Football London

Tottenham have left themselves with plenty to get done in the remaining week of the summer transfer window in order to back Thomas Frank for the season ahead.

Spurs want to compete across all four competitions this season, including their return to the Champions League, but have thus far only brought in two new faces in the shape of Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha while selling Son Heung-min to LAFC and losing James Maddison to an ACL injury for much of the season, with Dejan Kulusevski also out for the long term.

Frank admitted to football.london on Friday that numbers-wise his Tottenham squad was therefore similar to the one he inherited before the window opened, albeit with the added quality of Kudus and Palhinha within his new system.

So what do Spurs have left to do in the window before it closes on September 1 if they are going to bring in the number 10, winger and the centre-back that football.london has previously reported that Frank would like to bolster his squad with to the levels required for the fixture-packed season ahead?

Here's the state of play with Tottenham's transfer window, split into the three main areas.

Defence

The goalkeeping department appears to be set with Frank making it clear that Antonin Kinsky would not be heading out of the club this summer, despite links with a move to Ligue 1 side Lille. That means he has Guglielmo Vicario, Kinsky and Spurs' only senior club-trained player in Brandon Austin as three senior goalkeepers to use across the season.

Josh Keeley left the club for Luton in a £1million deal with a sell-on clause this summer and the club also have young keeper Luca Gunter, who could get a loan again after last season's spell at non-league Wealdstone.

Frank told football.london out in South Korea during the club's pre-season tour that he felt he had enough cover in the full-back spots with Pedro Porro, Destiny Udogie, who returned to training last week, Djed Spence and Ben Davies, with Archie Gray also able to cover both sides.

Frank made it clear that Davies is an important, experienced player for his squad but the player himself admitted on the tour to football.london that with 10 months left on his contract, he's not entirely sure what the future holds for him.

Frank does want another centre-back because of his propensity to switch to a back three at times and concerns over the availability of new captain Cristian Romero and Micky van de Vento after the pair played in just 26 and 22 games respectively of the 60 fixtures in the previous campaign.

There is also Kevin Danso, Davies, Radu Dragusin who is on his way back from his own ACL injury, and summer signing Kota Takai, who is back training outdoors as he recovers from a plantar fascia problem in his foot, while 18-year-old Luka Vuskovic is expected to join Ashley Phillips and Alfie Dorrington by heading out on loan to get regular match experience if Spurs can bring another defender through the door, with football.london previously reporting that Hamburg, where his brother plays, are keen to bring him to Germany.

A new centre-back is lower down Tottenham's priority list than the new number 10 and winger but it is a position Frank would like bolstered if possible before the window closes.

football.london understands Spurs held discussions earlier in the summer about a potential transfer for Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Piero Hincapie, with the 23-year-old Ecuadorian having long been a player of interest under former managing director of football Fabio Paratici.

However, a move for the player did not proceed after that point and those within the club claim there has been no active interest or contact with Leverkusen regarding the defender since.

Links to Burnley's Maxime Esteve were also knocked down earlier in the window, with the Frenchman later signing a new contract with the Clarets.

It could be that, as is the case with Hincapie, Spurs look for a centre-back who can also cover one of the full-back slots to give some extra depth to Frank's options.

The new contract for Romero was seen as a big building block for the Dane's defence but he still wants a further body in there for when the games mount up with technical director Johan Lange and the now consultant Paratici working through a list of potential targets in the role.

Midfield

The signing of Joao Palhinha has already proved to be a popular one within the squad with the 30-year-old former Fulham midfielder quickly settling into life at Tottenham. It's no secret that Frank would have liked to have brought long-time player Christian Norgaard with him from Brentford but by that point the Bees captain was already locked into a move to Arsenal.

However, Palhinha has already proved to be a great fit for Frank's system and Spurs have a £27million option to sign him from Bayern next summer after this season-long loan.

Spurs are looking to tie up a new contract for Rodrigo Bentancur this season with the Uruguayan in the final year of his deal and revelling in Frank's midfield. Yves Bissouma is in the same contract situation but Tottenham are looking to move on the Mali international, who has been disciplined by Frank after being repeatedly late this summer. It was the 28-year-old's third summer in a row of disappointing a head coach before the season began.

Frank has plenty of young, exciting midfield talent in Pape Matar Sarr, who has quickly emerged as one of his favourite go-to-players, along with teenagers Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall.

Tottenham have tried to sign a new number 10 to play in Frank's midfield with two bids made for Morgan Gibbs-White - the first at £60million and the second amid a chaotic couple of weeks that ended with the England international signing a new contract with Nottingham Forest.

That collapse was especially disappointing for Frank because he had wanted the midfielder for years at Brentford and Spurs had also tracked him for some time. He was his top choice for the role as the Dane felt that his mobility and creativity as a number 10 would be perfect for his new-look Tottenham side and it was a deal the club felt they could make happen.

Gibbs-White is believed to have called the new head coach to apologise for how things played out, with the Dane said to have told him he had nothing to apologise for.

