Football London

Tottenham have confirmed that Cristian Romero will miss this afternoon's game against Aston Villa after suffering an injury during the warm-up.

Romero, 27, hadn't missed a single minute for Spurs in the Premier League this season, but his streak will come to an end, as he won't face Villa.

He went to warm up with the rest of his Tottenham teammates but is said to have felt some discomfort and headed straight down the tunnel.

Kevin Danso will replace the Argentina international in the starting line-up and partner Micky van de Ven, who will captain the side, in central defence.

As for the rest of the XI, Guglielmo Vicario will start in goal, while Pedro Porro and Djed Spence are the two full-backs with Destiny Udogie out injured.

Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha make up the defensive midfield duo, with Xavi Simons ahead of them both in the No.10 position.

Wilson Odobert and Mohammed Kudus are out wide while Mathys Tel is the No.9 with Dominic Solanke still unavailable and Richarlison on the bench.

Romero was later spotted in the tunnel alongside Argentina teammate Emiliano Martinez before the two teams walked out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

He then took his place on the bench as he prepared to watch his side in action, looking to record a second straight win after a 2-1 win at Leeds United before the international break.

Tottenham's clash against Villa is the first of seven in 22 days during a hectic period for Frank and his side. Speaking about that pre-match, the Spurs head coach said: "We love to play games.

"Every footballer loves to play a game instead of training. Coaches, we like to train a little bit more sometimes, but in general, we love to play the games. We have a fantastic run of games ahead of us, starting with Villa on Sunday – a top team, top manager, Unai, I respect him a lot. I think what he's done in his career is amazing.

"What he created at Villa is fantastic in so many areas. I think they did well in the Champions League last season and almost qualified for the Champions League again, which is very impressive and I think they have a very strong team. So, yeah, looking forward to it."

Not long after Chelsea overcame Nottingham Forest, one of Frank Lampard's former assistant managers at Stamford Bridge stepped into a boxing ring

Former Chelsea assistant manager Jody Morris overcame ex-Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur ace David Bentley at a charity boxing event.

Morris, 46, was Frank Lampard's right-hand man during the now Coventry City manager's first reign in charge at Stamford Bridge. Four years after Lampard was dismissed, Morris, who also briefly managed Swindon Town, swapped the football pitch for the boxing ring to fight on Pro Project Promotions' charity fight card.

The event was arranged to raise money for charities: Playskill, Sport In Mind, Willow Foundation, and Helping Hands, with the aim of generating £500,000. It was an entertaining night of boxing action, which was attended by the likes of Peter Crouch and many others.

The bout, which took place at the Grosvernor Hotel in Mayfair, was organised by ex-Arsenal and Millwall goalkeeper Graham Stack, who also persuaded the likes of Curtis Davies, Leroy Lita, Paddy Kenny and many more to fight. However, the main event of the evening was the clash between Morris and Bentley.

The two former Premier League players renewed the famous rivalry between Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham. On this occasion, it was the Blues who came out on top, as Morris was crowned the winner over three rounds.

After the fight, the ex-Chelsea youth coach said: " I was absolutely f***ed! You don’t realise how much the adrenaline will take out of you.

"Obviously, I’ve worked fairly hard for the last seven-eight weeks. I was pleased I did, otherwise I’d have been out on my feet."

He also referenced Bentley's former clubs and laughed: "Spurs have tried for ages but they always get folded up by the Chels. But let’s not forget he was Arsenal as well so that was Arsenal and Spurs in one night.”

Bentley also congratulated Morris for his victory and also admitted he found it to be a gruelling challenge. The former Gunner, who retired from football at the age of 29 years old, admitted it will likely be his last fight.

The now 41-year-old said: " I feel great getting in the ring, fighting Jody what a great guy he is. But getting into the ring, I think I’m better at promoting boxing than I am actually boxing.

