term contract in October but now joins the long list of injured players Frank is currently without.

football.london reported before the transfer window opened that Spurs were already looking at add another midfielder to their ranks and that has now become a priority after this latest injury with Lucas Bergvall also currently out with what looked to be a reoccurring groin problem.

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Pressure is mounting on Thomas Frank after Spurs were dumped out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa, with his team playing poorly in a number of games this season - is it time for the club to move on?

It's safe to say that things have not been going well for Tottenham or Thomas Frank since the former Brentford manager took over in the summer.

The 52-year-old replaced the popular but polarising Ange Postecoglou after the Australian won the Europa League title for Spurs - but also steered the team to the club's worst season in Premier League history as they finished 17th.

While expectations were mixed for Frank when he took over, the league table has not made favourable reading so far. Spurs sit 14th in the league with more than half of the Premier League gone, and have been knocked out of both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.

They do look likely to make the knockout stages of the Champions League, sitting just a point behind the automatic places with two games remaining. Clashes against Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt will not prove simple, but there will be hope that Spurs can qualify for the next stage.

But the football has been pretty poor across the board. The fans are not happy, making their feelings clear with boos at half-time of the home defeat to Aston Villa in the FA Cup.

Elsewhere at the club, Fabio Paratici is on the brink of an exit, with the sporting director set to join Fiorentina in February.

With so much instability at the club, the pressure is mounting on Frank, but should Tottenham relieve the manager of his duties? And if so, who should replace him? football.london writers give their point of view below...

Patrick Austen-Hardy

The knives are already out for Frank, but I think Spurs fans should be careful what they wish for. Firstly, let's not forget, they finished 17th last year and while the Europa League triumph brings great memories, the only notable European giants they faced were Galatasaray (a 3-2 defeat) and a poor Manchester United team in the final.

The picture may look grim, but with only nine points between 15th and 4th, a run of good run results could propel Spurs back into the top four conversation. Newcastle United, Brentford and Aston Villa are proof this can be done, while Crystal Palace and Bournemouth's sudden plummets are more so.

With 17 matches to go, Tottenham are six points away from fifth and one point off the automatic qualification places for the Champions League. There are no obvious permanent replacements for Frank and potential targets like Andoni Iraola would surely not consider a mid-season exit.

When it comes to managers, there is a path of destruction which will only make the next appointment even harder. Jose Mourinho was sacked before a League Cup final, Antonio Conte was driven mad and Ange Postecoglou was sacked after winning a trophy. Yes, there are wider contextual factors behind all of these, but prospective managers won't care to look into those details when they are contemplating a move to north London.

Ending Frank's reign this early would only make the prospect of managing the club less attractive, unless they want to dig into their pockets and aim to tempt managers by making them one of the highest paid on the planet.

Isaac Seelochan

When a manager comes under as much pressure as Frank - it's hard to see how they survive - particularly at a 'big six' club. The club's huge fanbase mixed with the media speculation over their position often makes a manager's job untenable at some stage - particularly when you're one of the top clubs.

Therefore, it's hard to see how Frank comes back from this. He's not a well-known name with a proven track record that supporters can rely on.

And the style of football is pretty bad - a recipe for disaster for any under-pressure boss. You do need to give managers time to get their ideas across, but over six months in, it's hard to see how Spurs will get any better under Frank.

It's for that reason that sticking with a manager blindly could do more harm and good so Spurs should consider making a change and hiring an interim until the summer.

Joe Doyle

I think the only things really working in Frank's favour at the moment are the lack of available alternatives currently and just how bad it would look for the board to sack another manager less than a year after relieving Ange Postecoglou of his duties.

I still feel he could work his way out of danger with a few good results, and he deserves some more time to try and right the ship. But it's more the performances that are worrying in recent weeks - the squad looks devoid of ideas.

Managers can justify good performances and mixed results, or good results and poor performances, for a certain amount of time. You can't have poor performances with mixed results.

Postecoglou bought himself time because fans could see the team were playing at full throttle and the football was enthralling, regardless of the result. Frank will not have that luxury, and has to turn things around soon.

Kieran King

I think Tottenham should sack Thomas Frank. Yes, I do believe the issues are deeper than the manager, but Spurs can't continue playing and performing as they are; a change is needed.

One win in seven and just three in 14 is not good enough for a club the size of Tottenham and I feel that Frank is not getting the best out of the group of players at his disposal. While it's not the strongest squad Spurs have ever had, there is still some real quality in there, especially in forward areas.