Spurs then suffered double trouble when they went for Eberechi Eze and thought they had a deal done for the 27-year-old with both Crystal Palace and the player, only for Arsenal to come in and sign the boyhood Gunners fan, who they released as a 13-year-old youngster.

With the injury to Maddison on top of the Kulusevski wait following his patella surgery, the need for a new number 10 is even more pressing.

As a younger player with a high ceiling Tottenham have shown plenty of interest and held discussions about Como's 20-year-old starlet Nico Paz, but there has been a feeling within the club that any move was likely to be a non-starter. Real Madrid own 50 per cent of the player and have a 10m euros buy-back clause for him with many believing that he is still a Madrid player in all but name.

Spurs are long-time admirers of Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, along with most of the Premier League's big clubs, but suggestions of a successful move being launched have been played down for the 23-year-old who has a long contract until 2030 with Unai Emery's side.

The north London club have looked at Leicester's Bilal El Khannouss, although the 21-year-old would come with far less top flight experience than the likes of Gibbs-White and Eze.

Lucas Paqueta would certainly bring that and Spurs have interest in him, but it remains to be seen whether West Ham, even with their financial restrictions, would let yet another key player leave the club, and a second to the north London side following Kudus' exit. The Hammers are reported to be interested in Bissouma and perhaps that could be an avenue of attack for Tottenham.

Lange, Paratici and head of scouting Rob Mackenzie have drawn up a list of number 10s for Frank's priority position, some of which are not believed to have reached the public domain yet.

Heading out of the club have been youngsters Alfie Devine and Jamie Donley, who can play in that number 10 role, to Preston and Stoke respectively, while deeper midfielder George Abbott has gone to Wycombe Wanderers and Tyrese Hall to Notts County.

Attack

During the club's tour to Asia, Frank continued to assess his squad and when Son finally made the move to LAFC, the new Spurs boss made it clear to the hierarchy that another winger was required to add more guile and creativity to the flanks.

football.london understands that Tottenham remain intent on trying to sign Savinho from Manchester City, with the 21-year-old said to be keen to head to north London. Key will be Spurs making a big enough bid to change the stance of the Citizens, with some inside the Manchester club wanting to keep the Brazilian who has the potential to become a star, but also the need to replace him if he does go.

For Spurs, Savinho can also play in a number 10 role while there is the option to play him on the right with Kudus able to move inside into the central position.

If Tottenham cannot wrestle Savinho away then they have other wing targets to turn to. Frank had been interested in bringing Bryan Mbeumo with him from Brentford but the 26-year-old was always set on moving to Manchester United.

Southampton's Tyler Dibling is a player Spurs have tracked for a while although the youngster looks set for a move to Everton, while the older, versatile Ademola Lookman is an attacking player the north London club and various Premier League sides have been offered as his time at Atalanta appears to coming to a close.

Monaco's Maghnes Akliouche is someone who Tottenham have been tracking in recent seasons and the exciting 23-year-old, who can play out wide or centrally, is on the radar of plenty of clubs across Europe as his reputation grows following a strong campaign in Ligue 1 last time out.

Frank has Kudus and last season's top scorer Brennan Johnson as his senior wing options while Spurs made Mathys Tel's loan from Bayern a permanent deal this summer and the head coach has Wilson Odobert able to play on both sides, while Kulusevski can also play on the right when he eventually returns.

Manor Solomon is back in training although a move remains likely for the Israel international this summer, especially if Tottenham do bring in another winger while the club are looking to find Bryan Gil an exit route as his contract runs towards its conclusion this season.

Yang Min-hyeok was sent to Portsmouth on loan to continue to gain experience of the English game and young talent Mikey Moore is at Rangers to get plenty of minutes for his development, while Damola Ajayi is enjoying his first loan spell at Doncaster Rovers.

Up front, Frank said Richarlison told him on the first day of pre-season that he wants to stay at the club and the Spurs boss told him he wanted the same. Richarlison has responded with fine performances in recent weeks and now it is about keeping him fit as the other striker option to Dominic Solanke, a player Frank has always admired.

Yoane Wissa was a player Spurs would have looked at had they lost a striker and the 28-year-old Brentford star can play out wide, although Newcastle currently appears to be a potential destination for him if the Bees do decide to let yet another key man go.

In terms of Tottenham's young forward prospects, Will Lankshear has gone to Oxford United on loan for the season with Alejo Veliz back at Rosario Central, while the club are looking to move on Dane Scarlett as well.

There is plenty for Tottenham to do in the week ahead if they are to build upon Frank's fine start to life in N17.

Morgan Rogers showed love to former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson after Brentford beat Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Henderson signed for the Bees during this summer transfer window after leaving Ajax and made his first start in their surprise 1-0 win at the weekend. Rogers reportedly could also be on the move, with Tottenham Hotspur said to have contacted intermediaries about the possibility of a deal.

