Football London

The Tottenham Hotspur head coach believes experiences that took place down the road at the north London club's rivals have helped him this season

Thomas Frank believes Tottenham CEO Vinai Venkatesham's experiences with Mikel Arteta at Arsenal have benefited him in gaining patience from a club that has rarely shown much.

Premier League managers are dropping like flies right now, with Ruben Amorim and Enzo Maresca leaving Manchester United and Chelsea within days of each other, and some sections of the Spurs fanbase have called for their 13th-placed club to follow suit after an uninspiring start to life under Frank with two wins from their past 11 league games.

However, having been a club that has mostly gone through managers like hot dinners in the past under former chairman Daniel Levy, there is a new man at the top in Venkatesham. He was among the powerful figures at Arsenal who showed patience in Arteta through some slow early years and trusted the Spaniard needed the time to build something.

Six years on and the Gunners are six points clear at the top of the table and Frank believes he is benefiting from Venkatesham's experience over those construction seasons down the road with the Gunners.

"Definitely [that has informed the way he acts]. No doubt about that. Plus he also knows what good looks like and how unfortunately it can take time to get up to where good should look like," said the 52-year-old. "That’s definitely beneficial because he understands the journey we’re on."

Frank was full of praise for the man tasked with helming Tottenham's post-Levy era and pointed to the CEO's gift of the gab as being a crucial part of his role.

"Vinai is one of the best communicators I ever met, as a CEO, leader whatever, he is absolutely excellent in that," said the Dane. "I think I’m ok but he is way superior which I think is crucial internally and externally. He’s calm and takes sensible decisions, two rare abilities in football, but also two absolutely crucial abilities if you want to have success long term.

"Vinai is crucial for Tottenham to have success in many ways. We have known each other for six months so we are getting closer and closer and know each other better and better. I would say I’m calm but a tiny bit more emotional at times so we learn about each other as well.

"Besides being smart and taking sensible decisions, Vinai also has that huge experience of ten years at Arsenal with how they built."

Frank was asked about the culture in the Premier League where the manager alone must always face the media rather than sporting directors, which is not how it works on the continent.

"I thought the other day that it’s definitely a thing here in England, it’s more the manager or the head coach who face the media all the time," he said. "It must be tricky if you don’t feel the alignment and the trust behind you but I feel that, so no problem."

Frank only experienced the final months of Levy's 24 years at the helm so the transition has not been as strange for him as it has for some within Spurs.

"My experience is very limited. As I understood, he was the one that was signing off and negotiating the final bit [with transfers]. He will not do that now, that will be more down to Johan [Lange] and Fabio [Paratici] doing that job," said the head coach.

"We have a good recruitment side with the numbers behind it, looking at the players and then taking the right decision. Then it’s down to Johan and Fabio to do the job with the agents and get the deals done. That's the biggest difference."

Despite their troubles this season, Frank believes Spurs remain an attractive destination for transfer targets in the January transfer window. The north London outfit are believed to be on the lookout for a new left winger, left-back and potentially another central midfielder and centre-back depending on departures.

"We are very attractive in many ways. Spurs is a fantastic club with a huge potential," he said. "I think some of the boxes you need to tick are the stadium, the training ground and the potential.

“Of course if we compete against the three teams that are clearly ahead of us - City, Arsenal and Liverpool, unfortunately - then those three clubs are probably more attractive right now. That’s not to say we can’t attract some of the players that also want to go to those clubs. It depends a little bit if there is a spot available for the player to play in those clubs and here."

One current Spurs player Frank is waiting to call upon for the first time is Dejan Kulusevski. The Swede has been a key player for Tottenham over the year but after requiring patella surgery towards the end of last season, the attacker is yet to return to action despite his head coach saying he hoped the 25-year-old would be back for the end of 2025.

"He is a key player and I would love to have him back soon. Unfortunately, it was a tricky injury he got so it just takes time," said Frank. "They are working very hard and he is working very hard to come back on the pitch."

The Spurs boss has other attackers to work with right now and some fans have called for Randal Kolo Muani, on loan from PSG, to start up front in place of Richarlison while Frank awaits the return of Dominic Solanke from his ankle injury. However, Frank admitted that with Richarlison having bagged eight goals and three assists this season and Kolo Muani just the two goals in the Champions League match against his French employers, it's a tough sell.

"I think the challenge is, Richy has worked very hard for us during the games, as a pressing player leading the line, competing. He's our top scorer. So he's the guy who has that confidence right now," said Frank. "Kolo has scored zero goals [in the Premier League] unfortunately, and zero assists. There's also a little bit of that.

"I like that Kolo can easily play as either of the two wingers. He's done that in the past, and also like a second striker coming in and be closer to Richy. There's a lot of good about him I like with his abilities. The way he drives the ball, the way he's got that little extra pace to go past players and running behind.

"Maybe he just lacks that little extra confidence of where the things just come off. He had three runs with the ball [against Sunderland] where it's like the final touch then you are in. Richy, if he got the ball through, it's hopefully a tap in 10 minutes into the second half, then suddenly you just have that extra bit.

"So we lacked that a little bit from our players. That little boost. Until you get that, the only thing you can do is keep trying, keep doing the right things."

Frank also drew comparisons between another Spurs attacker Mathys Tel and previous forwards he has converted into new roles at Brentford.

