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Here's every single word the Tottenham Hotspur head coach said ahead of the Premier League game against Manchester City on Sunday

Thomas Frank tackled plenty of topics at his press conference at Hotspur Way on Friday ahead of Tottenham's Premier League match against Manchester City this weekend.

Spurs are through to the Champions League last 16 after their 2-0 victory at Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday with goals from Randal Kolo Muani and Dominic Solanke. Frank's men finished above the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and reigning champions PSG and will bypass next month's play-off round next month to head straight into March's round of 16.

Tottenham now focus back on the Premier League with a tough flurry of games against City, Manchester United, Newcastle and Arsenal.

In his press conference Frank delivered an update on Micky van de Ven's injury and what will happen in the remainder of the transfer window with Tottenham needing reinforcements.

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

Can we have an update on Micky van de Ven's injury?

Micky is a minor one, it will be touch and go for Sunday. We're hoping, he was on the pitch yesterday, on the pitch today. So, hopeful for that, but it's touch and go.

Is the full focus on the league now without a Champions League play-off?

Yeah, for me it's always been full focus on the next game, so it's full focus on Man City on Sunday. We definitely need to build on some good performances. I said not everything has been perfect, but now as I calculated the last 10 (games), it's more consistent, it's more, I can't say, we compete better.

We are constantly improving, but especially the last three games, it's much more over 90 minutes, and I think the three performances there, that's the thing we need to bring in to Sunday and going forward.

Did you envisage being 14th in the league at this stage of the season?

No, I didn't. I'm very aware, and I think I said that a few times, I'm very aware that you always hope for more. You always, in football, small things, you can turn and you can get a little momentum or something, you can get more sometimes, for whatever reason you don't get the momentum.

Very aware that this season is a season where we are, as always, and we should be for Tottenham, very ambitious, but it is a transitional season where we need to be very ambitious and do as good as we can in every single competition. And I definitely expect it and hope and believe that we will be higher, but I also think it's fair to say some of the margins, the bits, we could easily, like this, have had six points more.

It would be a completely different talk. Unfortunately, we haven't and it is what it is and we need to keep going.

It's Deadline Day on Monday, is it about bringing in the right player for now but also for the future? Is there maybe a possibility that there might not be any new arrivals for Monday?

I said it, the club worked relentlessly to try to do the best they can to improve the squad, especially Johan, Fabio and Vinai and of course all the people behind them. I mean it, we can't be too obsessed with short term fix that's not helping on the long term, because if we don't do that, all the hard work we put in now can be limited for the future. And that's not that we (don’t) want badly short term success as well.

I can promise that the Lewis family is super committed to this project. They want to do everything, and I would go against my rule, hopefully only once, that there's no doubt it's clear that the club wants to sign Semenyo. They did everything.

I think that's a clear signal that the Lewis family is very committed. That's a big signing with finances and all that. So it's aligned with that.

That's the quality players we are looking for to improve the squad. And if we can't find that, then it's definitely better to take the right decision. It's not the same that we're just getting quality players going forward, because we all know it's not that easy.

And I'm sure if we're not, for whatever reason, able to get another player in, or players in this window, then for the summer, it's a big summer ahead, and I'm sure we'll see big improvements there.

How pleased are you with Dominic Solanke’s recovery and is he ready for the weekend?

It was so nice to have him back when he was through on goal. It was so nice. It was so nice when Dom was through on goal that you just had that feeling, OK, this is a goal. And he just proved that.

Like always, there's a lot of thought process and analysis behind every decision we try to make in team selection and on the pitch and all that. And of course, it's tough not to bring Dom [into the side] again in a very important game. But all signs, all my experience, told me that it's not the right thing to do that.

Kolo [Muani] did very well and then he came on and killed the game for us. He's still building, but he's ready to start on Sunday.

What's the biggest challenge when facing Pep Guardiola's side, and how different is this version of Man City in 25-26?

Pep is the best coach in the world. He proved that many times. I think what he's done over the years is he's extremely innovative. He's always changing and, how can I say, playing around with the positions, offensive positions, different types in different positions. And he does it again now, from going maybe wide wingers to a little bit more inside, depending on how he plays it with Cherki or Foden or Semenyo or Haaland or Reijnders or whoever.

So he's playing around the different offensive positions. I think the City team now, when they're in full flow, I think they are a threat from so many angles. That we need to be aware of. But I also see some areas that we hopefully can explore.