But Frank is not getting a tune out of them right now and Tottenham would be best to relieve the ex-Brentford boss from his position as manager and appoint a more attack-minded coach. Frank's set-up and tactics, for me, do not suit Spurs and therefore they should look elsewhere.

I would see if Ruben Amorim fancies a quick return to management, as, despite struggling during his time at Manchester United, his style could really fit well with the Tottenham players in the building.

Matt Maltby

It's a tough one. Right now, who is available to replace Frank if Spurs chiefs decide to sack him? It's probably worth holding out until the end of the summer, with five big names potentially available.

Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner, Fulham's Marco Silva and Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola will all, as it stands, be out of contract at the end of the season, so that could save the club money when it comes to compensation packages.

England's Thomas Tuchel and USA's Mauricio Pochettino (remember him?) could also be available, with both currently only tied to the nations until the end of this summer's World Cup.

That's all based on speculation though, and what's the point of thinking about the summer when things are a mess right now? It's been a disastrous winter period for Frank, with a run of two wins in 12 Premier League matches leaving Spurs down in 14th in the table.

Results have not been good enough for Frank, who has won only five of his last 20 matches and lost seven of his last 13 in all competitions.

I like him as a manager, he worked wonders at Brentford and laid the foundations for Keith Andrews to be able to carry on the great work in west London.

With four massive games coming up this month against West Ham, Borussia Dortmund, Burnley and Frankfurt, I'd give him until the end of the month.

EXCLUSIVE: Tottenham hatch Conor Gallagher transfer plan in two-club battle to sign ex-Chelsea star

Tottenham have renewed their interest in Conor Gallagher but they aren't the only Premier League club keen on signing the former Chelsea star this month

Tottenham want to sign former Chelsea star Conor Gallagher this month.

Spurs are desperate for reinforcements before the January window slams shut but whether Thomas Frank is in charge to integrate new signings remains to be seen.

Frank faces an uncertain future in north London following the defeat by Aston Villa in the FA Cup third-round.

Ironically, Villa are also keen to sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Gallagher, 25, and have already opened talks over a permanent deal.

football.london understands that Spurs have now stepped up their interest, having been long-term admirers and they looked to sign the England international before he left Stamford Bridge to move to Spain in 2024.

It's understood that Atletico Madrid will only entertain talks for a permanent deal and are not willing to allow Gallagher to leave on loan this month with a view or obligation to buy in the summer.

Villa's offer to bring Gallagher back to the Premier League has been on the table for a week, with Spurs believed to have opened informal talks over the weekend.

Other European clubs are understood to be interested too, but they are reluctant to fork out on a permanent deal this month or would prefer a loan with a view to buying the midfielder.

Gallagher, who has won 22 caps with England, could be keen on a return to the Premier League having struggled to cement a regular first-team spot under Diego Simeone.

He has made 27 appearances in all competitions for Atletico this season, scoring twice and grabbing one assist, but is yet to fully earn Simeone's trust and is often played out of position.

With the World Cup this summer to think about, Gallagher is understood to be keen on proving his worth to Thomas Tuchel as he looks to land a spot on the plane with the Three Lions.

Gallagher enjoyed a hugely successful spell in the Premier League before his move to Atletico, having announced himself during an impressive loan spell with Crystal Palace in 2021-22.

He returned to Stamford Bridge to become a key part of the first-team and captained the Blues before being pushed towards the exit in a £33million move.

But his time in Spain could now be up, with Spurs and Villa battling it out for his signature.

As previously revealed by football.london, Spurs are desperate for new signings this month to get fans back on side. It's understood that the club's hierarchy have identified a new left-back, left winger, central midfielder and a centre-back if one left.

The club are wasting no time and are set to sign Santos' highly-rated left-sided full-back Souza, with the Brazilian talent due to undergo a medical before completing his £13million transfer.

Spurs, meanwhile, have rejected a loan bid for Radu Dragusin from Roma.

Tottenham Hotspur’s co-sporting director Fabio Paratici is set to complete a move to Fiorentina once the January window has closed. Paratici is just a few months into his second spell in north London – after previously working under Daniel Levy as sporting director.

In that time, he signed many notable players, including the likes of Destiny Udogie and Dejan Kulusevski. But the Athletic is reporting that Paratici is to continue his role at Spurs until the window closes at 7pm on Monday, January 2, before moving to Fiorentina to head up their football operations.

The report also claims that personal reasons are believed to be a factor in the timing of Paratici’s decision to leave Spurs so soon after his return. Paratici was banned from football in 2023 for 30 months – following the Plusvalenza investigation – which looked into the overvaluation of players from his time at Juventus.