"Mathys is a quite versatile player. He can play on the left, he can play 10, he plays striker. Probably his best [role] is something between the three roles, and he's young, so I think he's not the first player to have the question 'where will he actually end up?'," said the Dane.

"In the past, I would work with Ollie Watkins. He came as a winger, and I converted him to be a striker, and he's quite a successful striker. Yoane Wissa came as a winger to us, and in the end, he ended as a striker. Is Mathys maybe the same type, to start as a winger and end as a striker? I don't know. No matter what, I'm pretty sure he can perform in both positions."

We asked our Tottenham reporters Alasdair Gold and Ryan Taylor to name the starting line-up they believe Thomas Frank could select against Bournemouth

Tottenham are unbeaten in three matches but want to return to winning ways as they make the trip to Bournemouth on Wednesday night in the Premier League.

Spurs won at Crystal Palace before draws against Brentford and Sunderland that were disappointing in different ways, the former for being simply dull and lacking in creativity and the latter for Thomas Frank's men throwing away the win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Now they travel to a Bournemouth side who might have Antoine Semenyo in their team for the final time before his expected move to Manchester City.

In a tight Premier League table, a couple of wins could lift Spurs out of the gloom and back towards the higher reaches of the table with fifth spot only four points away despite their 13th-place position.

We asked our Tottenham reporters Alasdair Gold and Ryan Taylor to name the starting line-up they reckon Frank might go for.

Alasdair Gold - Tottenham correspondent

With three games in six days, Frank needs fresh legs and while Mohammed Kudus is expected to miss out, he will have Xavi Simons back from his three-game suspension to provide some playmaker ability in the number 10 role.

The Spurs boss could also choose to completely refresh his central midfield options with Archie Gray and Rodrigo Bentancur having played a lot of football. He may decide to give Joao Palhinha and Lucas Bergvall a start in the centre of the pitch to bring fresh legs to the visitors' play.

Djed Spence will return to the team and Frank must decide whether to play Pedro Porro again or whether Ben Davies is fit enough to play twice within such a short space of time with Spence on the right. Destiny Udogie is also closing in on a return from injury.

With options limited in the attacking slots, one player will be left out, if the Dane does not go with Bergvall as the 10 and Xavi out on the left. That could be Mathys Tel, Wilson Odobert or Randal Kolo Muani, while there also has to be a point when Richarlison gets a rest.

Gold's XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Bergvall; Kolo Muani, Xavi, Odobert; Richarlison.

Ryan Taylor - Football reporter

It’s a tough one to call with Mohammed Kudus out. I think it’s safe to say Djed Spence will return at left-back with Cuti Romero, Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porto making up the back four.

Archie Gray should keep his place in midfield with Joao Palhinha coming back in for Rodrigo Bentancur.

The attacking positions is where it gets slightly tricky but I’m going for Xavi Simons to return as the No.10 for Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel keeps his place on the left with Randal Kolo Muani starting from the right.

Richarlison keeps his place as the No.9. It’s perhaps a little unorthodox with Kolo Muani playing out of position but it worked fairly well against Sunderland prior to conceding the goal.

If I had it my way, I’d probably consider switching to a back-three but Spurs fans want to see attacking football and this is a very attacking line up.

Here's every single word the Tottenham Hotspur head coach said on Monday ahead of the Premier League match against Bournemouth

Thomas Frank faced the questions at his press conference on Monday afternoon ahead of Tottenham's game at Bournemouth ln the Premier League.

Spurs began their 2026 home campaign at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with just a point against Sunderland after Ben Davies' first half goal was cancelled out with 10 minutes remaining by Brian Brobbey's powerful strike. Sunday's draw left Frank's men in 13th place in the table ahead of their trip to the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday night.

Mohammed Kudus suffered an injury early in the game and Frank gave the latest news on the Ghanaian as well as an update on Dominic Solanke. Frank was also asked for his opinion on the sacking of Ruben Amorim at Manchester United and what the future holds for Ben Davies and Mathys Tel.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to Frank. Here's the full transcript from Monday's press conference at Hotspur Way.

What is the latest on Mohammed Kudus' injury?

He's going for a scan here, one o'clock, to clarify the issue. So, unfortunately, I don't have, how can I say, a big update on it.

Is he ruled out against Bournemouth?

Yeah, most likely ruled out for Bournemouth.

But Destiny Udogie is due back, right?

Yeah, we haven't talked about that before, so he's training, and he's looking better, so that's positive.

Is there a likelihood of Solanke being involved against Bournemouth?

Nope, we will not, but positive going forward.

You tried to sign Brennan Johnson at Brentford, what changed?

Yeah, you know, two different situations, two different clubs. Brennan has made himself a club legend in some ways, scoring the winning goal in Bilbao, winning the fantastic Europa League trophy.

Done well, was the top scorer last year, I think, in all competitions, doing well. Then Mo Kudus came in, playing on the right wing, which is also Brennan's best position, not that he can't play to the left, best position.

And then for the long-term plans, there was an opportunity to sell Brennan now, and give him an opportunity to try something else, so that was the right decision.

Do you feel you got good value for Johnson?

That is [a question] for someone who is very good at negotiating prices and buying and selling players, much better than me, so I think that's a question for them, if I'm fair. I think that's fair.

With what's happened to Ruben Amorim, did you have a lucky escape after the failed United interview?

I'll probably repeat my answer from the last press conference [about Maresca]. We don't know what's happened behind the scenes, that's up to you guys, or journalists following Man United closely.

