Football London

Thomas Frank will have plenty to speak about in his press conference on Friday ahead of Tottenham's match at Manchester City in the Premier League.

Spurs will make their way to the Etihad Stadium for their match against Pep Guardiola's side after an opening game victory against Burnley. The match though has taken a back seat for the club's supporters this week to the events surrounding the failed transfer for Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace.

Tottenham eventually managed to agree a deal with the Eagles for the 27-year-old as well as terms with the England international only for Arsenal to make a late move for Eze. Having grown up a Gunners fan and having been released by the club as a 13-year-old, he had always wanted to return and Spurs stood no chance at that point.

Many have questioned why Tottenham did not make their move earlier in the window as Arsenal appeared to be forced into action by the injury to Kai Havertz. The failed move comes the month after Spurs thought they had a deal done for Morgan Gibbs-White only for that to get complicated and then the midfielder signed a new contract with Nottingham Forest.

Frank will be asked about the Eze situation as well as what transfer business he wants in the remaining days of the window including that search for a number 10 with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski out injured for the long term. The Spurs head coach will also be asked about the latest injury news.

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

Thomas Frank's Tottenham team are stepping up their preparations ahead of Saturday's Premier League encounter against Manchester City. Spurs marked the new season with a 3-0 victory over Burnley and they will be attempting to make it two wins on the bounce when they visit the Etihad Stadium for the lunchtime kick-off.

Tottenham will have to produce some performance in Manchester to come away with maximum points as Pep Guardiola's side started the term in style by putting four goals past Wolves. Games between the sides at the Etihad have proved to be memorable affairs in recent seasons and the latest match may well be full of excitement and goals once again.

Ahead of their trip north, Spurs have been putting in the hard work at their Hotspur Way base in their quest to achieve three points against City. Here are four things we spotted in the team's latest training session from the club's training video.

Solomon injury boost

Manor Solomon has yet to feature for Tottenham since returning this summer from his Leeds United loan spell. Injury put a stop to the winger playing for Frank in the pre-season friendlies and he has also failed to make the matchday squads for the recent Paris Saint-Germain and Burnley fixtures.

Solomon featured regularly in the latest training video released by the club and he will have been doing all he can to force his way into Frank's thinking for the upcoming games following his previous injury setback. The Spurs boss did indicate in his pre-match press conference for the Burnley game that his player had only just returned to part training with the team and it was about stepping it up after that, which it appears he has done.

Another attacking option helps Frank out and the Israeli has to take his chance with both hands if it arrives after not playing for the Dane at all so far.

Lesser-spotted Scarlett

Someone else who has not made the matchday squad in Tottenham's first two games of the 2025/26 season is Dane Scarlett. The academy graduate was notably left out of the squad for the pre-season tour of Asia to explore a loan move elsewhere, with his only appearance in the summer coming as a late substitute in the draw at Luton Town.

A loan deal has yet to come to fruition and it is something Tottenham need to sort out ASAP with the summer deadline edging ever closer. For now, the 21-year-old continues to train with the first team until his situation changes.

Attacking drills

Tottenham are going to have to take their chances at the Etihad Stadium when they arrive as they may be few and far between. The team should certainly be in confident mood anyway after scoring three against Burnley last weekend.

Ahead of Saturday's game in Manchester, Frank and his coaching staff had the players working on their attacking play as they looked to find a way past the defenders and then score beyond the goalkeeper. Solomon and Scarlett were involved in one eye-catching piece of play as the winger slipped his teammate in with a lovely through ball that split Djed Spence and Micky van de Ven. Scarlett duly did the rest after rounding Guglielmo Vicario to score.

Mathys Tel looked sharp and the same went for Dominic Solanke who displayed some nice quick feet to get the better of Kevin Danso better netting. Lucas Bergvall also scored an impressive goal with a strike from distance into the top corner past Antonin Kinsky.

Powerful Vuskovic and Van de Ven goals

Ahead of Tottenham releasing their full training video, the club did publish a teaser on Wednesday night which gave an insight into one of their training drills. The players went up against each other in a one-vs-one scenario where they had to use their strength to better their opponent and then convert a cross from the wing.