While he appealed the decision, the ban was imposed worldwide by FIFA, which led to his Spurs resignation in 2023. He then returned to the club in October, working with Johan Lange as co-sporting director.

Speaking at the start of this month, under-fire Spurs boss Thomas Frank insisted that Paratici remains fully active in his role as co-sporting director and is working 'very, very hard' to make signings. He said: "Fabio is Tottenham sporting director. I spoke to him twice yesterday. He is working very hard for Tottenham.

"I just know when I speak to Fabio, who I spoke to twice yesterday, and Johan, who I spoke to this morning, the two of them are working very, very hard."

Spurs were dumped out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa on Saturday night, and Frank finds himself under pressure to save his job. Frank had endured a nightmare week after he inadvertently used a coffee cup with the logo of Spurs’ rivals Arsenal on before a 3-2 loss at Bournemouth on Wednesday, and first-half goals by Villa duo Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rogers denied him a much-needed cup run.

And Frank admitted: "We are all hurt. There is nothing we want to do more than to get through to the next round, no matter who we face. We play at home, we had a good opportunity and unfortunately we couldn’t go through."

Quizzed on if his players were losing control after they clashed with Tottenham fans away to Bournemouth, Frank said: "I don’t think so. I guess you have seen the situation through?

"I just saw it to be sure I saw what I saw. Of course it’s all about keeping a cool head. The players gave everything, everything out there, (but) losing a tight game, season not going perfect and I think Ollie is very provoking.

"The way he is going down to celebrate in front of the Villa fans and he is walking into Joao, he can just easily walk around. I think everyone that has been in a competitive nature, that is difficult and can trigger things.

"You need to play with passion and when you play with passion, then sometimes you play to the line and sometimes a little bit borderline. I see players with big passion that want to do very well for the club."

A mass brawl erupted after Aston Villa's FA Cup victory vs Tottenham, with the Midlands side progressing to the next round after their 2-1 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has criticised Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins for sparking a heated confrontation following the two clubs' FA Cup encounter. The Premier League sides met in the third round of the competition on Saturday evening.

Villa claimed a 2-1 triumph, with Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers finding the net to secure progression, despite Wilson Odobert's second-half effort. However, the excitement continued beyond the final whistle.

Spurs midfielder Joao Palhinha seemed to take umbrage with Watkins' post-match celebrations, and responded furiously to the Villa forward. Multiple players subsequently became embroiled in the incident.

Spurs manager Frank has now pointed the finger at the England international for his part in the altercation.

During his post-match media briefing, the Dane said: "It's about keeping a cool head, the players gave everything. Losing a tight game, season not going perfectly and Ollie is very provoking.

"He can easily just walk around. Everyone who has been in a competitive nature, that can trigger things."

When questioned whether his squad needed to avoid being provoked, he said: "You need to play with passion, sometimes you play to the line and sometimes borderline.

"I see players with big passion and that is important, but we also need cool heads."

While Frank voiced his grievances following the match's conclusion, there were no similar remarks from the Villa contingent, who celebrated their progression with satisfaction. Goalscorer Rogers commended his colleagues for the manner in which they repelled Spurs' fightback.

Rogers said: "We wanted to build on the first half, we were good in the first half, but they came out well in the second half. They're a good team, they're at home in front of their fans, and we had to dig deep, we had to work and defend our box.

"We did well and I think we deserved the win in the end."

Rogers, 23, now has eight goals to his name this term. On his form, he added: "I'm loving it. I'm feeling really good and I'm in a good bit of form.

"I'm feeling positive and confident - but so are the team - and that's the most important thing. As a team, and as a collective, we're playing really well at the moment."

Villa will be back in action next weekend as they take on Everton at Villa Park. Spurs in the meantime will turn their attention to a home game against struggling West Ham United next Saturday.

It's understood that key figures at Tottenham are behind Thomas Frank for now despite growing pressure on the Dane

Thomas Frank is fighting to save his job as Tottenham manager and has four make-or-break matches coming up to salvage his relationship with angry fans.

The pressure is growing on the Spurs boss following the FA Cup third-round defeat by Aston Villa on Saturday night.

It is the first time the north Londoners have failed to reach the fourth round of England's premier cup competition since 2013-14, having done so in each of the previous 11 seasons.

It's been a disastrous winter period for Frank, with a run of two wins in 12 Premier League matches leaving Spurs down in 14th in the table.

Furious fans are planning a protest , led by supporter group Change for Tottenham, for the Premier League clash with fierce London rivals West Ham this weekend.

The protest, the first of the post-Daniel Levy era, is not directed at Frank and instead the group are calling on the club to be bold in the transfer window this month, as well as looking for clarity on the long-term football strategy.