A question about Marc Guehi, you obviously faced him many times, how impressed have you been with his progress for the last several years, and would you consider him to be one of the best defenders in Europe?

I've seen Guehi all the way from Swansea, where we played him in the Championship, so that's a few years, so he's been on quite a journey, and he's impressed me in many ways. He's extremely composed in all his defensive actions, so that means he's never rushing. To have a calm defender is a good thing, because normally they're in the right position and they clear calmly, and on the ball he takes amazing decisions.

You spoke about having Solanke back, how vital is that to you when you consider as well the fact that a lot of your goals recently have come from your two centre-backs?

First and foremost, it's extremely positive to have two defenders scoring that many goals. If we can then add more goals from our offensive players, then we'll be in a good place. I think we have a lot of offensive talent in, for example, Wilson and Mathys Tel, and I also think we have it in Xavi, who's played quite a lot, he's still only 22. I think all the three of them will score a lot of goals going forward, but of course they're not as proven goalscorers or as proven goalscorers in the Premier League. Xavi has scored quite a few goals in the past.

So to miss our main striker, I don't think any team is happy with that for six months. That's been a blow, but hey, that's what we need to handle.

So to have Dom back in, but not only for his goalscoring abilities, clearly you've seen that now in the two Champions League games, but also I think his hold-up play, his link play, his ability to press, and just that presence on the pitch and in the changing room, that's big.

Do you worry about your team's mentality, because the Champions League is fine, you're the fourth-best team in Europe according to the table. In the Premier League, you're eight points off the relegation zone, 10 points off the Champions League, so do your players prefer playing in Europe to playing in the Premier League?

I don't think that. I think it's a bit more complex than that. I think it's a skill, as an individual player and as a team, to perform every third or fourth day in the Premier League and in Europe, no matter if it's the Conference League, Europa League or Champions League.

When you take it up a notch from Europa League to Champions League, it's even more difficult. I think it's fair to say we've seen it over the years with a club that is not as used to it, year in, year out, that it can be tough to do that. Because it's the physical load, it's the mental load that they need to be able to produce again and again and again.

I think we've seen some good signs of it. I actually think we haven't been that bad after the Champions League games. I think we had some good performances after that. I think if we had got six points more in the Christmas spell, we wouldn't have the talk we're talking about now. But the robustness, physically and mentally, is the biggest thing. That's a learning curve.

I don't think you have many players in our squad that have done that just for two seasons. So that's a learning curve.

A couple of years ago, when City came to Spurs, it was right at the end of the season and some Spurs fans were conflicted about who they wanted to win, because if City won, it stopped Arsenal winning the title. We're a little bit further out now, but do you think on Sunday, some Spurs fans might have a similar kind of mindset?

I don't know. I know that the Spurs fans will, how can you say, will support the team and I understand the conflict. But I'm not in doubt they'll be happy if we perform well, and beating City is important for us. It's all about us, and we, the staff, the players, will do everything we can to put a top performance out there.

I just want to ask you about the 3-4-3 formation, it feels like it's unlocking the parts of the team now, is that something you've been considering for a while, or was it the availability of players you wanted to find a shape that fitted them?

I think it's a combination of... I think it's always how can we get our best players in their best possible positions. And I think with the players available, it suited them quite well, 3-4-3. I knew we more or less would do it against Dortmund no matter what, because the way they came, I think that would suit the game plan and everything, it looked good.

And then on top of that, with the players' availability and so on, so then we carry on for the following two games. And it's definitely something I'm looking into, we could consider going forward with, because I think a lot of our players look good in that. And I think also there's a lot of good bits, especially offensively, 3-4-3 looks good, closer connections that I like.

You've got so many long term injuries now, and Brennan Johnson also leaving, is it fair to say that your squad is weaker than it was when you went into the transfer window?

In January?

Yeah.

I think that's fair. I think we lost, I can't remember, six or seven players inside three weeks in January. That's crazy, and some of them extremely unlucky, definitely Lucas and Ben with clear contact injuries. Then there was, I can't remember all of them, but there were definitely too many. So yeah, of course it's weaker than we started the first of January.

The reason I ask is how do you as a club keep your nerve with the short-term and long-term idea when you could leave yourself so short for the rest of the season?

Yeah, it's... That's a good question. But I think the best clubs, they take good, calm, sensible decisions. Also when it's a little bit windy, not going as well as we want it to, because I think that's key for what we want to build. It's absolutely key.