It started with Van de Ven outmuscling Mohammed Kudus and netting a glancing header that went in at the far post. The Dutchman also scored a superb diving header that resulted in Wilson Odobert falling over the training mannequin after coming off second best in their mini battle.

Richarlison, who is known for his heading ability, also scored one for himself as he sped past Archie Gray and headed the ball into the top corner. The Brazilian was clearly impressed by his finish that he decided to celebrate.

Morgan Rogers has already signalled his intentions following reported interest from Tottenham.

The Aston Villa midfielder is the latest player linked with a move to Spurs after the club missed out on Eberechi Eze, whose transfer to Arsenal was completed for £68 million.

On Thursday, The Independent reported that Tottenham had approached intermediaries regarding Rogers, who is expected to command a higher fee than Eze. The report adds that Villa are reluctant to sell the 23-year-old, but a bid could sway their stance amid concerns over profit and sustainability rules.

After being named as the new PFA young player of the year this week, Rogers admitted being happy at Villa. "Nobody could have written what happened to me in the last 12 months," he told The Times.

"I’m happy here. I love football. I love nothing more than just coming out on the pitch and playing football and that’s what I’m doing.

"I don’t think about anything else. I can’t predict the next 12 months or anything in the future. It’s just about playing football, enjoying my football and showing everyone what I can do."

That said, a deal seems highly unlikely, and football.london understands that Tottenham have no interest in Rogers.

While the 23-year-old has admirers at Chelsea and would be a statement signing for Spurs, it is clear that Unai Emery views him as the future of Villa and would prefer to sell other players if necessary.

"With how football is changing, I appreciate a lot the players being versatile, playing different positions, understanding everything tactically," Emery previously said of Rogers.

"One of them in our squad is clearly Morgan Rogers, and John McGinn as well. Not every player is ready to do it, but Morgan Rogers is always positive and his versatility is very important for us. In the last match, we played in different positions with Morgan.

"He played striker, number ten, right side, left side, and he’s always performing very well because he’s a player who understands tactically everything we are planning and he has the qualities to do it.

"The importance he has now is trying to improve. I’m always pushing him to get more of him, but physically as well he’s keeping the level we needed."

Tottenham Hotspur must now find themselves three players in the transfer window that strengthen Thomas Frank's starting XI and squad and they must do it at the most difficult point of the window.

Spurs failed to sign Eberechi Eze after a long-winded chase ended with a deal agreed with Crystal Palace only for Arsenal to swoop in for their former academy player. That meant Tottenham had failed in two drawn-out transfer pursuits for a number 10 this summer after failing to land Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest in July.

Now the club is scrambling in the final week-and-a-half of the transfer window to not only provide Frank with a number 10 but also a winger and another central defender.

With Mohammed Kudus and the on-loan Joao Palhinha the only new faces this season so far, Tottenham are a long way behind many of the other clubs they want to compete with in the Premier League who have signed a smattering of players and spent well over £200million on them.

All of those months in the window have been wasted and now clubs will see Spurs, technical director Johan Lange and chairman Daniel Levy coming from a mile away in these final days and hear the unspent cash from the failed Eze and Gibbs-White deals jingling in their pocket, along with a so far unsuccessful attempt to sign Savinho from Manchester City.

It's also a period when selling clubs have precious little time to replace players which either knocks up prices or makes some moves impossible.

Tottenham have to try and record a positive result at Manchester City on Saturday after a nightmare past few days. Recording a positive 3-0 victory over Burnley in their Premier League opener last weekend, Spurs looked set to secure another win with the addition of Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace.

However, north London rivals Arsenal were to ensure there was a twist in the tale after making a late move to entice the 27-year-old to the Emirates Stadium. Tottenham must put the sorry transfer episode behind them and ideally get points on the board when they come face-to-face with Pep Guardiola's team in Saturday's early kick-off.