“But I wanted to actually get in the ring and it was about raising money for charity. That’s what it’s all about. Congratulations to Jody. Thank God I didn’t go down, I wouldn’t have got back up!”

Morris managed to keep Bentley away with some firm jabs, while also catching the ex-England international with some huge overhand right hands. Bentley, who was trained by former world champion Kevin Mitchell, struggled to get inside Morris and cause some damage of his own.

But the whole event was fought with good nature and ended with the two former players from rival teams embracing in the squared circle.

Tottenham will be looking to take advantage of an underwhelming Aston Villa side as Thomas Frank looks to keep things moving on nicely in the Premier League

Tottenham come into this match sitting third in the Premier League, having collected 14 points from their opening seven games. Under Thomas Frank, Spurs have enjoyed a positive start in terms of results, even if their performances have sometimes lacked conviction. They remain unbeaten in their last seven matches, though three of their last five have ended in draws. Both teams have found the net in four of Tottenham’s last five games across all competitions, and four of those matches have featured over 2.5 goals.

Statistically, Tottenham’s underlying numbers suggest they are a mid-table side, averaging 1.31 expected goals (xG) for and 1.32 expected goals against (xGA) per game. While it’s still early in the season, these figures raise some questions about whether Spurs can sustain their strong results over the long term especially as the season endures fixture congestion with Champions League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup action to think about in the coming months.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, sit 13th in the table with nine points from 13 games. After a sluggish start, Villa have found their rhythm, arriving at this fixture on the back of four consecutive wins in all competitions. Victories over Burnley (2-1), Feyenoord (2-0), Fulham (3-1), and Bologna (1-0) have given them momentum heading into what promises to be a challenging encounter.

Recent meetings between Tottenham and Aston Villa have been closely contested, with Villa winning three of the last five head-to-heads and Tottenham taking the other two. These fixtures are typically entertaining, with four of the last five producing over 2.5 goals and three of the last five seeing both teams score.

Tottenham vs Aston Villa Betting Tips

Over 2.5 goals - 17/20

Tottenham/Draw - 1/3

Brennan Johnson to score anytime - 14/5

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Tottenham are looking to build on the 2-1 win at Leeds before the international break when they host Aston Villa on Sunday in the Premier League (2pm)

Thomas Frank has a welcome managerial headache when Aston Villa visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday in the Premier League.

The Dane has used the international break to reflect and recharge following a positive start to life in the Spurs dugout, but with the games coming thick and fast, it's crucial his side continue building momentum to ensure they keep the pace at the top of the table.

If the Villa game had come immediately after the trip to Leeds, it's highly likely Frank may well have named an unchanged side.

But his ranks have been bolstered by the return of Randal Kolo Muani, who is finally available again after missing the last five matches with a dead leg.

Frank has plenty to ponder in attack but in defence, there are unlikely to be too many changes.

Cuti Romero did not feature for Argentina against Puerto Rico so the captain is well rested and is poised to partner Micky van de Ven.

Djed Spence could also be recalled, he was an unused substitute at Elland Road, in place of Destiny Udogie after earning back-to-back clean sheets during the international break with England.

Spence could feature at left-back with Pedro Porro playing at right-back, as usual.

In midfield, Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentacur's industry could be key against Villa's hardworking engine room.

Villa pose a threat on the counter attack and Palhinha and Bentancur's solidity will provide Spurs' frontline with an extra sense of freedom.

Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel are expected to keep their place in the side as they were in blistering form during the international break for France U21s.

Odobert struck two braces against the Faroe Islands and Estonia, and also provided an assist, while Tel also helped himself to two goals.

The former Bayern Munich attacker has endured a challenging start to life at Spurs after missing out on a place in Frank's Champions League squad but the pair - Tel netted at Leeds - are in form and Tottenham will surely be keen to utilise that.

Additionally, Richarlison should be relatively fresh as he only played a handful of minutes from the bench for Brazil during the break, even though he did travel to the Far East for friendlies against South Korea and Japan.