Both played against each other for just the third time in their careers on Saturday. Those other occasions were when back Villa played Ajax in a two-legged Conference League round of 16 tie two seasons ago.

However, that happened before Rogers became an England international and a teammate of Henderson's in the two camps thus far this year. The veteran midfielder is part of their leadership group alongside captain Harry Kane and several more experienced squad members.

That is perhaps why Rodgers captioned a photo of him and Henderson competing during the match "Skip" before adding a red heart emoji and tagging him in the Instagram story post. Spurs may be hoping they face off for a second time this season when Thomas Frank's team host his former club at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during December.

The Independent reported last week that Tottenham have made Rogers a priority target, claiming there is a feeling that a proper bid could change Villa's stance on not wanting to sell the PFA Young Player of the Year. However, such an offer would reportedly have to be upwards of £80million before it even comes under consideration.

Piero Hincapie continues to be linked with a move to Tottenham with just one week of the summer transfer window remaining.

Spurs are looking for a number 10 and a new senior centre-back in the transfer window to help bolster Thomas Frank's squad, football.london understands. Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha are the only senior additions so far this window, with 20-year-old Japanese centre-back Koto Takai also arriving from Kawasaki Frontale.

But more additions are expected in the coming week and Hincapie continues to be linked with a move to north London. The 23-year-old centre-back has impressed during his four years at Bayer Leverkusen and the Ecuadorian may now be looking to test himself in England's top flight.

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Hincapie wants to leave Leverkusen ahead of the summer transfer window closing on Monday, September 1 at 7pm. "Premier League clubs attentive after Tottenham made an enquiry 10 days ago," Romano wrote on social media.

Hincapie is said to have a release clause of €60million (£52million) in his contract. The defender regularly plays as the left sided centre-back in a back three for the Bundesliga side, but is also capable of playing left-back.

Frank does currently have Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Radu Dragusin and Kevin Danso as his senior centre-back options, while Ben Davies can also operate in the role. Injuries plagued Spurs' 2024/25 season, however, and Frank does not want a repeat this campaign.

The Dane has so far watched his side keep two clean sheets in the Premier League, against Burnley and Manchester City, but speaking after the 2-0 victory against Pep Guardiola's side on Saturday, Frank did not rule out further players being brought in to improve the squad.

He said: "Yeah, I think it's extremely important that, a couple of things that we understand we have a good group of players, a talented group players, a group of good quality players that I'm very pleased with. So that's why we brought in two good players to help. Can we improve it? Perfect. If we can't, you know, then we have very good players and we just showed that today, so yeah, very happy with that."

Eberechi Eze has revealed it was always a childhood ambition to represent Arsenal after turning down Tottenham in favour of a £67.5million move to the Emirates Stadium.

The former Crystal Palace star was unveiled to the Emirates Stadium faithful moments before Arsenal's commanding 5-0 victory over Leeds which propelled the Gunners towards an early glimpse of the Premier League summit. Spurs appeared poised to secure Eze's signature after striking a deal with Crystal Palace on Wednesday, before Mikel Arteta's outfit intervened to hijack the transfer.

An exit this summer had always remained on the cards given the former Arsenal academy prospect had entered the final two years of his contract at Selhurst Park, with Tottenham making their move earlier this month. Spurs had agreed to Palace's terms after having already agreed to Eze's with the player ready to come to Tottenham.

The deal had dragged on, though, as Palace had not finalised the deal because they wanted the player to be available for Thursday night's historic first European game for the Eagles. After an injury to Kai Havertz, Arsenal moved quickly and tied up a deal for Eze, with the player favouring a move to the Gunners.

Eze featured at the Emirates Stadium on four occasions during his time with Palace and he confessed it had always been an aspiration to don the Gunners jersey, reports the Mirror. "I thought about coming back from the moment I understood other clubs and what it meant to become a pro," he disclosed to Ian Wright.

"I've always thought: 'Arsenal is where it's at, that's what I want to achieve, what I want to get to.' I've been on trial for four years, if I'm being honest. Every time I came to Arsenal, I looked at the seat that I used to sit on when I used to come to games with my brothers, and I've said every single time: 'this is it - it's time, this is an opportunity.' I'm not going to say I knew it was going to happen, but that's the feeling.

"As a player, I have a level of belief in myself. I've been playing how I've been playing, I've been developing this and that, and I had the heart that if it's meant to be, it will happen, and I believe it will. But if it doesn't, I'm at peace because I know I'm giving everything. So for it to happen now and to be in this position, there is a bit more energy inside the tank."

Spurs boss Thomas Frank, fresh from a victory at Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime, was candid on Friday about only wanting to sign players who are eager to wear the club's badge. He is keen to bolster his squad with another creative midfielder due to injuries to James Maddison, likely out for the season, and Dejan Kulusevski.

"There has been a lot of links, there will be a lot of links in the future and just to generalise that, to make it very, very clear, I don't want any players that don't want to come to the club," said Frank, seemingly taking a subtle swipe at Eze.