It can be something with the head coach, something with the ownership, leadership, it can be misalignment, whatever. Most likely, the most common reason that a head coach is either stopping or getting sacked. I think it's just another example from my point of view, that it's very difficult to achieve sustainable success if you change key personnel in clubs, like the head coach, like the sports directors.

I think if you think you have the right ones and you're aligned, you need to do it over a long time. So now it's two clubs with one and a half years. Again, I'm not judging it, I'm just saying that's actually the fact.

In that sense, there could be many reasons for it, I just don't know. In this fantastic, beautiful football world, you win one day and play well, you're in heaven, you lose, and you don't play that well, and you're in hell.

The best clubs they are aligned, ownership, leadership, and head coach, over time, and you keep the noise out, and you look at the progress behind it.

It goes up and down, and hopefully over time, more and more up. Then you achieve something big together. The three biggest, latest examples of that, of course, are Liverpool, City, and Arsenal.

You mentioned there that you worked quite happily as a head coach here and at Brentford. Amorim seemed to think he was a manager, even though his title was head coach. Is that only a subtle difference or is there a big difference?

I don't know, I think these days it's more or less that in all clubs there's a sports director or a technical director or whatever we call it. There's definitely one above you, no matter if you're a manager or a head coach. If you're a manager I guess it's the chairman of the board or what is it? Sometimes the CEO, I think there's different constructions in clubs. Most likely, no matter if you're the head coach or the manager, it's not like you just got the key for the money box or whatever you call it.

You just open it and pull out millions and just buy players and have no responsibilities. So for me, no matter what kind of title you have, it always needs to be collaborative between the head coach, the sports director, ownership, leadership, whatever. So you're completely aligned in what you do.

Then sometimes there'll be disagreements. Hey, we all push, we're all competitive, but that needs to be completely aligned. And again, that's where the biggest success you see is coming.

Thirteenth in the table doesn't sound so good, but then if you're saying four points off the top five, that sounds a bit better. It's a crazy league, isn't it?

It's a very crazy league, very even league. I said that I think the competition between teams is very big. The difference between teams is very small. It's small margins. So we need to look optimistically and positive on the future, but also understanding where we are and keep working very hard to improve and make sure we are ready against a very good Bournemouth team. I know they haven't won as much lately, but they are a team that is very competitive with Iraola. Watch the game against Arsenal. That was a very tricky game that Bournemouth easily could have at least get something out of.

With Cristian Romero, he's got that FA charge, did the club appeal that?

Yeah, we have appealed that, yeah. (Technically Spurs have responded to the charge and are awaiting the outcome. Any appeal would happen after the outcome).

When do you expect to find out?

That, I honestly don't know. I know he's available for Bournemouth. That's the game ahead for me.

Ben Davies came into the team, played 88 minutes even though he hadn't started a game this season. How important is it to have someone like him who presumably is not a guy that moans or strops behind the scenes and just carries out what he's asked to?

I think those type of characters are so underrated in many ways. Ben is a fantastic character. A true pro and I would say ambassador for this club. The things he experienced the last 11 years here with all the ups and the downs and the ups and the downs. With 15 different managers or something like that...or at least a few. He's a fantastic guy to have. The way he stepped on the pitch with composure, personality, just helped us a lot. I think he did very well.

Can Mathys Tel get the minutes under you that he needs this season or will he have to head off on loan if you were to bring someone else in?

I think it's pretty fair to say that we are maybe a little bit short on offensive options. Hopefully. I think also it's fair, there's no one who's really grabbed that shirt on the left-hand side. So I think that's definitely up for grabs. I think it was a positive performance from Mathys. I think he did some positive things and got into good situations.

He had actually one where he bent it to the far corner where I think he's probably the best finisher from that position. Where I think he is a little bit disappointed in himself. It's fair, he's young. It's not like he played five games in a row. I hoped of course for him and for us that he could do it and we've seen it. So that was good.

I think he was also taking more care of the ball. I think it's a big thing. We spoke about that against Brentford and Crystal Palace. We lost the ball maybe 20-25 times. You should never lose the ball. That's also part of it. You can't break through. Okay, you protect it. One more pass, two more passes. Okay, then we go again. But overall positive.

Spurs dominated the first half against Sunderland, but actually overall possession-wise they had less despite being the home side. How has that happened against a newly-promoted team?

I think the first thing is that I agree with you. The first half was by far better than the second and even in the first half, it was not like we had 65 per cent or whatever. Sometimes it's not only about the possession. You like to dominate, but they went man-to-man, so there was a lot of open spaces to run into. For me, that's more the critical areas that we didn't manage to punish (them) from this game. Second half, I felt we dropped off in our drop-off runs to open up and keep the ball. I think also, it’s not like we won five games in a row and everything is just free and smooth. So, when you're up 1-0 and you really badly want to win, that can be a little bit, maybe a little bit nervy. One thing is our name and our fantastic history, another reality is where we are right now.

Going back to Mathys Tel, tried a lot of options on the left, are you eager to give him a run?

I would say that he definitely did a positive impact. Let's see what will happen against Bournemouth, but I'm with you, it's also that fine balance of giving some players the trust for a run of game, so they can maybe hopefully find a bit of rhythm and also increase their performance level. Then the tactical approach of the opponents, which players fit to that and get the right mix and balance in the team, but Matty in general was positive.