Mohammed Kudus, who booked Ghana's place at the World Cup, is a shoo-in on the right, while Xavi Simons could get the chance to flourish as the No.10.

Tottenham are reportedly set to change their transfer rules after a £100m cash injection.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly prepared to overhaul their self-imposed wage restrictions for players, following changes in the club's leadership structure.

The departure of chairman Daniel Levy has been succeeded by the appointments of Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange as sporting directors. The new structure aims to bolster leadership, collaboration, and decision-making across all aspects of the men's and youth games.

In an official statement, Spurs announced: "Together, they will lead our men's football strategy and drive an ambitious new chapter for the Club. This evolution forms part of the Club's continued investment in world-class men's and women's football structures designed to deliver sustained on pitch success.

"Johan and Fabio's combined expertise will ensure that every decision, from player pathways and performance development to scouting and recruitment, is aligned and supports one overarching goal - to build a winning, world-class men's team that endures."

As per the Telegraph, there have been suggestions that the club might alter their notoriously stringent wage bill policy. However, it's reported that the club's focus remains on how they allocate their funds, rather than the total amount spent on transfers.

Historically, Spurs' wage structure has been conservative and lower than their top-table rivals. Nevertheless, Levy's exit could now indicate a shift in this approach.

This follows Tottenham's confirmation that the Lewis family has pumped a further £100 million into the club.

A source close to the Lewis family told football.london : "This is initial additional funding.

"As the club's management decides what's needed to deliver success, more money will be available. The Lewis family is committed to backing the club to be successful."

The summer transfer window saw Thomas Frank spend £125 million on new signings.

The Spurs boss offered an upbeat response to the financial boost.

"First and foremost, I think it's hugely positive that the Lewis family is clearly showing their interest in doing everything they can to improve the club and back the club as they want us to be as successful as possible," he said.

"I think that's a sign of it, that they are injecting cash into the club."

Thomas Frank confirmed one of his Tottenham players could be out for a few weeks after suffering an injury while on international duty, while he revealed who won't feature against Aston Villa

Thomas Frank could be without as many as six players when Tottenham face Aston Villa. The Lilywhites will host Unai Emery's side in north London on Sunday afternoon as they look to climb the Premier League table.

Tottenham will hope to build on where they left off. Before the international break, Mohamed Kudus fired Spurs to a 2-1 victory against Leeds United at Elland Road, leapfrogging Crystal Palace to claim third place.

Since losing 1-0 to Bournemouth on home turf at the end of August, the Lilywhites have gone seven games unbeaten across all competitions. Aston Villa have been enjoying a rich vein of form too, winning each of their last four games.

While Tottenham are still without Dominic Solanke, who's been nursing an ankle injury, Frank could finally give one of his summer signings their Premier League debut. Speaking to reporters at the club's training ground on Friday afternoon, the Spurs boss said: "[Randal] Kolo Muani has trained now for two weeks with the team, so that's good.

"He looks better and better. He will be in contention for tomorrow, so that's positive. Dom's progressed well after the surgery, been on the pitch, he's progressing and he's going forward, so that's good."

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

On whether Solanke could return before the next international break, Frank said: "I think the good thing is he's positive. He's progressing now. He's still training on his own, so I don't want to be too excited or too negative either way.

"I'm actually taking a little bit day by day and week by week to see how quickly he progresses. Dom is a naturally fit player. There are some players that naturally get that fitness up to a high level.

"But of course, also he's taken into consideration he basically hasn't trained with the team since July. That's not to say it will take three months to get up to pace. It will take a little bit of time to get up to pace. How long, I don't know."

James Maddison remains out with a knee injury after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament during Spurs' pre-season tour of Asia. Dejan Kulusevski, had surgery on his knee in May, and Kota Takai, who suffered a plantar fascia injury in his foot in the summer, are also unavailable.