"Who don't want to come to the club and wear this fantastic badge - we don't want them here. I think that's very clear.

"Pretty sure that the fans will feel the same if they don't want to put the fantastic shirt over their head. Play for the badge, play for the club. Really enjoy it. No problem, then we don't them there. I think that's a key message.

"Of course we need to do everything we can to make sure we are as competitive as possible. Kulusevski, he will come back in this season. I think that's a big thing. It's probably longer term with Maddison unfortunately, but I am also pretty confident that we will sign a player before the end of the window."

Goran Sorloth, the father of reportted Tottenham target Alexander Sorloth, has reacted to rumours linking the Atletico Madrid forward with a move back to the Premier League. The 29-year-old has attracted interest from Spurs and Newcastle United with his Atletico future said to be uncertain this summer.

The Norwegian, who scored 24 goals in 53 appearances for Diego Simeone's side last season, was last week reported to be unhappy after falling behind Giacomo Raspadori and Antoine Griezmann in the pecking order.

Although Sorloth returned to the XI and scored during Atletico's 1-1 draw against Elche at Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Saturday, there is still talk that he could leave the La Liga club before the end of the transfer window.

Indeed, Sorloth's dad Goran has since spoken about his son's future and admitted that he can "deny" the rumours that the former Villarreal and RB Leipzig man could be en route to English football once again.

"I can deny most of it. It's a transfer window, and that's how it is, all summer and throughout January. I can deny that. It's just wild rumours," he told Dagbladet. "There are definitely clubs that have their feelers out and want to strengthen their team. That's not surprising. Alexander Isak won’t be a Newcastle player any longer, I see. There are several teams that have injuries and things like that."

"But Alexander is an Atletico Madrid player. Hopefully he'll start [against Elche]. Then suddenly there's a little less chance… Then I think the rumour mill will quiet down a bit."

Sorloth spent two-and-a-half years at Crystal Palace between 2018 and 2020, scoring ONCE in 20 appearances but has improved since that spell, finding some scintillating form in the last couple of years.

After impressing on loan at Real Sociedad and then at Villarreal, Sorloth signed for Atletico in a £27.6m deal last summer. Following a prolific season for Simeone's men, there is no surprise that interest has increased in him.

While Tottenham are in the market for attacking reinforcements, Newcastle's need to strengthen their front line is all-but greater, with Alexander Isak's future up in the air and Callum Wilson leaving at the end of his contract.

When asked about whether Sorloth could move to Newcastle, Goran replied: "I certainly hope Alexander [Sørloth] is not satisfied with not getting more playing time. If he is satisfied, he will have to find something else to do."

"The season has just started. He had a slight hamstring injury before last weekend’s game. Now he is fit."

Former Tottenham star Andy Sinton is recovering in hospital following a heart attack on Friday.

Sinton featured for several Premier League sides throughout his playing days, including spells at Tottenham and Sheffield Wednesday - though supporters may best recall his four-year stint with QPR.

The 59-year-old suffered the heart attack on Friday, QPR said, but confirmed he was now progressing well in a statement shared across their social media platforms, reports the Mirror.

The Hoops said: "On Friday evening, our club ambassador, Andy Sinton suffered a heart attack. We are pleased to say he is now recovering in hospital. Please join us in wishing Sints well."

Tottenham also offered their support, posting on Twitter: "Get well soon, Andy. Sending the best wishes of all your Spurs family."

Sinton, who earned 12 caps for England between 1991 and 1993, was part of Graham Taylor's squad during the 1992 European Championships in Sweden.

His football journey began with Cambridge United, before he moved to Brentford and then QPR in 1989. He had a stint at Tottenham Hotspur in the late 90s, making 83 appearances and lifting the League Cup in 1999, before joining Wolves.

He ended his playing career with spells at Burton Albion, Bromsgrove Rovers and Fleet Town, where he transitioned into management in 2005. After a five-year spell managing Fleet, he took the reins at AFC Telford from 2010 to 2013.

More recently, Sinton has served as an ambassador for QPR and provided commentary for the club's in-house media channels.

As Arsenal announced Eberechi Eze's homecoming to 60,000 delighted supporters on Saturday, many might have wondered what might have happened had he penned a deal with their north London neighbours instead.

Some will recall that this scenario has previously unfolded, when a young Michael Carrick was poised to move to the Gunners from West Ham United – only to end up at White Hart Lane.

Tottenham Hotspur had been prepared to secure Eze's signature after reaching terms with Crystal Palace. However, Mikel Arteta intervened and hijacked the former Arsenal academy graduate's transfer to Spurs.

The England international signed a four-year contract valued at up to £67.5million and will wear the number 10 shirt for the club.

Yet over two decades ago, Arsenal could have acquired a Premier League legend in Carrick – but they let the midfielder to join their rivals instead, instead choosing to prioritise ensuring a young Cesc Fabregas had a route to the first team.