Thomas Frank may look to switch things about for the game in Manchester as he is someone who will change his tactics and formation if required. So who will start in the Tottenham XI at the Etihad Stadium? Our football.london writers have had their say below:

Alasdair Gold - Tottenham Hotspur correspondent

There's only one option here really if there are no fresh injuries and that's the return of the 3-4-1-2 formation that served Spurs so well in the UEFA Super Cup game against PSG for 85 minutes or so.

Without a playmaker right now, Tottenham need the numbers and the runners and the combination of Richarlison and Mohammed Kudus up front worked well. Dominic Solanke will be fitter and sharper now but the Brazilian has earned the right to remain up front with his previous two performances and those goals against Burnley.

Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha formed a strong base and it was when the latter had to come off due to his fitness levels in Udine that Spurs' play went awry.

Having Kevin Danso in the back three also allows Spurs to continue to utilise the Austrian's powerful, flat long throw-ins that caused PSG all kinds of problems.

While things have been rather messy this week off the pitch, Frank has the chance to at least show what he can do on it this season if he can pull off a positive result at the Etihad Stadium

Gold's team: Vicario; Danso, Romero, Van de Ven; Porro, Bentancur, Palhinha, Spence; Sarr; Kudus, Richarlison.

Rob Guest - Football writer

It may be wise to go with the setup Thomas Frank used in the recent Super Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain given Tottenham are playing one of the Premier League's best this weekend. A back three could possibly help Spurs frustrate Manchester City after they put four goals past Wolves last weekend.

That means Kevin Danso comes into the team in place of Brennan Johnson to play alongside Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven in defence. Pedro Porro and Djed Spence can then offer the team support from either flank in the wing-back roles.

Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha must come back into the Tottenham XI, taking the place of Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall as a result. Pape Matar Sarr will then operate as the most advanced midfielder and offer support in the final third to Mohammed Kudus and Richarlison.

Dominic Solanke will have to bide his time on the bench to begin with once again as Richarlison deserves to lead the line after his Burnley heroics.

Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers is the latest Eberechi Eze transfer alternative to emerge for Tottenham after Arsenal hijacked their deal and swiftly agreed a £68million package with Crystal Palace.

Following on from the Morgan Gibbs-White transfer mess, Spurs have been left embarrassed again and even though there is just over one week of the summer window remaining, Daniel Levy and Johan Lange can still salvage what has been a disastrous few months.

Manchester City winger Savinho has also been targeted in August and though that deal is currently stalling, Spurs' hierarchy must do everything they can to reach an agreement.

The panic stage of the window is absolutely here and therefore if it takes £70million to sign him, which would be a club-record fee, then so be it.

The Brazil international does not solve the glaring gap in attacking midfield though, with an equally as expensive Premier League star seemingly under consideration.

According to the Independent, Tottenham have made contact with intermediaries for Morgan Rogers, who will cost significantly more than Eze, but is now a priority target. Their report adds that Aston Villa don't want to sell the 23-year-old, but a bid could change things amid concerns over complying with profit and sustainability rules.

Even after selling Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle United in a £43million deal, worries over PSR continue to persist at Villa Park, but it is likely that even taking that into account, Rogers' asking price could easily be double the fee Ramsey departed for.

Given the 30 goal contributions he picked up last season, his age and the five years remaining on his contract, a deal actually happening is extremely hard to foresee.

Rogers, who also admirers at Chelsea, would be a statement signing for Spurs but it is quite clear Unai Emery sees him as the future of Villa and would much rather sell other players if needs be.

As evidenced by how they've handled transfer negotiations this summer, Tottenham are much more likely to make their valuation clear in talks as opposed to submitting an outright offer.

It seems almost impossible that Villa would entertain either of those, considering the fact that this current trading period is nearly over and Emery has already lost one first-team attacker.

The Lilywhites can test the waters but with limited time remaining, they will be better off targeting AS Monaco star Maghnes Akliouche or Leicester City's Bilal El Khannouss as they are likely to be much cheaper and if Spurs also sign Savinho.