And I also think there are some players that are looking to come back relatively quick-ish in Pedro and Richy, definitely. I think there's two on top of my head. So that would help as well, of course.

Does Solanke feels like a new signing and as a talisman for the team, what can he do?

I always liked Dom and I’ve followed him for many years here in England. The last season he had at Bournemouth he was absolutely on fire. I think it was 19 goals in the Prem and he was a little bit unlucky because he is normally a super robust player but then he came to Spurs and got an ankle injury. Then he got another one, so he had a little bit of a disrupted last season but still scored a decent amount of goals and looked a threat. He was one of the players when I stepped into the club, I said, ‘I’m sure he’ll score a lot of goals for us, that I am not in doubt,’ because he has got all the qualities of the way we want to play, the principles I have and the goalscorer I normally produce are number nines, so I thought he would do the same. It feels a little bit like a new signing and he will only get better over the next few weeks.

Talking about Semenyo, that is quite a commitment from the owners, that they are prepared to pay £65million, how close did it get and is that a signal from the owners that they will give you that money?

I think the biggest thing and the question I want to answer is, is I think it shows big, big commitment from the Lewis family. I think the fans and everyone should not be in doubt of that. They are really, really committed to this is going to be successful. We all want it to be a bit better, but all the processes and all the things beginning to tick behind the scenes, I am not in doubt we will see big benefits of that in the future. I am not in doubt and not in doubt that we will improve and do better throughout the season. I am not in doubt we will take a good, massive step forward in the summer as well. They are very, very committed.

We've seen Spurs so up and down, how do you know the players won’t have a down performance vs City?

I really, really wish I could say that I'm 100 per cent sure it will be top, but I have a very good feeling because you're working with human beings and that's the beauty of it. I'm convinced that we will perform well again on Sunday, because it just looks better and better. And, of course, we are facing a top team with top players, but we are ready for it.

We appreciate you talking about Semenyo but from the fans' point of view, can you understand that it is more words rather than action and they need to see more action this month?Yeah, the fans just want the best for the club. Just like I want (the best), the owners, the staff, the players, everyone wants the best for the club, but I also think it's fair to say that the transfer window is not football manager unfortunately. It is not. It would be a lot easier, but also a little bit more boring. We would not have as many good stories to talk about. In the last 30 days, you couldn't go to work basically because there is nothing to write about or talk about. So, it is very difficult the transfer market. It's an art, it's a craftsmanship.

You need to be very good at it and then there's always, there needs to be a selling club that wants to sell, there needs to be a club that wants to buy and there's a player in the middle that also wants to come. So, that's always the challenge. What I'm happy with is that I think we've already done great business in getting Conor in. I think that's a great deal and a great player. Fits everything we want for this club and the commitment to show about Semenyo, I think it is a big step, so yeah again I’m just repeating myself, but I’m not in doubt it’ll be very good going forward.

Champions League is paused now but how confident are you that when you get to the middle of March, the club will not be embroiled in a relegation battle because some fans think the team is sleeping walking into a relegation battle?

I of course understand that the results have not been good enough. No doubt about that. There has been spells in some of the games that I have been disappointed with, that we’ve addressed and we’re working on, but I think the biggest thing we've seen throughout the season is we have a team that's running hard. You can look visually, you can look at the physical numbers, you can look at all that. They're just running hard and I think a good indicator as well is some of the and we’ve talked about it a few times, the three second halves we were behind and running very, very hard to the end. I think that’s the foundation you need to build anything on, so it is one game at a time and we’re ready for City. It’s all about that.

You mentioned Porro and Richarlison are closest to being back, with Arsenal on February 22nd is that a rough target?

That could be a dream scenario and could happen. We'll know a little bit more when we get closer, but it's in that bracket.

Thomas Frank spoke honestly on Tottenham's transfer plans which included revealing their stance on Antoine Semenyo

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has confirmed the club tried to sign Antoine Semenyo. The winger was linked with a move to Spurs in the summer and during the January transfer window before he ultimately left Bournemouth to join Manchester City.

Several Premier League clubs were interested in the Ghana international, who had a £65million release clause in his contract, though City managed to pay just under that through favourable instalments.

Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool were all linked with Spurs also wanting to sign him, as now revealed by Frank.