In his autobiography, Michael Carrick: Between the Lines, the former Champions League winner recalled how the teenage Fabregas ultimately scuppered his switch to the north London side, as Arsène Wenger reversed his decision on the deal.

Carrick said: "I saw that a kid, Cesc Fabregas, only 17, started in (Patrick) Vieira's place. Fabregas played a blinder, but I didn't think too much about the significance.

"I sat at home on Sunday night waiting for the call to arrange details of the next day. Arsenal! I couldn't wait. But I waited, and waited, and that call never came.

"The next day, I had to go into training at West Ham instead and, on the way, David (Carrick's agent) phoned to say he'd had a call from Dein."

Carrick went on to reveal that the then-17-year-old had pipped him to a spot in the squad, as he said: "David relayed the gist of his message, like, 'I'm sorry, the manager says we don't need Michael. Fabregas is coming through like he is. Sorry, the deal's off.'

"Fabregas' performance changed Wenger's mind about needing me."

Fabregas subsequently went on to rack up 300 appearances for the Gunners after pushing Carrick out of Arsene Wenger's thinking – but the midfielder did secure a transfer shortly afterwards.

Spurs' sporting director at the time, Frank Arnesen, rang Carrick's representative to persuade him to join the other north London outfit instead, which didn't go down too well with West Ham supporters, who'd already lost Jermain Defoe and Freddie Kanoute to their rivals since suffering relegation in 2003.

During an interview with FourFourTwo, the former Premier League midfielder described a chaotic spell in his career when signing for Spurs. He revealed that the club's manager at the time, Jacques Santini, appeared unaware of his identity.

Carrick said: "He (Santini) didn't seem to know who I was – it was a very strange moment. I arrived at Spurs' training ground and said to my adviser Dave, 'I'm not too sure he knows who I am'. He said, 'I think you're right.'

"I'd signed that morning, so it was all agreed with the club and I went to his office to meet him. It was weird. I ended up with the reserve team on my first day of training, and later found out that I'd been signed more by Frank Arnesen, who was Spurs' sporting director."

But it wasn't at White Hart Lane where Carrick carved out his Premier League legacy; Old Trafford became the midfielder's stomping ground under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.

The midfielder moved to Manchester United in 2006 and the rest became history; clocking up 464 appearances in red before retiring at the club in 2018. Carrick secured an incredible five Premier League crowns with United, alongside an FA Cup, three EFL Cups, the Champions League, Europa League and the Club World Cup.

Yet, his career trajectory could have been completely different had Fabregas not blocked his switch to Arsenal in the mid-2000s – similar to how Eze's potential journey at Spurs might have unfolded if Arteta hadn't swooped in at the eleventh hour.

Richarlison has insisted he has "always been focused on Tottenham " amid reports the striker could leave the club this summer.

The 28-year-old only managed 24 appearances and five goals during an injury-disrupted 2024/25 campaign that was followed by renewed speculation about his future. Richarlison was mentioned as a possible makeweight in Spurs’ attempt to sign Eberechi Eze, but the forward has revealed he never had any intention of leaving north London.

The Brazil international made that clear to Frank on his first day in the job and the new manager’s supportive response was music to his ears. “It was very important,” Richarlison said of that chat. “Since I got here, every time the transfer window opens, my name is circled as one who could leave – going back to Brazil or wherever.

“But I’ve always been focused on Tottenham and I’ve never had a conversation about leaving. I’m in a good moment. I hope to continue working hard and getting the opportunity to give my best.”

Richarlison has hit the ground running under Frank, with an impressive performance in the UEFA Super Cup against Paris St Germain followed by a brace as Spurs beat Burnley 3-0 in their Premier League opener. The Brazil international provided the cross for Brennan Johnson’s opener in Saturday’s 2-0 victory at Manchester City and the former Everton star wants more.

“I’m very happy to be back,” Richarlison told Brazilian broadcasters. “After a long time, I was able to do a full pre-season.

“Since the PSG game, I’ve been playing with a rhythm that I’ve not had for a while – so I’ve been able to get into that. I’ve been able to play a good game and this is the result of a pre-season that was very good for me.

“Now I want to be able to continue like this and play like this. There’s been a lot of meetings (under Frank) – but I like that – meetings every day.

“I’m improving the tactical part and I’m training well to improve – hopefully that comes in handy for our defenders. When it was our second goal, we were able to steal the ball and the goal came out. As I said, I’m going to continue like this, working hard and hopefully things will happen.”

"I love my former club Brentford and I'm falling in love with this club here," admitted Thomas Frank on Saturday afternoon after a big early statement win against Manchester City.

The feeling is reciprocated as there's a quickly-sprouting affection and excitement around Frank within Tottenham Hotspur. The 51-year-old has embraced the ideals of the club while trying to make key changes of his own to the culture around the training ground and the football.

On the pitch, those changes are already clear with three very different tactical set-ups to take on three very different opponents and it should have brought three wins but for a tired five minutes or so in Udine.