Arsenal have made a late bid to upend Tottenham Hotspur's long-trailed pursuit of Crystal Palace ace Eberechi Eze - but some Spurs fans in the football.london comments section, while certainly fuming at the hijack, reckon there's still a chance Daniel Levy can pull it off.

Spurs have been heavily linked with a move for Eze all summer, who's been a revelation for Palace, capping off his time there by winning the club's first FA Cup. The chase for Eze became more urgent after a devastating ACL injury to James Maddison, with Dejan Kulusevski also in the treatment room.

Arsenal suffered their own injury blow for Kai Havertz recently, leading them to move quickly and hijack Spurs' move for Eze. Despite talks taking place between Daniel Levy and Palace as recently as Wednesday, Eze is understood to want to move to Arsenal as a priority, which could spell the end of this transfer chase for Spurs.

It's a sorry state of affairs for many fans. Reader Ttid1965 says: "Levy has no nose for today's transfer business needs. The 'tough guy', dragged-out negotiating tactics do not work. You have to act fast, especially with an injury driving a need for a player as any club can swoop in at any time. Look, Arsenal get a huge injury blow and BAM, in a day have money and favourable payment terms in hand for a deal to be agreed on in ONE HOUR!"

Commenter ABorg writes: "Levy is the one holding this club back. Every other club finds a target pays up and signs them, Levy takes forever to try and drive the price as low as possible giving other clubs time to steal the deal. How many times has it happened with his way of dealing?"

Rowlic says: "This is now a joke. What an absolute mess. Levy must just pay up and get it done. He's making us a laughing stock."

Ric4ever writes: "For sheer incompetence - even by Daniel Levy's standards - this wants some beating. No wonder we're the laughing stock of North London!"

"At least he can say he tried for three weeks but could not reach a deal. Of course, Arsenal like other winning clubs, only take three hours to fill a missing link in their team."

Halestrap writes: "The only reason i might turn up for the Bournemouth game is to protest against this absolute joke of a chairman. Absolutely screwed us. I've never been so angry at this tinpot club!"

Jeffc00p issues a challenge to Levy: "As usual Levy's dithering is going to cost us. For the life of me I can't understand how such an obviously successful businessman can be such a donut when it comes to football matters. However, let's at least test the Gooners' resolve by chucking £70m down on the table and making them beat it if they really want Eze."

Tottenham's 2025/26 Champions League opponents will all become clear seven days from now. The north London club may have finished last season 17th in the Premier League table but they secured a place back at Europe's top table by winning the Europa League.

Spurs will be one of six English teams in this year's competition, joining Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Chelsea in the draw. The draw takes place in Switzerland on Thursday, August 28.

As was the case last season following the decision to adopt a new format, teams will be drawn against two teams from each of the four pots to determine their eight league phase fixtures. The exact dates and times of those eight games will become clear a day or two after the draw.

As things stand right now, 29 of the 36 teams are in place for the 2025/26 edition of the Champions League. The final seven teams will be finalised on Wednesday evening once the play-off round has come to a conclusion.

Three of the 14 teams battling it out for a place in Europe's premier competition do already appear to be in a strong position to secure their place in the league phase. Bodo/Glimt were the big winners in the first leg after defeating Austrian opponents Sturm Graz 5-0 at home.

That means the Norwegian team could potentially come up against Tottenham in the league phase if drawn together, which would be a repeat of their Europa League semi-final from back in May. Elsewhere, Club Brugge and Qarabag lead 3-1 from their first leg ties against Rangers and Ferencvaros respectively following away wins.

Ferencvaros' defeat against Qarabag does mean a potential Tottenham reunion for Robbie Keane may be off the cards as the Irishman is now in charge of the team from Hungary. Cypriot team Pafos are also in a good position to qualify for the main stage of the Champions League as they lead Red Star Belgrade 2-1 going into next week's home leg.

Celtic could potentially be in for a shock exit after only managing a 0-0 draw with Kairat at Celtic Park. Brendan Rodgers' side will now have to do the business in Kazakhstan next Tuesday as they attempt to avoid an embarrassing defeat.