Bournemouth is next, an important game but you've got the FA Cup on Saturday, a hugely important competition. Does that come into your mind first for the team at Bournemouth or are you head down and focused on next one?For me, it's head down and focus on the next one. The next one is always the one ahead of me, ahead of us. For me, the FA Cup is also hugely important. Both games will be treated very, very importantly. If there's rotation, then it's because of rotation of getting freshness and energy into the team and that will be the main focus.

Because it’s Bournemouth, Dominic Solanke feels an easy topic. How has he looked in training and what gives you confidence he can hit the ground running straight away?

Today you could see in training that he's nice and composed on the ball, good decisions, good touches and then when we’re a little bit more competitive in the small-sided (games), he is of course lacking (sharpness) and he looked a little rusty, which is completely normal. Now he's unfortunately been out for at least six months, right? Yeah, six months, a little bit more than that, so, of course, it will take a little bit of time. So, even if he's ready for whatever time in the near future, hopefully (soon), then I think you will be surprised to just see him hit the ground running. Very few players do that.With Andoni Iraola, you beat him three times at Brentford, but what makes his team’s so difficult to play against?

I think Iraola has done a top job down there. First and foremost being part of creating an interesting team, with interesting players that have done well and developed them, so they've also gone to on paper play for big addresses (clubs). They play a very aggressive pressing game, one of the best pressing teams in the league, if not the best. They play with incredible intensity. They also play fairly direct, so if you press, boom there's a ball behind, so you need to deal with that. They have a very lively front four, no matter who plays, so that's where we need to be good and compete, but also be smart.

Mohammed Kudus was forced off in the early exchanges of Tottenham's 1-1 Premier League draw with Sunderland on Sunday

Thomas Frank has revealed Mohammed Kudus underwent a scan this afternoon on his thigh.

The Ghana international was forced off just 19 minutes into Spurs' 1-1 Premier League draw with Sunderland on Sunday with the muscular problem.

Frank has since confirmed Kudus is likely to miss Wednesday's trip to the Vitality Stadium when Tottenham face Bournemouth, explaining: "He went for a scan at 1pm to clarify the issue. I don't have anymore yet. Yes, he's unlikely to be available."

There was positive news, however, on two current Tottenham absentees as they close in on their long-awaited returns to action.

Left-back Destiny Udogie has been missing since early December when he picked up a hamstring strain in the 2-2 draw at Newcastle.

Meanwhile, striker Dominic Solanke is also finally on the comeback trail following minor ankle surgery in late September.

He has played just 52 minutes all season and just 33 of those have come in the Premier League.

Frank said of the pair: "Destiny is training and doing better. Solanke won't be in the squad but [it's] positive and going forward.

"Today you could see in training he's nice and composed on the ball. In the small sided game, he looked a bit more rusty which is understandable after six months out.

"So when he's back in the hopefully near future, it will take time. Very few players come straight back in after six months out and hit the ground running."

Thomas Frank is in front of the media for his press conference ahead of the game at Bournemouth less than 24 hours after speaking following Tottenham's 1-1 draw with Sunderland.

Spurs began their 2026 home campaign at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium by throwing away two points after Ben Davies' first half goal was cancelled out with 10 minutes to go by Brian Brobbey's powerful strike. That draw on Sunday afternoon leaves Frank's men in 13th place in the Premier League table.

The Dane will be asked about the injury Mohammed Kudus suffered early in the game and for the latest on Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski. The January transfer window is also open so the Spurs boss will be quizzed about potential incomings and outgoings from the club.

Frank is also likely to be asked for his opinion on the sacking of Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, adding to the departure of Enzo Maresca from Chelsea.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those putting the questions to Frank. Scroll down for his latest updates from Monday's press conference at Hotspur Way.

Ben Davies, who is out of contract at the end of the season, scored the opener for Tottenham in their 1-1 Premier League draw against Sunderland on Sunday afternoon

Ben Davies insists his Tottenham future is out of his hands after netting his first goal for the club in over two years.

The 32-year-old left-back, whose contract expires at the end of the current season, marked his first start of the campaign by turning home the opener in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Sunderland.

French side Nice are understood to be courting the Wales international and when asked by football.london whether he'll be staying put until the end of the season, Davies replied: "That one is out of my hands.

"When you're in your 30s, you just want to play as much as you can and then go from there. But right now, I got a chance to play today and I did my best."

It's understood Tottenham have seen an opening bid rebuffed by Santos for teenage left-back Souza, 19.

Davies has made just three appearances for Spurs this term as he picked up a hamstring injury on international duty in October after earning his 100th cap for Wales.

Arguably no Tottenham player knew Brennan Johnson, who sealed a £35million transfer to Crystal Palace earlier this week, better than his compatriot Davies.

The veteran has since paid tribute to the Europa League final hero, who started for the Eagles in their 2-0 defeat at Newcastle as Mohammed Kudus limped off with an adductor issue for Spurs in the opening exchanges against the Black Cats.

Davies continued: "I think it's sod's law that when one guy leaves, Mo picks up something.

"Brennan is a great player, I'm lucky that I get to play with him on the national team as well as here.

"I think he's going to be missed here but this is the business of football. When players aren't playing, other suitors will come along and that's what's happened."

Spurs have still won only two Premier League matches at home all season. While Davies was happy to contribute with a goal, there's recognition that performances must improve.

He concluded: "It was good, we've been working on set-pieces a lot and everyone has to kind of do their job and I feel like I did mine today.