Radu Dragusin sustained an anterior cruciate ligament at the start of the year. At the end of September, Frank claimed there it would be 'a few weeks' before the defender is in contention again.

Aston Villa could be without a big name or two this weekend, too. Ollie Watkins suffered a leg injury during England’s win over Wales last week, and he was replaced at half-time.

When asked about the striker's situation, Emery suggested that he'll be ready to face Spurs. The Spaniard said: "Tomorrow we will train again, normally he will be ready for Sunday."

Then, on Emiliano Buendia and Jadon Sancho, Emery confirmed: "Both have trained normally and will be available for Sunday in case they train well tomorrow."

Tyrone Mings, however, faces a late fitness test. The Villa boss added: "He is getting better. He trained this week individually. Tomorrow, we will see how he is. The idea is to train with the team and after that we will decide."

Youri Tielemans could be sidelined for another four weeks with a calf injury. The midfielder, who's missed each of Villa's last six matches, suffered a setback in his recovery earlier this month.

Andres Garcia is yet to feature for Emery's side this season. The defender was spotted in training ahead of the season opener against Newcastle United, and again before the Bologna clash.

Thomas Frank has been previewing Tottenham's Premier League match against Aston Villa which takes place on Sunday

Thomas Frank has provided a Spurs injury update ahead of the visit of Aston Villa. Randal Kolo Muani is back in training after missing the past five matches with a dead leg.

The Frenchman has only played 13 minutes since joining the club on loan from PSG. Nonetheless, he could make his Premier League debut this weekend when Villa visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The match will, however, come too soon for Dominic Solanke as he continues to step up his fitness following minor ankle surgery.

Frank also spoke about the £100million cash injection from the Lewis family plus the double appointment of Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange following the Italian's long-awaited return to the club.

Football.London is on hand to provide you with the full transcript from the press conference, which you can see below.

How's the squad looking in terms of Dom, his surgery, Kolo Muani, Bissouma, Ben Davies?

Yeah, all fine compared to last time. Kolo Muani has trained now for two weeks with the team, so that's good. He looks better and better, he'll be in contention for the squad for tomorrow, so that's positive. Dom's progressed well after the surgery, he's been on pitch I actually don't know if it was today, but it definitely was the two days before that.

So the detail is he's progressing and he's going forward, so that's good. Biss unfortunately had a situation with the national team, I think everyone saw that unfortunately, so he got a ligament injury to his ankle, they'll keep him out for weeks.

Big news this week with the return of Fabio Paratici. How will it work with all of you together?

Yeah, I'm also positive about it. Obviously Fabio worked as a consultant for the club, so I met him there a few times in the last couple of months. I'm looking forward to getting to know him more. Of course when it's more day-to-day, you'll get to know each other even better. I'm looking forward to working together. I'm not in doubt that Fabio, Johan, I and Vinai will create a very strong team.

And together I'm convinced that we can create something very good. I'm used to working with two sports directors, I've done that for nine years in Brentford. First with Phil Giles and Rasmus Ankersen, then Phil Giles and Lee Dykes. I actually think you need two these days to cover everything, because it's such a big job. And I think also the two of them complement each other. Ah, you've just answered my second question.

Did you have an input into it? Did you speak to Vinai and say you had two before and it worked really well?

Yeah, I would say there were thoughts about it, of course. It happened to me the first time I spoke about it. I was a little bit, like you said there, very positive about it. Because I think it will work very well and I think there is no one that is perfect in this world.

And I think the strong abilities both Johan and Fabio have, I think that they complement each other so well. So it's like a perfect match. So they're just like this and then we cover more together.

Vinai says he expects disagreements because everyone's different. Will you hope to have the final say? If it's a player potentially in January or the summer?

I'll always have the final say. You know that, yeah. Of course, in the end it's teamwork. I'm pretty sure if one of them, I would say three of us, because Vinai is, as he's saying, not technical or whatever you call it, of course he will have an opinion. But the three of us need to agree.