It's understood that key figures at Spurs - including sporting director Johan Lange - are behind Frank for now and the Dane has a week to prepare for the home visit of the Hammers.

That London derby is followed by a crucial Champions League fixture at home to Borussia Dortmund and Frank knows his team must start winning despite a lengthy injury list.

Spurs also face Burnley at home in the Premier League and close out their Champions League group phase campaign with a trip to Eintracht Frankfurt - with the club currently on track to qualify for the play-offs as they are five points clear of the elimination spots.

But the four games remaining this month are all must-wins for Frank if he's to recover from what has been a miserable start to his tenure after joining in the summer from Brentford.

As well as winning, Spurs are desperate for new signings this month to get fans back on side. It's understood that the club's hierarchy have identified a new left-back, left winger, central midfielder and a centre-back if one left.

The club are wasting no time and are set to sign Santos' highly-rated left-sided full-back Souza, with the Brazilian talent due to undergo a medical before completing his £13million transfer.

Spurs, meanwhile, have rejected a loan bid for Radu Dragusin from Roma, seemingly learning from the awful timing of Brennan Johnson's exit.

They know victories and signings will go a long way to getting their season back on track, with the discontent growing following the 2-1 FA Cup defeat by Villa.

Stand-in Spurs captain Micky van de Ven admitted they were “nowhere near” the levels required during the clash with their Premier League rivals.

The misery continued for Frank in that match, with the under-fire boss hearing Villa’s away support chant he was an Arsenal fan after his midweek gaffe of drinking a coffee cup at Bournemouth with the logo of Spurs’ rivals on the front.

Results have not been good enough for Frank, who has won only five of his last 20 matches and lost seven of his last 13 in all competitions.

Van de Ven didn't hide his disappointment with that cup exit and admitted: “Gutted obviously that we’re out of the cup. First half nowhere near our level, nowhere near where we need to be and second half way better.

“I think we also showed some mentality, but if we showed it from the first minute, this game is totally different.”

Key figures at Tottenham are behind Thomas Frank for now but the pressure is growing on the Spurs manager

Gutted stand-in Tottenham captain Micky van de Ven admitted they were “nowhere near” the levels required during Saturday’s painful FA Cup loss at home to Aston Villa.

After a sorry winter period and run of two wins in 12 Premier League matches left Spurs in 14th position, the FA Cup represented an opportunity to salvage the club’s campaign, but first-half goals by Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rogers sent the Midlands outfit through.

Tottenham produced a spirited second-half rally, with Wilson Odobert able to reduce the deficit while Joao Palhinha and Xavi Simons impressed, but no comeback followed and it has cranked up the heat on Frank.

Under-fire Frank had to hear Villa’s away support chant he was an Arsenal fan after his midweek gaffe of drinking a coffee cup at Bournemouth with the logo of Spurs’ rivals on the front.

Aside from off-the-field issues with Tottenham co-sporting director Fabio Paratici continuously linked with a January switch to Fiorentina, results have not been good for Frank, who has won only five of his last 20 matches and lost seven of his last 13 in all competitions.

“Gutted obviously that we’re out of the cup,” Van de Ven reflected. “First half nowhere near our level, nowhere near where we need to be and second half way better. I think we showed also some mentality, but if we showed it from the first minute, this game is totally different.”

Frank talked up the second-half display but was reminded of his aim of “competing in all four tournaments” this season after this loss made it two early domestic cup exits.

“Of course that’s disappointing,” Frank reflected. Poor form along with an at times non-existent attacking philosophy has resulted in swathes of the Tottenham fanbase losing faith with Frank.

With key figures at Spurs behind Frank for now, he has a week to prepare for the home visit of West Ham, which is followed by a crucial Champions League fixture at home to Borussia Dortmund and the Danish coach knows his team must start winning – despite a lengthy injury list.

Frank added: “We all know there’s only one way to have everyone happy. That is performing consistently and winning enough games. That’s the only way.

“And we could see, second half especially, the energy, how they feed off each other, the players and the fans. It was a fantastic experience to be in the middle of it.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t get that fantastic comeback, which sometimes kick-starts a momentum and that’s what we are working very hard to do.”

Dominic Solanke returned on Saturday to make his first appearance since August 23 but Richarlison’s hamstring injury left Frank to take aim at the football authorities.

“I think it’s something for the football authorities to look into as well,” Frank insisted. “We played five games in 13 days, four in 10. One of the few clubs who did that. This is our third time this season. We’re doing everything we can to compete in it, but that’s a tough schedule.”