That was always going to be the Frank way. The Dane has his principles, built on aggressive phases of play in different parts of the pitch, but beyond that his teams can morph into anything he chooses them to be.

Tottenham have gone through managers in recent years who either have a very set way of playing regardless of the opposition or are overly concerned about those they are facing. Frank is somewhere in the middle, with set foundations of play but always alongside a different plan to counter what might be thrown at them.

The players have bought into it quickly. Having Cristian Romero doing so and rewarded with the captaincy and his new contract was an important building block for Frank so early in his tenure. For where Cuti Romero goes, others follow.

Off the pitch, Frank has won over staff behind the scenes quickly. People at all levels rave about their interactions with him, "a thoroughly nice human being" making an effort to remember the name of everyone he meets and showing an interest in them.

Frank knows this is still the honeymoon period and in his first meeting with staff across Hotspur Way in the summer he made it clear that they would lose matches but that their time together would be defined by how they dealt with those disappointments rather than the victories.

The Dane is a man who will not let his thoughts run away with him and he could well know that the last Spurs manager to win the first two games of the season, including beating Pep Guardiola's City albeit at home, was Nuno Espirito Santo. The Portuguese only lasted a couple of months longer at Tottenham and may not last much longer at Nottingham Forest.

It feels at this point that the Frank tenure is built on stronger foundations, not least a club that must make good on the decision to hire him in the first place in the aftermath of that European trophy.

Watching the technical area around Frank is certainly a fascinating experience and one different to what would happen around his predecessor Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian always maintained he preferred to observe games in order to make better decisions rather than run through the gamut of emotions. That would frustrate the fans though who wanted action from the man at the helm.

Frank is different, he's constantly talking, whether to his players or with his coaching staff. Like Postecoglou he delegates, but it feels even more collaborative in terms of who speaks to the players.

Matt Wells, who is in charge of the defence and was praised by Frank after the game, was constantly beside him on Saturday, discussing everything with his boss and bellowing instructions to the team.

Frank pushes for collaboration and he could often be seen turning and encouraging others such as set piece coach Andreas Georgson and goalkeeping coach Fabian Otte to be vocal when their areas of expertise were involved in play.

The Tottenham analysts, including Joe Newton - Frank's trusted eye at Brentford - sat just in front of football.london, and were constantly passing on what they could see from their position in the stand to the bench and what was apparent through quickly poured over video analysis.

The analysts are all in constant contact with Wells, Justin Cochrane and Georgson, while the latter also has his own direct line with the set piece analyst.

It's just one big collaborative machine and Frank still needs it to get better. His coaching meetings at Brentford each day eventually got down to just 15 minutes, but on tour he said they were lasting around an hour at Spurs.

On Friday, he admitted to football.london that they have shaved three minutes off that run time, but there was plenty more work to do to streamline the processes involved and understand everything he wants.

If all of the above makes you think Frank is all cuddles and happiness, don't believe it. He is only a moment away from unleashing that Danish glare, which is often accompanied by some choice words and often ones that cannot be printed.

Even though all of his players were excellent at the Etihad, some still got to hear his wrath.

An early occasion came in the first half when Djed Spence took a quick throw backwards when Georgson was primed to set up a long throw routine. That brought exasperated Scandinavian shouts from both the Swede and Dane at a missed opportunity to cause havoc in the City box.

Even goalscorer Brennan Johnson could not escape. When he ran through on a break with three of his team-mates, his shot over the bar rather than using the extra numbers Spurs had on the counter was met by a volley of expletives from Frank.

In the final minutes of the game, Spence got it again from both the head coach and Wells when he made a great break up the pitch only to be too knackered to get back again as both coaches roared across the pitch and him and waving at the 25-year-old to get back into his own half at least as City counter-attacked.

Overall though it was mostly cuddles and happiness, especially at the final whistle for Spurs marshalled City perfectly, Frank becoming the sixth Tottenham manager in a row to win a game with a clean sheet against Guardiola.

The opening goal from Johnson was borne of a quick break, with Pedro Porro finding the head of Pape Matar Sarr with Richarlison running on to the Senegal midfielder's flick-on before pulling the ball across the box for the Wales international to smash home. It was reminiscent of the Postecoglou goals trained week in, week out at Hotspur Way.

The second goal though was all about Frank's pressing demands. The rushing Sarr got a foot to a James Trafford short pass out of goal ahead of Nico Gonzalez and while the diving goalkeeper then got a touch to the ball at Richarlison's feet, he could only knock it across to Joao Palhinha, who smashed it back past him.

In the second half, the City onslaught never really came. Guglielmo Vicario had made a couple of good saves in the first period but was largely untroubled after the break.

Instead the visitors looked more likely to score again with a string of headed chances for Richarlison, one for Dominic Solanke and two for Wilson Odobert as Spurs took home all three points and another clean sheet.

In all, Spurs had 12 shots to City's 10. When the final whistle blew, the Spurs fans sang "Manchester City, it's happened again" after yet another impressive win at the Etihad Stadium.