He said: "The club are working relentlessly to do what they can to improve the squad, especially Johan, Fabio and Vinai and all those behind them. We can't be obsessed with a short term fix as we cannot limit what we do in the future.

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"I can promise the Lewis family are super committed and there is no doubt the club is clear, I will break a rule, we wanted to sign Semenyo. That is a big signing with finances and all that. It is aligned and they are the quality players we’re looking for to improve the squad."

Speaking on transfers, he later added: "The fans just want the best for the club like I do, the owners and everyone in the club. It's fair to say though that the transfer window is not like Football Manager. Maybe it would be more boring if it was with less to talk about."

The Lilywhites have already signed Conor Gallagher and Brazilian defender Souza this month while also sanctioning Brennan Johnson's move to Crystal Palace.

A number of loan changes have also been made with Spurs still in the market for more additions. Jean-Phillipe Mateta and Raheem Sterling are not targets though, football.london understands.

Further incomings are being targeted with injury problems a constant thorn in Frank's side. Pedro Porro, Lucas Bergvall, Ben Davies, Rodrigo Bentancur, Richarlison and Mohammed Kudus have all picked up issues in recent weeks.

Micky van de Ven missed the victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League, though Frank admitted he hopes to have him back for the visit of Manchester City.

That scenario playing out looks to have decreased though following his less than positive update on the Netherlands international.

He said: "Micky is a minor one. It will be touch and go. He was on the pitch yesterday and today but he's touch and go."

Frank will hope to have him available on Sunday afternoon at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium given the task that awaits with the Dane fully aware of the quality Semenyo possesses.

Tottenham host Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday and Thomas Frank has provides the latest injury news

Thomas Frank has provided an update on Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven ahead of the Premier League clash against Manchester City this weekend.

The Dutchman missed Wednesday's Champions League game against Frankfurt due to a "minor" injury. The 24-year-old's absence did not impact Spurs, however, as the Lilywhites ran out 2-0 winners in Germany to qualify for the round of 16 phase.

Frank spoke to the media on Friday ahead of Sunday's clash against Man City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. During the press conference, the Dane confirmed Van de Ven was "touch and go" for the game against Pep Guardiola's side.

He said: "Micky is a minor one. It will be touch and go. He was on the pitch yesterday and today but he's touch and go."

Cristian Romero and Kevin Danso were deployed at centre-back against Frankfurt and the duo could be called upon yet again should Van de Ven be ruled out of Sunday's fixture.

Pedro Porro, Richarlison, Lucas Bergvall, Ben Davies, Mohammed Kuuds, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison will definitely miss the clash, however.

Tottenham are currently 14th in the Premier League and Frank desperately needs a win at home on Sunday. Man City are chasing Arsenal are the top of the table, though, although the Gunners could be as many as seven points clear come kick-off, due to their game against Leeds United being played on Saturday.

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Thomas Frank is holding his pre-match press conference at Hotspur Way on Friday afternoon ahead of Tottenham's Premier League test against Manchester City.

Spurs surged into the Champions League last 16 with their 2-0 victory at Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday night, thanks to goals from Randal Kolo Muani and Dominic Solanke. Frank's men finished fourth in the table above some big hitters like Real Madrid, Barcelona and last year's winners PSG and will now bypass the play-off round next month to head straight into March's round of 16.

Tottenham must finally use one of their big European nights as a turning point for their Premier League form as they hit a run of games against City, Manchester United, Newcastle and Arsenal.

Ahead of Sunday's match against Pep Guardiola's title-chasers, Frank will deliver an update on the fitness of Micky van de Ven after the Dutchman missed the match in Germany and there is also the transfer window to be completed with Tottenham needing more reinforcements which the Spurs boss will also be asked about.

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

Jean-Phillipe Mateta and Raheem Sterling have been linked with January transfers to Tottenham with the north London club's stance on signing either clear

Tottenham are not interested in signing Jean-Phillipe Mateta or Raheem Sterling in the final days of the January transfer window, football.london understands. Spurs have been active in the winter trading period with Conor Gallagher and Brazilian left-back Souza signed alongside the departure of Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace.

A move for Liverpool's Andy Robertson also fell through while several other Premier League stars have been linked. Among thoe names are Manchester City's Omar Marmoush and Crysencio Summerville of West Ham United.

Mateta and Sterling are two others linked with it announced earlier this week that the latter had agreed a contract termination at Chelsea. Mateta, meanwhile, is pushing to depart Crystal Palace in January as he continues to refuse signing a new contract at Selhurst Park.