"First half we were really good, then in the second half, they came out a lot more aggressive and they caused us a few more problems.

"We could have been a bit more clinical I think on the counter-attack when we had the opportunities.

"You could see at the end of that game that both sides were pretty flat out, it's not really an excuse and we've got to go again in the next three days. It's part and parcel of what we do."

Here are our Tottenham talking points following their frustrating draw against Sunderland in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon

Somewhere in the multiverse there is a timeline where Tottenham make decisions that do not immediately blow up in their faces. This is not that timeline.

One of the biggest question marks about Brennan Johnson's £35million sale to Crystal Palace was the timing of it. Not least because it was pushing out a goalscorer from a team struggling for goals. It is now approaching 10 hours since Tottenham last scored a goal from open play.

But the transfer also came at a time when Spurs are light on attacking options and Thomas Frank was naming two goalkeepers on the bench because he felt there was no real alternative.

Sunday's game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ensured that timing became even more bewildering when Mohammed Kudus, who has scored fewer goals this season than Johnson from double the minutes, departed the action just 15 minutes in, holding the top of his left leg.

Rodrigo Bentancur immediately signalled to the coaching staff that the Ghanaian needed to come off. Frank turned and looked to his bench. The only option was striker Randal Kolo Muani. There was no natural winger on there.

There's an argument to be had that if Johnson had been played more regularly and Kudus not run into the ground in recent weeks then the former might have found the goal more often and the latter would have been fresher, both mentally and physically, and might not have suffered a muscle injury. There's also the argument that Frank still would have turned to Kolo Muani on Sunday afternoon.

But the key takeaway is that Palace moved quickly to tie up one of their main transfer targets and Tottenham took the offer simply because they want to be a better selling club. That's all well and good if you're selling at the right time and have a replacement ready to roll.

Bournemouth have held on to Antoine Semenyo while they set up for a future without him and he is currently expected to face Tottenham, one of the teams who pined for him, in midweek.

Frank's side could go into that game without both Semenyo's international team-mate Kudus and Johnson, who started for Palace in their 1-0 defeat at Newcastle.

When football.london asked the Spurs boss after the game about that decision to sell Johnson so early in the window, he backed the call.

"You know, decisions are made and decisions I'm backing in every aspect. There's always more bigger picture stuff to some of those decisions. Sometimes it can look like perfect timing. Sometimes it looks like not so perfect timing," he said.

"I think it's very important [to say] we took the decision before Mo got injured. We don't know how that looks like. So I think that's one thing. And sometimes when you take that decision, sometimes you can't delay them if you want to, for example."

When pressed further, he added: "Sometimes the decisions make more sense further down the line. And now there was an opportunity to sell a player, which the club hasn't been that good at in the past. And sometimes that window can be small, if you want to do that, for example.

"You can say that if we had Xavi and Mo today, then I think we have enough. But now we, for this game, didn't have them. Mo only for, what, 10 minutes? So there's just some games where you're very light, and that happens for teams."

However, when football.london had asked Frank earlier about having a lack of attacking like-for-like options to bring off the bench, he admitted being envious of what other teams had to call upon.

"I think it was that we lacked a little extra freshness. I looked at some teams last night. They just put three players on like-for-like, and then they run away with the win," he said. "A club we can't speak about, but that's probably also a little bit in it.

"So let me put it that way. That would have helped us. It's not the same that we couldn't have scored a 2-0 goal for the first 17 minutes."

Frank reiterated that Tottenham will be active in the market but only for the right players for the long-term.

"We are out there. We are really, how can you say, alert," explained the 52-year-old. "The club really want to see what we can do to strengthen the squad and the team. I say many times it's a difficult window. And we still need the short-term solution to be the long-term solution as well."

Who that will be remains to be seen as they look to replace Johnson's 29 goal involvements since the start of last season.

There are some big young talents out there but Tottenham would need to spend big money to even tempt their clubs to consider selling them mid-season.

The main problem for Spurs is that those stars in the making are being followed by most of the big clubs across the Premier League and Europe, and 13th-placed Tottenham are not exactly the most attractive one to be winking at them from across the room.

Savinho was a big summer target for Frank and Spurs but they could not prise him away from City and now just when the Semenyo's arrival might unlock the door, the Brazilian has an injury that 'does not look good' according to Pep Guardiola.

Also injured is his City team-mate Oscar Bobb with a hamstring problem. The 22-year-old Norwegian has been linked with Spurs but does not have the output of other younger wingers.

One of those is Yan Diomande, currently at the Africa Cup of Nations with the Ivory Coast, who turned 19 less than two months ago but has 11 goal involvements in 16 matches in his first season for RB Leipzig.

The teenager played two matches with Xavi Simons at the start of this campaign after a couple of weeks of pre-season together, but it would take a remarkable move to reunite the duo at this point with Diomande wanted by the world's biggest clubs.

Spurs have held a long-time interest in Monaco's Maghnes Akliouche and had to watch the 23-year-old, who mainly plays on the right, rip them apart in the Champions League earlier this season.

Tottenham are among the long line of clubs interested in Juventus' Kenan Yildiz but Italian media believe the 20-year-old is set to sign a new contract in Turin.

Spurs have also identified Santos left-back Souza as a prospect for the now and future but the 19-year-old club have reportedly scoffed at an £8million bid for the Brazilian.

With the Lewis family expected to back the club in the transfer market, the club need to go hard or go home on the players they want.