And if one lets take an exam, it doesn't matter if it's me, Fabio, and he's very, very, very strong, I should not think he's a player, then that's probably not that right. So I'm pretty sure that we will find a good way to go.

Seven games coming up in next 22 days, filled with excitement?

Oh, yeah, definitely. We love to play games. Every footballer loves to play a game instead of training. Coaches, we like to train a little bit more sometimes, but in general, no, we love to play the games.

We have a fantastic run of games ahead of us, starting with Villa on Sunday. A top team, top manager. Unai, I respect him a lot. I think what he's done in his career is amazing. What he created at Villa is fantastic in so many areas. I think they did well in the Champions League last season and almost qualified for the Champions League again, which is very impressive and I think they have a very strong team. So, yeah, looking forward to it.

Considering what you've done so far this season with injuries, does that whet the appetite for what could be achieved with players back?

I think we all have an idea in our head what could be the strongest team with all the players available. But probably the reality is that you need to create the strongest possible team of the players you have available now.

That is my task, that is my job, and get the best out of that. So, it's nice to dream a little bit, but like with all dreams, it's not reality. Reality is here now, what kind of players we have available, and then I need to perform for them. That said, of course, I would like some of them to be fit and available.

Are you surprised with what you’ve seen from Aston Villa so far, especially after last couple of years with them now down in 13th?

This is meant positive, I would say no because when I see them performing and their structure and the way they play, I see a lot of the same that I've seen from Unai Emery's team in the last three seasons. I see a lot of the same strengths, they're very, very good in the build-up and in phase two, and have a fantastic structure. They're very composed and have fantastic players. We know in Rogers, been doing fantastic.

Ollie Watkins, Donyell Malen who scored goals, Onana in midfield, Kamara, I know Tielesman is injured, but that’s a top team. The back four is very good as well. So, it's a team and you can see they're growing and I expect an unbelievable, tight game on Sunday, that we're very positive about and that we will do everything to edge. And I hope and believe we can, but that will be a strong test on Sunday.

On BBC website, we have an interesting article about XG – how much influence does it have on you as a manager with data and how much do you use XG with squads on a match day?

Not too much on match days, I would say. I use data of course. I've done that for a long time to how can I say? To create the right narrative that I want to maybe get across to the players, or to you (media) guys to make sure we get the right message out there. That's one thing.

Secondly, I think it's good to have another indicator or benchmark that you could look towards that’s analysing performance, but my eyes and my knowledge or principles of what I believe in is always the most important thing. I think it's very important to have the stats to back up the performance either way, good or bad because sometimes we put it to the top corner two times, won 2-0 and everything is beautiful, but actually you were absolutely s*** in terms of XG and shots against, so, we need to use both.

Sticking with XG, Vicario has done very well, you’re over-performing in front of goal, do the stats match up what you’re seeing?

Yeah, I think there's yes and no. I think there's some areas I've been very happy with, so it's not only XG. Both things, that's very simple to look at. I look at that as well. Of course, I always want it to be top than the other end, but I think seven games is a very small sample in general. So, there's elements and part of our game I've been very pleased with. For example, the high pressure, a bit of the phase one as well. I think our middle pressure is getting better and better for example. And then a big thing for me, the number of crosses and arriving in the box we are in the top and I think that's key for me because if we put a lot of crosses in, hopefully more with quality, have enough players arriving in there in the right gaps in the right areas, that will give us a big opportunity for scoring goals. So, that's another bit I'm looking into.

Do you think we’ll see Dom Solanke in this 22-day period before November international break and when he is training, will you need to be cautious with him?

I think the good thing is it’s positive that he's progressing now, but he's still training on his own, so I don't want to be too excited or too negative either way. So, I'm actually taking a little bit day-by-day and week-by-week to see how quickly he progresses. Dom is a natural fit player. There's some players that naturally get that fitness up to a high level, but of course we also need to take into consideration he basically hasn't trained with the team since July, but that's not to say it will take three months to get up to pace. It’s just it will take a little bit of time to get up to pace. How long? I don't know.