Mateta has been linked to making a Serie A switch with Juventus and AC Milan as two clubs interested. The latest reports in Italy have claimed he favours a move to the latter over Nottingham Forest, who have lodged a £35million bid which is just shy of Palace's asking price.

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Sterling, meanwhile, has been in exile for the last few months but is now a free agent with Napoli, Juventus and Burnley believed to be interested in signing the England international.

Given their clear availability and Spurs' lack of bodies in the final third, Thomas Frank's side have been linked with moves for the pair but there is no truth to either joining the north London club before the 7pm deadline on Monday, February 2.

Despite that, the Lilywhites are still looking at making further signings with that stance reflected by Frank's latest transfer comments.

He said: "We are in the market. We do everything we can to see if we can improve the squad. We said that the whole time. I think it's, of course, when things are not exactly what we wanted and we have some injuries, you can be pushed and forced to take decisions you don't really want to take if everything was on top.

"So we need to be very, very smart and cool and calm and take good decisions to help us to optimise short-term success, but also secure long-term success."

Injury problems in midfield have also seen Leon Goretzka linked despite the addition of Gallagher. The 30-year-old is set to leave Bayern Munich at the end of his contract which expires in the summer, but it currently seems unlikely Spurs will be pursuing a move

Outgoings are also a possibility with Mathys Tel keen to depart the club unless Frank is sacked. That is according to Sky Sport Germany, who have stated that he feels unjustly handled by the Spurs boss.

Being removed from the Champions League squad for Dominic Solanke upon his injury return - after initially being left out for the Spurs striker - is likely the main reason for his annoyance.

Tel has played well when given the opportunity this season but those have largely been quite rare despite several forward suffering injuries.

Tottenham forward Mathys Tel is reportedly looking to leave the club before the end of the January transfer window and will only stay if head coach Thomas Frank is sacked

Tottenham Hotspur attacker Mathys Tel is reportedly seeking an exit and will only remain if Spurs boss Thomas Frank leave the club, according to reports. The 20-year-old sealed a £30million switch from Bayern Munich last summer following an initial loan period, but has seen opportunities restricted under Frank.

Despite an encouraging six-month stint under former boss Ange Postecoglou, Tel has battled for regular starts under the Australian's replacement, finding the net only three times.

The young forward was initially left out of Tottenham's Champions League squad in September, though he was later added back in December following Dominic Solanke's fitness concerns. He was removed again for Solanke for the most recent matches.

The attacker is now reportedly mulling over a departure as he seeks consistent playing time ahead of France's World Cup campaign.

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Tel has yet to earn a senior cap for Les Bleus, although he boasts an impressive record at U21 level with 12 strikes in 20 outings.

Sky Sports Germany suggest that he is poised to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium unless Frank is dramatically dismissed before Monday's transfer deadline. The report claims that Tel feels unjustly handled by the Danish coach.

The story adds that a return to the Bundesliga is not presently being considered. Nevertheless, Ligue 1 outfit Paris FC are reportedly keen on striking a deal.

Spurs have experienced a promising campaign in Europe, securing their place in the Champions League's last 16. Nevertheless, domestic form has placed Frank under enormous scrutiny.

Tottenham currently occupy 14th position in the Premier League standings and have been eliminated from both domestic cup tournaments. The pressure is set to intensify on the Dane with challenging fixtures approaching.

Spurs face Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle and Arsenal across their next four encounters. Frank addressed Tottenham supporters last weekend, insisting he was "working very, very hard" to reverse the club's fortunes.

He said: "First and foremost, I want to thank them for travelling and supporting the team throughout the the game, which they do.

"I'm sure they can recognise and acknowledge, especially the first half, the improvement there. We could and should have been out of sight.

"But also they acknowledge the willpower and character of the team that keep running, keep fighting to the end. We just need to keep going. We do so many things right, but there's no doubt, it's not dropping so easy for us."

Pep Guardiola will not be speaking to the media ahead of Manchester City's trip to Tottenham in the Premier League on Saturday, with his assistant Pep Lijnders standing in

Pep Lijnders will take over Manchester City media duties on Friday ahead of their Premier League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur.

Pep Guardiola is unavailable, so his assistant Lijnders will address the press before the squad reconvene on Saturday to continue preparations for another significant Premier League challenge.