Italian media have reported that Tottenham have asked Fabio Paratici - even though he is contracted to the club - to stay for a few more days before departing for Fiorentina. Hopefully that is to tie up a big deal that will help Spurs because currently they seem more focused on outgoing moves.

Johnson has departed to Palace. Kota Takai has left for Borussia Monchengladbach on loan, while Manor Solomon and Jamie Donley have left for Fiorentina - yes we know - and Oxford respectively, both with options for those clubs to sign them permanently.

Alfie Dorrington and Damola Ajayi have been recalled from their loans at Aberdeen and Doncaster Rovers with the former attracting interest from Championship and League One clubs and the latter from League One and Two sides.

Spurs need incomings though and big ones for they have fallen down a crevice in the Premier League.

Ruben Amorim is the subject of plenty of focus in the national media for picking up just 58 points since arriving at Manchester United in November 2024 from 15 wins.

That's the fourth worst tally among those clubs not relegated from the top flight. Yet look below United on that list and Spurs sit third worst with 46 points from 12 wins. Only West Ham and Wolves are more dreadful with a win fewer each.

This is a Tottenham team that needs major work and it cannot wait for the likes of Dejan Kulusevski or James Maddison to return from their long-term injuries to provide the creativity.

For too long Spurs have become reliant on one or two players rather than having threats from everywhere and it only makes such absences more painful. Tottenham are trying to build a club that does not rely on any single person off the pitch and they need to do the same on it.

Ironically they initially looked bright doing exactly that on Sunday after Kudus' early departure.

The 25-year-old is a big talent but is in a rut right now with his performances, running into the opposition with his head down and struggling to make the most of his abilities. The problem is Spurs give him the ball as much as they possibly can, regardless of whether it's suitable to do so.

It's not to say Spurs are a better team without him, but when Kudus went off the pitch, they at least started to pass the ball around the turf rather than focus all their efforts down the right.

Wilson Odobert became more effective centrally and Mathys Tel's energy down the left was infectious.

"I'm very happy with Mathys stepping in and looking very positive. That was a big positive, I would say," said Frank.

Tel's urgency caused constant problems for Sunderland down his flank until he finally started to tire in the second half thanks to his bewilderingly small amount of game time this season - 517 minutes to be exact. Even Johnson had almost double that and was mostly out of favour.

Tel had an early shot saved, curled a good effort just past the right-hand post and sent in the corner that led to Ben Davies becoming the unlikeliest first Spurs goalscorer of 2026.

The young Frenchman also clipped a perfect ball over the top into the path of Richarlison who just had to pass it across to the free Kolo Muani but took too long. That may well have been the sliding doors moment that decided the game.

The first half was a positive one for Tottenham and a good response after Thursday night's dour draw at Brentford. The crowd enjoyed the team's efforts and applauded them off even if they did not test Sunderland keeper Robin Roefs as much as their dominance demanded with too many shots wide.

Overall though it was a first half that the Spurs fans making up the bulk of the 60,877-strong crowd wanted to continue. That's not been the case much at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the past year.

Another positive was Davies. The left-back has been at the club for 11-and-a-half years and has given everything for Tottenham without a hint of a strop during the low points the club has endured, or when team-mates and friends have left or his lack of game time even though he yearns for more.

The 32-year-old's name drew a big cheer from the crowd before kick-off and from the opening minutes he did not look like a player who hasn't started a match since the end of last season, when he was having to play at centre-back for Ange Postecoglou's Premier League B team.

Davies was on hand to prod home Micky van de Ven's shot in the box after Cristian Romero chested down and passed Tel's corner to the Dutchman.

The Spurs fans repurposed Johnson's chant, singing 'Davies again, Davies again, ole ole ole' and then began bellowing out "Ben Davies, he scores when he wants" after the Wales international's first goal in just over two years.

"It was really nice. Those are the things in football you miss when you're not playing," said the left-back. "To get out there, to score today, to hear the fans, I feel like I've got a good relationship with the fans here.

"I think we all have gone through good times and bad times together. Right now, I feel how hard it is at times, but we're building something, I hope, and we've really got to stick together. I feel definitely part of that."

The Welshman's defending was a highlight as well, with a couple of important interventions around a header at Roefs at the other end. He managed 88 minutes on his return and was one of Spurs' better players on the day, if not their best.

"It was nice that he scored the goal! I felt for this game that we needed a left-footer, so that was the biggest reason [for picking him]," said Frank.

"I think in the build-up play he had two fantastic passes going forward, also balls in behind and gave that calmness plus a bit of leadership and helping Mathys in front of him, and we’re playing five games in a short amount of time."

Davies worked well behind Tel and alongside Van de Ven. The Dutchman provided an unusual moment with a note passed to him from Kolo Muani which came from the coaching staff.

We've all seen players passed notes from the bench and then either throw them away or in some cases even eat them. They're often about the moment. This one was not.

Van de Ven read it and after speaking to Davies, put this particular note in his sock, only to whip it again on the next occasion when Sunderland got a corner. The 24-year-old studied what was written and started dishing out instructions to various players about what they were meant to do.

Presumably the note came from set piece coach Andreas Georgson and it did the trick as Tottenham dealt with the corner.

The main problems that led to the lost points came via two avenues in the second half. The first was that Frank did not have like-for-like substitutes and instead brought on Joao Palhinha and Lucas Bergvall for Archie Gray and Odobert.