"I'm very delighted. Extremely proud of the players' performance. I think it was an exceptionally good performance," Frank told football.london. "I think the first 35 minutes, we know a couple of things, we know it's always difficult to play against City. Here at the Etihad it's even more difficult.

"The first 35 minutes I thought was fairly even, but with City on top, I think they were more on top than us. There was a big mentality shift in terms of staying in the game and keeping doing what we wanted to do, scoring a great goal. Maybe that changed a little bit of momentum, but we definitely stayed on top and went 2-0 up.

"Second half, I think we were very good. The big spell where we could think that they would put pressure on us, I think we were very aggressive in the high pressure, that we were very front-footed, with the mindset to constantly go for the 3-0 goal.

"And then, then I must say that the clean sheet makes me very happy. It's a big thing we've been working on, not on clean sheets as that's easier said than done, but on the defensive side of the game, high pressure, middle block, low block, defend the box mentality, blocking shots, everything.

"Because if you get clean sheets you're closer to winning a game and also last year we had six clean sheets, so yeah, that's very big for me."

It's near impossible to pick out a Spurs player that outshone the rest even if Sarr won the man of the match award, which Richarlison duly claimed in the dressing room as is his cheeky tradition.

For Vicario pulled off those vital first half saves from Omar Marmoush even if some of his short kicking was a bit scary in the second half.

Ahead of him, Porro was excellent other than an undercooked header meant for Vicario in the first half that gave Marmoush a chance, while Spence never stopped running until those final moments when Frank and Wells yelled at him to.

With the way that Spence is dealing with the game's top wingers, it might not be long before Thomas Tuchel has a look at him in his England squad. "Bring me your favourite winger," proclaimed Spence on his Instagram account on the way back from the Etihad.

It makes such a difference for a Spurs manager to have Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven alongside each other and they were both on top form against City.

Romero led the way with booming challenges, one of which so impressed the man who was crunched - Gonzalez - that the City man unexpectedly turned around and gave the Tottenham captain a high five.

Romero was also on the end of one of the poorest yellow card decisions likely to be seen this season when he earned one for an absolutely inch-perfect sliding tackle in which he clearly won the ball.

Romero topped the defensive stats on the pitch with six ball recoveries, three interceptions, two tackles, one block, three clearances and two headed clearances.

Alongside him, Van de Ven got away with what looked like a penalty missed for catching Oscar Bobb on the foot early in the second half, although perhaps it was balanced out by

Trafford almost taking Kudus' head off with a challenge when running out of his box.

The Dutch centre-back was otherwise excellent though and raced back to make a brilliant sliding block to deny Phil Foden from scoring with 12 minutes to go.

Then there was Joao Palhinha. The on-loan 30-year-old is looking like one of the bargains of the summer with every passing game.

It's no secret that Frank would have loved to have brought Christian Norgaard with him to Tottenham from Brentford rather than Arsenal getting him, but Palhinha feels as perfectly fitting a cog in the Frank machine as the Norwegian.

The Portuguese has brought back a lot of what Spurs lost with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's exit only with a more all-round game.

Palhinha won more duels (eight) and made more tackles (four) than any other player on the pitch on Saturday and when he made a great block in the second half he celebrated it like he did his well-taken goal.

Alongside the ridiculously composed Rodrigo Bentancur, Spurs have the makings of a powerful and technically impressive experienced central midfield duo.

When football.london asked about Palhinha and his influence in that midfield pairing, Frank took a moment to comment on the noise around the club this week.

"I think it's fair to say that we got a few questions about the transfer market yesterday, a lot about why not and what if and all that. What is 100% sure is we brought two top players into the club, Kudos and Palhinha, both of them have performed very well, which I'm very pleased with," he said.

"Then Palhinha, yeah, wow, you know, sometimes players need confidence and they need to be on top and I don't think he's fully fit yet, where I want him to be, but very pleased with his performance and he's definitely helping the team."

When the former Fulham midfielder spoke after the game to TNT Sports he spoke about Frank's involvement in bringing him to N17.

"The coach pushed me to come here and showed me the project," Palhinha said: "It is such a great club, and I am really glad to be in the Premier League again.

"I am so happy, me and my family. Now I want to enjoy this top club and top atmosphere again."

Sarr got the man of the match award and again showed that he's going to be a star in the Frank system, with his ability to deliver tactical performances to the letter with the energy and technical ability required.

Kudus showed his strength and dribbling ability again and terrified City every time he had the ball down the right. On the other side, Johnson worked hard defensively and played at times like a number 10, spraying the ball around, which is actually his natural position from when he was younger.

The Wales international's goal once again showed his remarkable ability to arrive in the right areas at the right times as he made it back-to-back games with goals. Frank referred to him as the team's deep runner on Friday and it's an apt description for the 24-year-old.