Basel and Copenhagen are all square going into the second leg in Denmark following a 1-1 draw, with Fenerbahce and Benfica playing out a 0-0 draw in Turkey. The Champions League does always throw up some surprises and that may well be the case next week as the clubs fight it out for a lucrative place in the league phase.

Here are the clubs who have already secured their place in the league phase and their likely pots for the draw:

Pot 1: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, PSG, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona.

Pot 2: Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Villarreal, Juventus, Eintracht Frankfurt.

Pot 2/3: Tottenham, PSV.

Pot 3: Ajax, Napoli, Sporting CP, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague, Marseille.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer plans look to be forced to change yet again after being handed a blow at the hands of Arsenal this week.

Spurs were leading the race to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace with talks being held with the Eagles to strike a deal for the England international.

However, news emerged on Wednesday that Arsenal were stepping up their interest in signing Eze and looked the favourites to get a deal over the line in the coming days.

As a result, Tottenham look likely to be forced to pivot to another transfer target after missing out on yet another deal. It was earlier in the summer that Spurs missed out on signing Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest after the playmaker signed a new contract to remain at the City Ground.

Now, Manchester City star Savinho is being linked with a move to Tottenham as they look to sign a new forward.

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has reported that Tottenham are "pushing" to sign Savinho, with manager Thomas Frank keen to bring the Brazilian to North London.

However, Man City are mentioned as being determined to keep Savinho at the Etihad Stadium and are, for now, not allowing a transfer to take place.

Spurs, though, are hopeful that Man City will eventually give the green light for Savinho's exit to be approved and allow the player to complete a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham are looking at the transfer market for reinforcements in the aftermath of James Maddison's injury during pre-season. The playmaker suffered an ACL injury earlier this month and is expected to be on the sidelines for the majority of the season after undergoing surgery for the injury.

Twice in the space of 30 days, Tottenham Hotspur have been denied the marquee signing of a Premier League proven star. The Morgan Gibbs-White disaster left a sour taste in the mouth but for a similar situation to unfold with Eberechi Eze as well, is extremely brutal.

Despite swiftly moving for the Nottingham Forest captain's signature, there was, seemingly, nothing at all the Lilywhites could do to prevent him from staying at the City Ground.

Tottenham, seemingly, tried the opposite approach with Eze by taking their sweet time in negotiations, despite clear need for a No.10, and that has ultimately cost them.

Had it not been for James Maddison's injury, it is very unlikely Eze would have even been pursued and yet when Arsenal were put in a similar situation - with Kai Havertz picking up an issue - they acted very quickly. After just a few days, a formal approach was made and Palace's asking price met.

Spurs wasting time over the intricacies of negotiations has seen their biggest rivals swoop in and sign Eze. Despite a striker getting injured, the Gunners have signed someone capable of playing in an attacking midfield role, and off the left, which raises an interesting question over where he will play and how many minutes he will be given.

None of that will overly matter to Thomas Frank, though, as the Spurs boss prepares for another game without a No.10. It is unlikely one would have been needed for their upcoming clash against Manchester City, but Spurs still have just 11 days to fix things and therefore at the very least, must sign two players.

Savinho has been pursued already and Tottenham must now do everything possible to sign him up, even if that means making him their club-record transfer which is what a bid of £70million, as Man City's asking price, will do.

However, just the Brazilian arriving is not enough, as he is not an attacking midfielder. There are several options available on the market with Xavi Simons and Bilal El Khannouss among those that have been linked to the club.

There is one option of interest that stands above the rest, though, and that is AS Monaco's Maghnes Akliouche.

The 23-year-old could - as an expert passer - provide the perfect balance for Frank with Mohammed Kudus and Wilson Odobert more focused on making ground through successful dribbles

Apart from Maddison, Spurs do not have a natural creator in the final third of the pitch. Pedro Porro is - of course - certainly capable of threading deliveries from deep but that will not always be an option. There have been varying updates on his future in France, but it looks as though £60.6m (€70m) may enough to get the job done.

It is clear, through Eze and Savinho being targeted in separate deals, that those funds are available which means Spurs simply have to bring in both before deadline day.