That meant Tottenham lost their creative edge and began to retreat deeper and deeper on the pitch, with the Palhinha and Bentancur axis reinstated, albeit the Uruguayan had put in one of his best showings in a long time for much of the encounter. Spurs ended the encounter having less possession (48.8%) at home than their promoted visitors, which simply shouldn't be the case against a side that rarely finds itself in such a position.

Frank shook his head when asked whether it was too tight a game to bring on 17-year-old starlet Luca Williams-Barnett for his Premier League debut to help Spurs look forward rather than backwards.

"Yeah, I think it was not a game where we were just, boom, on top of it, and we just need that goal, and we were just controlling the game. So if that was the case, then it could have been a different decision," explained Frank.

"I think when we put Joao and Lucas on, there's been a lot of running, and it was a little bit back and forth. So Lucas played 10 many times, and been a very good creative player for us, so that was more or less like-for-like for Wilson.

"And then with Joao for Archie, it was a game where we, I think it's fair to say, maybe lacked the exact cutting edge. Maybe it would be good just to make sure we could win 1-0, which we unfortunately couldn't."

The other problem was the Tottenham captain's declining performance on the day.

Romero put in an excellent first half shift and drove the team's aggressive tackling from the back, stepping in to stop Sunderland's low quick passes and his fellow defenders watched him and followed suit. He also played a big part in Davies' goal.

In the second half though he began to get complacent and lose discipline. He started to wander and in one moment miskicked a ball horribly to hand Sunderland a chance.

For the visitor's equaliser on 80 minutes he was pulled out of position by Brian Brobbey, reacting too slowly to his first run out and then left a space behind him for the Dutchman to run into, receive a return pass and lash home his shot.

Romero then took it upon himself to play most of the final 10 minutes as a striker to little effect before the final whistle sounded.

Spurs extended their poor run to just two wins in 11 Premier League matches and football.london put it to Frank that it had been a first half with urgency and a second that saw the team punished for retreating back towards their own goal.

"I don't think that's too wrong. I'm pleased with the first half. I think we showed a lot of good intentions, a lot of good play. I think we came into some very good offensive situations where we lacked the cutting-edge quality. So that was positive," he said.

"And I think the big headline is we didn't score the 2-0 goal. We didn't kill the game off 2-0, then the game, we are out of sight. We gave nothing away throughout the game.

"We have one bit where they do a top bit of play, and then it's 1-1. So for me, it was the 2-0 goal we lacked at.

"I think first half was very good. I think we were totally dominant. Second half, not as dominant, but we still get into some very good situations, have some good counter-attack situations where we need to get more out of it. You can't rely on in the Premier League just to win 1-0."

Three things happened at the final whistle. First boos rang out around the stadium, more in frustration at more dropped points than particularly aimed anger at any individual.

Then Bentancur lost his head after a quarrel with Sunderland midfielder Lutsharel Geertruida. After a brief melee, Frank pulled the Uruguayan away but he kept turning and trying to restart proceedings with the Dutchman.

Kevin Danso stepped in as Bentancur continued to turn and look for trouble. The Austria international spoke calmly for a long time to the midfielder to prevent him from doing something daft but the 28-year-old just stood there waiting at the edge of the pitch for the Sunderland man who had irked him so. Eventually Romero came over and dragged him away and down the tunnel.

He was asked about the general boos from the stadium at the full time whistle.

"I liked the backing of the fans for the team throughout the 90 minutes. I think that was excellent and pushed us forward in many ways," said the Spurs boss.

"I am sure everyone could acknowledge especially the first half was positive and a step in the right direction, getting in good areas, doing the right things and I am sure 100 per cent everyone could acknowledge the effort and hard work of the players.

"That is all you can ask for and then we’re all a little disappointed that we couldn’t get the three points."

A "little disappointed" was hopefully an understatement for Spurs need to be better. Matters will not get easier at Bournemouth in midweek for what could be Semenyo's sign off against a team he was never feasibly going to consider joining at this point in their journey.

Something needs to kick start Tottenham into life. Whether it is the hopefully imminent return of Dominic Solanke, an available Xavi Simons or the arrival of new faces that improve the team. It's not too late, for somehow in this timeline of the multiverse Spurs still only sit five points off fifth- placed United.

The final words fall to the veteran goalscorer on the day. Davies has seen it all during more than a decade at the club, from the highs of Amsterdam and Bilbao to the ever-worsening lows since Mauricio Pochettino's departure.

He made it clear what the most important thing is for this new project under Frank.

"Togetherness, more than anything. I think it's the same in most things in life," said the Welsh defender. "The moment you start to point fingers or just fall apart at the seams a little bit, it becomes tougher and it's hard to climb that mountain on your own.

"But as a group, I think we have a chance. We have to stick together as much as we can. We really want to stick together with the fans here. We're a group, we understand their frustrations, but that's represented in the team as well.

"We're frustrated. You want to be winning games like we should have done today when we played so well. But sometimes in football, you have these moments, you have these ups and downs.

"It's not for a lack of fight. We've got a group in there that's trying hard. We just need to fine-tune it a bit and get it right on the matchday."

Spurs need to get it right as a team and as a club. The coming weeks provide plenty of people within the organisation with the chance to do exactly that to save this season from plunging from mediocrity into something far worse and instead build the foundations of something far stronger.

football.london discusses five talking points as Spurs were held to a feisty 1-1 draw against Sunderland as the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Tottenham blew the chance to win their first home game of 2026 after Brian Brobbey struck late in the second half to earn the Black Cats a point.