It marks the third City press conference that Guardiola has been absent from in the past two months. Kolo Toure addressed journalists last month prior to their Premier League encounter at Crystal Palace, while Lijnders conducted the session following the 10-1 victory over Exeter in the FA Cup Final - a fixture from which Guardiola was suspended after accumulating three yellow cards in domestic competitions.

Guardiola, who appeared at an Act X Palestine event in Barcelona on Thursday evening, is still anticipated to lead the side for their journey to Spurs but cannot attend the scheduled pre-match media briefing. Lijnders will deputise before resuming his customary role as City aim to maintain their pursuit in the Premier League title race.

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A 2-0 triumph over Wolves on Saturday represented City#s first victory in five league matches, and Arsenal's home loss to United means the deficit at the summit has been reduced to four points with 15 fixtures remaining.

The Gunners can extend that advantage once more at Leeds on Saturday, but City have drawn encouragement from Arsenal's failure to pull further clear this month.

"In my experience here in England, Liverpool have won two league titles and we have won six, so I've never have experienced Arsenal winning the league," said captain Bernardo Silva.

"But the truth is that at the moment they're in a better position than us. I've recently said that both teams would still drop points, but unfortunately we started the year in a negative form as we could've gained an emotional advantage and we didn't.

"And then they could've distanced themselves from us even further but they didn't, so they gave us a bit of hope. There's still a lot of games to be played and every season is different. Without a doubt we still have hope and ambition to fight for this Premier League."

Tottenham star Dejan Kulusevski has replied to a brutal injury comment as his absence stretches to nearly nine months

Dejan Kulusevski has sent a brilliant two-word response after sharing an update while he continues to recover from a severe knee injury. The 25-year-old is yet to play this season because of the issue with his rehabilitation proving to be complicated.

Thomas Frank has been forced to contend with several injury blows during his first six months in charge, though Kulusevski's problem occurred before he even arrived. The hope was that he would return from the injury in late 2026 but there is still no sign of him with Spurs supporters growing impatient.

That was evidenced by a reply to his latest Instagram post where a user commented, "I thought you died." Kulusevski then took the opportunity to reply, "still alive."

Ahead of the Champions League clash against Eintracht Frankfurt, Frank was asked for an update but stated that he did not have one. That response was likely because the Spurs boss had already issued a detailed update earlier in the month

He said at a press conference from early January: “We know it's a complicated injury. If there's one person who can accelerate that, it's Dejan. He's a top pro and has got a top mentality.

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"The most important thing is to remove the pain in the knee. He got an injection to help that 10 days ago. We know in three to four weeks if it's settled and when it's settled, hopefully, he’ll be on the grass and from there, we’ll see what’s happening.

"It was not going forward as quickly as we thought but it's an injury we haven’t seen that much in football history. It's a complicated injury, where it’s important to make sure there’s no pain in the knee. That’s why he got an injection and it hopefully will help. So in three to four weeks’ time, he’ll be on the grass pain-free."

Mohammed Kudus and James Maddison, two Tottenham stars that play in Kulusevski's favoured positions, are also unavailable through injury.

The latter is yet to feature this season after rupturing his ACL while Kudus, a summer signing from West Ham United, is expected to be out for another six weeks at least because of thigh problem.

In addition to that, Richarlison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pedro Porro, Lucas Bergvall and Ben Davies are also sidelined. One fitness positive for Frank has been the return of Dominic Solanke with the striker scoring in Spurs' last two Champions League games.

The six points picked up at the expense of Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt helped the Lilywhites finish fourth in the league stage and thus bypass the play-off round.

We asked our Tottenham reporters Alasdair Gold and Ryan Taylor to name the team they would select to face Manchester City

Tottenham must carry their European form into the Premier League on Sunday as they host Manchester City.

Spurs won 2-0 at Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday night to finish fourth in the big Champions League table and leap into the last 16. Thomas Frank's side finished above the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, reigning champions PSG and most of Europe's big names.

That continental form remains in complete contrast to Tottenham's Premier League struggles. They sit 14th in the table and face a tough run of fixture in a row which starts against Pep Guardiola's side, then takes in Manchester United, Newcastle and a north London derby against Arsenal.

We asked our Spurs reporters Alasdair Gold and Ryan Taylor what team they would select to face City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. Here are the starting line-ups they went for.