How excited are you to get Kolo Muani out on the pitch now he’s fit?

I think it's very important to have him fit and available. I think he looks better and better. I think it's also fair to say that he has trained two weeks with the team and when he came on the 1st of September? Oh my God, that's six, seven weeks ago. Time flies! But he still needed a bit to go up to the higher level, but it's not to say that he can't be involved tomorrow and maybe can play minutes. I think it's fair to say he needs a little bit of time to get up to fully firing.

Do you relish a tough run of fixtures to try and improve the poor home record?

Yeah I think in general every team, and I can speak for us Tottenham Hotspur, we would like our home to be a fortress. That is the ultimate aim. Can we make our home an unbelievably difficult place to come to? Then you know the job is half done in terms of what you like to try to achieve. And that is like an unbelievable, how can I say, cohesion between the team and the fans. And that needs to go hand in hand. It cannot only be the team, it cannot only be the fans. It needs to be both.

And we need to bring energy to each other. And I think that is absolutely key. And we need to do everything that we can to work unbelievably hard, perform well, try to be positive, all that, but also need a little bit of help.

Because, you know, football in every game goes a little bit up and down. You have good spells, bad spells. The Premier League is the most relentless league in the world. It's so difficult to compete in. So we need the fans, especially, especially in the tough moments. The better they can be behind the team, not easy, because it's not easy, the better it will be and they will have, feel more success for the team. So we need that. But when our fans are behind the team and the stadium is rocking, I think it's one of the best places in the world.

Great international break from Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert? Two hugely talented young players, keen to get them to fulfil potential?

Yeah I agree. I think it was so nice to see both of them perform well for their country and I watched all their assists and goals and actions from their games. And it's nice. I think sometimes you are in momentum and you're in a good rhythm and clearly both of them are in a good rhythm, scoring goals, performing well, having good actions. So I think that's key.

I'm pleased with both players in general. I think they are developing and taking steps in the right direction. So I think it's positive

Have you spoken to Randal Kolo Muani about the World Cup and how long will it be before we see the player that Spurs signed?

I don't know. I think the World Cup is far away in general and I understand that the players are thinking about it. I haven't spoken to him about it if I'm honest because I think for any player to want to be involved in the World Cup, you need to play.

And for whatever reason he hasn't been able to do it yet. What I'm focussing on is to make sure that he is in a good place and try to get him into his best possible performance level. And when he is in that best possible performance level, he'll hopefully do very well for us and then the rest will take care of themselves."

Frank's Emery struggles

Thomas Frank has never beaten Unai Emery's Aston Villa in the Premier League despite having five bites at the cherry.

He has drawn twice, losing the other three.

Furthermore, Frank has only won once in his past eight matches against Villa, his joint-lowest win percentage against a fellow Premier League side.

Frank speaks at Fan Forum

Thomas Frank was speaking at the club's Fan Forum last night and he was asked about the prospect of signing Harry Kane (again) and Ivan Toney

He said: "Let’s put it this way, they’re two very very good players, both of them. Harry Kane is a legend. I said in the press conference the other day, if he wants to come back he’s more than welcome.

"Of course Ivan Toney I coached for a few years, top player, top guy, very good striker so let’s see what happens in the future."

You can read the full story here.

Thomas Frank was speaking at Tottenham's 2025 Fan Forum on Thursday evening alongside the likes of Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank was speaking at the Spurs' Fan Forum on Thursday evening and the Dane was asked about the prospect of signing England duo Harry Kane and Ivan Toney. Kane's future has been a hot topic in recent weeks after Frank confessed the door was open for the Bayern Munich marksman if he ever wanted to consider an emotional return to north London.

Probed again on the issue, Frank doubled down and made it clear Kane is "welcome" back at Spurs all the while he's at the helm.