Spurs led for 50 minutes after taking the lead on the half-hour mark through Ben Davies but they collapsed 10 minutes from time amid strong pressure from the visitors.

The result leaves Tottenham floundering in the bottom half of the table and while they're now unbeaten in three matches, there's little to be positive about when assessing Thomas Frank's prospects heading into the rest of a packed January schedule.

Here are five talking points as the two sides shared the points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Embarrassing Bergvall moment

As Tottenham chased a winner in added time, one particular moment summed up Spurs' despair.

Lucas Bergvall went to launch a long throw into the box but his hands were likely to cold, he slipped, fumbling the ball.

Stuart Attwell had no sympathy, however, awarding a foul throw as Sunderland were handed a massive reprieve.

The incident is indicative of Tottenham's season because they are just not getting the rub of the green.

These kind of innocuous mistakes aren't helping either.

Johnson transfer call comes back to bite Spurs

How typical that 15 minutes into the post-Brennan Johnson era at Tottenham, the Welshman was suddenly sorely missed.

Mohammed Kudus picked up an adductor injury and was forced off, meaning Randal Kolo Muani had to play out of position on the right flank.

This game was made for Johnson, who made his Crystal Palace debut this afternoon at Newcastle.

Kudus' injury reiterated that Spurs' decision to sell Johnson was somewhat hasty.

To our knowledge, they don't have a replacement arriving imminently and the £35million fee received didn't appear to be subject to negotiation.

It felt needless to weaken Thomas Frank's squad without a natural replacement and if Kudus is set for a spell on the sidelines, Johnson undoubtedly would have been needed.

Dane Scarlett was sent on as Spurs chased a winner, highlighting the lack of attacking depth.

Worrying Romero

This was hardly a captain's performance from Cuti Romero, who looked shaky in the second half.

First he tried a loose pass backwards that was short and allowed Sunderland to break but thankfully it wasn't punished.

Then he was dragged into a physical duel with goalscorer Brian Brobbey and the pair were tit for tat following a heated incident off the ball.

On the evidence of the final 20 minutes, you'd have to say Brobbey got the better of him as Romero lost him for the equaliser.

Given he is Spurs' captain, you'd expect him to at least refrain from confrontation during a pivotal time in the game.

There's a firm argument that Romero's petulance and initial decision to rile Brobbey fired the former Ajax striker up and he exploded with rage in front of the home supporters after blasting in the leveller.

Davies proves worth

Davies might be out of contract in the summer but for now, he is definitely worth keeping around.

Not only is his experience invaluable on the training pitch and in the dressing room, he's also reliable at left-back in the absence of Destiny Udogie, who cannot stay fit.

The 32-year-old turned in his first Tottenham goal since December 2023 when he netted in a 4-2 defeat at Brighton for the opener, turning in Micky van de Ven's first-half shot.

With Udogie currently sidelined, it's imperative Spurs keep Davies fit to support Djed Spence, who has played a huge amount of football already this season.

Davies reportedly has interest from Nice and it's also been speculated he might eventually join Son Heung-min in Los Angeles.

Any deal must wait until the end of the season though as there's no point in offloading him for a small fee this month.

Outside of the goal, he left the forwards to attack and Spurs were very secure defending their left flank, which has not always been the case this season.

Odobert injury worry Wilson Odobert impressed for Spurs but he took a nasty whack to the head in the second half shortly before being substituted.

The Frenchman was jumping for a header when he was caught by the flailing elbow of ex-Tottenham academy graduate Romaine Mundle.

Tottenham's medical staff performed various tests on Odobert, including checking his jaw and vision before he was replaced by Lucas Bergvall.

He didn't appear to seriously hurt but then again, neither was Kolo Muani against Manchester United and he suffered a fractured jaw.

Thomas Frank is speaking to reporters following Tottenham's 1-1 draw against Sunderland in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

Mohammed Kudus went down just 15 minutes into the contest with what looked like a muscle injury and had to come off. It was the only low moment of what was a bright opening first half from Spurs with urgency in their play with an attacking formation.

The hosts opened the scoring on the half hour mark through an unlikely source. A deep Tel corner was chested down by Cristian Romero and passed to Micky van de Ven. The Dutchman's shot reached Davies who prodded it into the net.

Tottenham had further opportunities but didn't take them and then began to sit back. Sunderland duly grabbed a leveller in the 80th minute as Brian Brobbey ran in between Romero and Pedro Porro and lashed home a shot.

Our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those putting the questions to Frank. Scroll down for his latest updates from the press conference at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Mohammed Kudus was forced to come off during the first-half of Tottenham Hotspur's clash against Sunderland. The 25-year-old winger went to ground shortly after the 15th minute mark clutching the top of his left leg.

Rodrigo Bentancur was the first player to go over to Kudus, and he immediately indicated to the bench that the Ghanaian needed to come off. The former West Ham star was replaced by Randal Kolo Muani.

Kudus was able to walk off the field, but he appeared to suffer a muscular issue (adductor). Frank was left no choice but to play the Paris Saint-Germain loanee out of position on the right flank in light of Brennan Johnson's move to Crystal Palace earlier in the week.

Kudus has started all but one of the Lilywhites' matches in the Premier League this season, scoring two goals and providing six assists. Despite a shy return in the final third, Frank has previously described the Tottenham forward as one of three key players in his side.

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