He was pushed towards the Spurs fans by his team-mates after the game as the away faithful sang the "Johnson again" chant that will be forever linked with that run of games last season when he just kept scoring and of course that night in Bilbao.

Up front Richarlison again showed why, if he can remain fit, there are few ready made Premier League strikers who can bring what he does to the Frank system. If he can steer clear of those previous woes then he and Solanke will be an important duo to rotate between as the games come thick and fast.

Richarlison knocked on Frank's door and said he wanted to stay at Spurs on the first day of pre-season and he hasn't really looked back since.

Solanke, Odobert and Lucas Bergvall all made an impact when they came on to the pitch late on, either fashioning chances for themselves or others.

Spurs need more depth though. As often is the case at the club, the starting XI is strong and can put in performances like this but you need to do it consistently. If you take a couple of players out of it as the fixtures pile up then it's a recipe for what happened last season to return.

Frank admitted to football.london the day before the game that the two new faces in Kudus and Palhinha had only really balanced out the exit of Son Heung-min and long-term absence of James Maddison, so his squad was "similar" to the one he inherited before the window.

That's certainly not the aim of a transfer window, to end up with what you started with. Lose Palhinha or Kudus and you're worse off than you were before.

The Tottenham fans remain unhappy at what they see as a lack of backing for Frank in what feels like another one of those summers when the club should have pushed on but instead at this point have not spent anything like what the Premier League's top sides have because of the failed moves for Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze.

Spurs fans chanted for chairman Daniel Levy's exit within 50 seconds of the match starting, they did so again with their team 2-0 up and then after the game as well as the "Johnson again" song died down.

The 63-year-old was in attendance and while he claims he is not bothered by criticism and that people will appreciate him when he is gone, Levy will be well aware of the suggestion from the fanbase that Thomas Frank is doing everything he can for Tottenham but those above him are not pulling their weight.

After a tough week at Spurs this was otherwise a good day, with the women's team also winning at Arsenal in a pre-season friendly under new manager Martin Ho.

Now Spurs need to kick on and that's often been something they've been accused of not doing when it matters. This feels like one of those key moments.

Savinho's agent Rodrigo Zeitel was at the Etihad Stadium along with both club's powerbrokers and a big bid for the talented Brazilian to test City's resolve would be a display of Tottenham's desire to back Frank.

That road was not a closed one on Saturday and hopefully Spurs can make an offer City cannot refuse for an experienced 21-year-old with a ridiculous amount of ability and potential.

Lange has a list of other targets for the number 10, winger and centre-back roles that Spurs will examine over the final week of the transfer window. Frank needs experienced heads, not necessarily in age but in game time - like Savinho - to take into the Champions League and a big Premier League push as well as those domestic cup competitions.

Right now Frank has started his tenure well, but so did Postecoglou back in 2023 only to be handed one senior player and a group of teenagers the following summer after finishing fifth.

Levy made clear his lofty expectations for the club this summer, now his and Tottenham's actions must underline those words rather than leave them hanging in the air as empty promises.

Thomas Frank's Tottenham Hotspur could be something special, but his whole ethos is about collaboration. He can't do it by himself.

Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford should've been sent-off during Tottenham Hotspur's eye-catching 2-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium, says former Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chief Keith Hackett.

Thomas Frank's men travelled to play Pep Guardiola's, after both recorded high-scoring victories on the opening weekend of the new Premier League term. But it was Spurs who kept their 100 per cent record in tact by scoring two goals without reply at the Etihad Stadium.

The first was a swift attacking move completed by a cross from Richarlison - which was tucked home by Brennan Johnson. City goalkeeper Trafford got a touch to the ball, but could not keep the powerful effort out.

Spurs then caught City out as they attempted to pass out from their own 18-yard box. Loan signing Joao Palhinha got the definitive touch - and Frank's team were on their way to a win before the half-time whistle had even been blown.

However, former head of the PGMOL, Hackett, believes there was one other key moment in the first half that did not result in the correct outcome. There'd been a 41st-minute Spurs attack - midway between goals from Johnson and Palhinha - that was analysed as it resulted in a stoppage in play.

The ball looped over the top of City's defence into the path of Mohammed Kudus. The Ghanaian brought the ball into touch with his chest and was instantly clattered into by onrushing goalkeeper Trafford outside of the penalty area.

But it was not the contact between the players that was the issue. Trafford's outstretched arm came into contact with the ball, which caused it to ricochet away and quell the danger of the Spurs attack.

"I have to ask, what is VAR doing? This is a clear handball offence outside the penalty area," Hackett said during his review for Football Insider. The former PGMOL chief concluded: "It's a denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity. It's a red card."

The 22-year-old Trafford, who recently re-signed for Guardiola's team for £27m from Burnley, went on to complete the fixture, but it did not end up having a baring on Spurs' positive result.

But the fact that the ball had hit Trafford's arm outside of his box was unanimous, as TNT Sports commentator Ally McCoist commented as he saw the replay: "I don't think there's any doubt that it hits his right arm."