He said of the prolific 32-year-old: "Let’s put it this way, they’re two very very good players, both of them. Harry Kane is a legend. I said in the press conference the other day, if he wants to come back he’s more than welcome."

Frank was also quizzed on his former Brentford frontman Ivan Toney, who is now starring in the Saudi Pro League for Al-Ahli.

Spurs have been linked with a swoop for the 29-year-old and Frank appears open to the prospect of a reunion, responding when asked about Toney: "Of course Ivan Toney I coached for a few years, top player, top guy, very good striker so let’s see what happens in the future."

Tottenham are not currently in the market for a striker but that could change at the end of the season when loanee Randal Kolo Muani is poised to return to Paris Saint-Germain.

Richarlison, who has remained committed to Tottenham to consolidate his chances of leading the line for Brazil at the World Cup, is also due to enter the final 12 months of his contract next summer.

England skipper Kane insists he isn't considering a return to Tottenham at this moment in time, however, even though he has a £56.7million release clause that will be active next summer.

Speaking to The Daily Mail earlier this week, Kane admitted he was focused on life in Germany following a stunning start to the campaign with Bayern.

He said: "I’m not sure (if I’ll go back). I’m very happy here in Munich. It’s not something I'm thinking about. It’ll always be "we" (with Spurs) because I spent my whole life there.

I’m a fan of them and will always watch them and see how they’re getting on. They will always be a part of my life for sure but as for now, I’m loving it here.

It was great to see (them win a trophy this year). I’ve got a lot of friends there with the players and staff.

We know how long we waited and how close we’d come in the past so it was big for everyone - the fans, the club and all involved to have that feeling and get that one over the line. That’s always important and hopefully they can push on and win more."

Tottenham return to Premier League action against Aston Villa this weekend, with Dominic Solanke delivering an injury update after undergoing surgery on his ankle

Dominic Solanke has been plagued by an ankle issue since pre-season, with surgery ultimately deemed necessary to fix the problem. After missing almost all of Spurs' friendlies, the forward made a number of cameos in competitive action before being ruled out of facing his former club Bournemouth in late August.

He has not featured since the 2-0 win over Manchester City nearly eight weeks ago. When asked about Solanke's progress, Frank offered hopeful updates, but that ended last month when arguably the worst-case scenario was confirmed.

"Dom we know got that ankle issue that's been bothering him for a little while," he said. "Decided to have minor surgery. Small procedure. More news about time frame after the international break."

That date has now arrived, with Frank expected to provide a more accurate return timeline in his press conference later today. Richarlison and Mathys Tel have shared striker duties in his absence, with the latter scoring his first goal of the season in the 2-1 win over Leeds United.

Summer signing Randal Kolo Muani has missed a similar amount of action as Solanke, but he was able to play 45 minutes in a behind-closed-doors friendly last week.

Though all three aforementioned players can and have played up top, Solanke is arguably Spurs' best option, and therefore, likely supporters are eager for him to return. The 28-year-old has since shed some light on his recovery in an update to social media on Thursday.

Alongside an Instagram post that includes several very different images, he said: "Positivity through the dark times." Solanke is likely referring to his injury, but it is certainly good to see that he is not allowing his mood to be impacted too much.

He has also been keeping his mind occupied over the last few months with pictures showing him in the United States, working at Hotspur Way and at a Coldplay concert alongside James Maddison. The latter is also currently absent after tearing his ACL during pre-season.

Dejan Kulusevski, Radu Dragusin and Kota Takai have also missed large chunks with injuries, while Ben Davies and Yves Bissouma have handed Frank fresh fitness worries before Sunday's Premier League clash against Aston Villa.

The former limped off in Wales' defeat to Belgium, while Bissouma was stretchered off with what looked to be a serious ankle injury just moments after coming on for Mali. Frank is expected to provide updates on the duo and Solanke at his press conference later today.