Alasdair Gold - Tottenham correspondent

It's going to be a luxury for Frank in going from just 11 available senior outfield players to suddenly having a few choices in most positions.

After going again with a 3-4-3 formation and praising it once more as a success, it seems the Spurs boss has found a formation that he believes gets more out of his players.

So that could be the way again as City come to town and Frank will be hoping that Micky van de Ven is fit enough to come in on the left side of the back three. If not Joao Palhinha could play in the trio again, Radu Dragusin might come in or the Dane could play Destiny Udogie again as a left-sided centre-back and hand a big debut to Souza.

In the midfield there are suddenly options galore with Conor Gallagher and Yves Bissouma fresh to come in. Archie Gray was excellent in midweek and that might give the 19-year-old a leg up over the competition, or Frank could go for more experience against Guardiola's men. Pape Matar Sarr also completed his first full game in a while and has been a pest to City in the past.

Mathys Tel is a fresh option in the attacking slots while Dominic Solanke is likely to come back into the starting line-up after his late cameo and goal in Germany despite Randal Kolo Muani's improved display.

Gold's XI: Vicario; Danso, Romero, Van de Ven; Spence, Gallagher, Palhinha, Udogie; Odobert, Xavi; Solanke.

Ryan Taylor - Football reporter

It's a huge game on Sunday for Frank, who needs to prove he can deliver the same performances we've associated with Spurs in the Champions League this season, in the Premier League.

However commendable a top-eight group stage finish is, fans remain disgruntled and the Dane has a long way to go before he starts to turn the tide.

Vicario starts in goal but I would go with a back-four as it's likely Van de Ven would have to rush back to make City and Spurs cannot afford to lose him long-term. Danso has also excelled in defence for Tottenham so he should partner Romero with Spence and Udogie at full-back.

In midfield, Gallagher comes back in alongside Gray as Spurs will need to press City aggressively. Not only that but Palhinha's condition also needs to be managed following a tough shift in Germany.

In attack, Tel comes back in on the left, Xavi operates as the No.10 and Odobert starts on the right. Despite Kolo Muani's goal vs Frankfurt, Solanke starts for me and you swap them on 60 minutes.

Thomas Frank is open to welcoming a couple of new faces to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before the January transfer window slams shut

Tottenham Hotspur have been given a huge cash injection just days before the January transfer window deadline. The Lilywhites banked an eight-figure sum on Wednesday evening as they secured automatic qualification to the last 16 of the Champions League.

Dominic Solanke fired Thomas Frank's side to victory against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Deutsche Bank Park, securing three crucial points in the race for a place in the top eight. Spurs managed to finish in fourth place, avoiding the knockout phase play-offs and adding millions to their purse.

Like every other club in the Champions League, UEFA granted the north Londoners £16.18m for participating. Tottenham raked in a further £10.31m in performance-related bonuses, having won five (£1.82m per victory) and drawn two (£607k per draw) of their eight games.

UEFA also offers £239,000 per final position in the table, so the Lilywhites pocketed a further £7.89m. On top of that, they reward clubs that finish in the top eight and advance directly to the last 16, so Spurs earned £9.56m for their efforts.

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Altogether, Frank has earned the club a respectable £43.94m in prize money. The Dane has already welcomed a couple of new faces to Hotspur Way this month, signing Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid and Souza from Santos, so the windfall comes as a huge boost.

Despite having already forked out nearly £50m, Frank has revealed that he's still looking to bolster his squad before next week's deadline. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday night, the Tottenham boss said: "We are 100 per cent in the market.

"I think that when let’s say results are not top and you get injuries, that’s where you can feel you are being pressured to take decisions that you maybe don’t want to take for the future.

"But we need to make good assessments, good analysis, where we are making good decisions that can help us get short-term success, optimise that, but also be very good for the long-term."

At the end of December, Frank promised that Tottenham will only sign 'fully committed' players. The 52-year-old said: "Key, in every aspect. Any player we sign needs to be fully committed on the project. No doubt about that. Very important.

"Character for me, as I've said many times, is the most important thing. They need to buy into it so we are aligned. It makes it easier for me to say, 'Hey remember the bit I said about this...', then it's a little bit easier to have consequences."

This season, the January transfer window will close at 7pm on Monday, February 2. So, if Frank still plans to improve his squad, the Tottenham sporting directors, Fabio Paratici, who's set to leave in the coming days, and Johan Lange, will need to pull their finger out...