Football London

Nuno Espirito Santo lasted just four months as Tottenham Hotspur manager in 2021 and is now set to return to north London as West Ham United boss

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has already made his feelings clear on Tottenham Hotspur as he prepares to face his former club.

The Portuguese will lead the Hammers in a Premier League London derby visit to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon. He was appointed West Ham head coach last September, less than four years after being sacked by Spurs after just 17 matches in charge.

The 51-year-old’s tenure in north London began with four wins in five games but soon fell apart as Antonio Conte was brought in to replace him. Nuno, however, landed on both feet and beat Spurs twice in three matches after taking charge of Nottingham Forest.

Now, he is set to return to N17, this time desperately in search of three points with the Irons down in 18th in the Premier League table and seven points off 17th place Forest.

And he may well receive a hostile reception from his former supporters as he attempts to guide his relegation-threatened side to safety.

That’s despite the manager having been complimentary towards Spurs since his brief yet turbulent spell with the Lilywhites. He was asked last season whether Forest’s win over Tottenham was motivated by revenge, which he quickly dismissed.

Nuno said he was grateful for the opportunity to manage Tottenham despite the challenges of his tenure, making his thoughts clear in seven words: “I was honoured to be managing Tottenham,” before adding: “A huge, big club. I wish them the best.”

In a move that may be at odds with some of his new supporters, he doubled down in his praise for Spurs ahead of Saturday’s fixture.

“It was an honour and pleasure to manage Spurs,” he again said. “Things didn't go well.

“It is the third game in a row where we face clubs where I have managed before. Nothing changes, it's a new game, tough opponent, in a tough place, and we so need a good result. Our focus is there.”

Here's the Tottenham team we reckon Thomas Frank will select to face West Ham United in a big London derby in the Premier League on Saturday

Thomas Frank has some decisions to make as Tottenham host West Ham in a big derby in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

Both clubs need the points and the Hammers arrive in N17 as the only London side currently faring worse than 14th-placed Spurs this season, sitting in the drop zone with 14 points to their name and just three wins. However, Frank's side have won just twice in their past 13 matches, and with their woeful home record in the Premier League need to put on an exciting performance in front of their fans.

Frank has a new player to call upon in Conor Gallagher after his £34.7million move from Atletico Madrid and the 25-year-old can be played in either a number eight role or as an energetic 10. The England international has played just about enough football in recent weeks at Atletico that he should be able to come straight into Frank's starting XI.

The team and crowd will certainly need his energy to feed off and he also can't play against Borussia Dortmund in midweek so will need the minutes.

Gallagher's arrival is well timed after Spurs lost Rodrigo Bentancur for three months following hamstring surgery. Joao Palhinha could not be seen in training footage from recent days and there has been some social media worry that the Portuguese has a small knock that could see him not risked as he could need to play against Dortmund.

That could mean Archie Gray continuing to get game time in the centre of the park alongside Gallagher while Lucas Bergvall has been back in training after returning from injury so should also feature during the encounter.

The team's attack pretty much picks itself because of injuries, with all three front men who played in the second half of the defeat to Villa likely to start with Dominic Solanke hopefully playing a bigger role off the bench this time as he gets his fitness back.

Ben Davies or Djed Spence could start at left-back until Destiny Udogie is deemed ready to get back into the action from the off, which might come against Dortmund. Davies will bring more natural width down the flank while Spence would bring the pace.

Here's the team we reckon Frank could select to face the Hammers:

The Tottenham Hotspur boss has been speaking about his future at the north London club after a week of support from those above

Thomas Frank believes Tottenham have made a clear statement of backing him ahead of a big derby against fellow strugglers West Ham.

The Dane has faced a tough time at the north London club with long-term injuries galore, the team sitting 14th in the Premier League and just two wins from their past 13 matches. The Spurs supporters have booed Frank on occasions and sung chants such as 'Boring, boring Tottenham Hotspur' and 'Sideways and backwards, everywhere we go' in reference to the football being played under the 52-year-old.

However, it has been a positive week inside the club for Frank, with Spurs moving quickly to sign Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid in a £34.7million deal. The head coach played his part with a key phone call to the 25-year-old midfielder, explaining his role within his team and the project going forward under him.

Frank also led the drive to bring in John Heitinga as his assistant manager this week, getting the man who helped Arne Slot and Liverpool to the Premier League title last year before an ill-fated spell as Ajax boss.

With those two key additions and the decision to sell last season's top scorer Brennan Johnson, Frank was asked whether it was all evidence of the club supporting his vision.

“Yes, definitely. I think it’s a very good sign of it," he said. "We know January is a tricky window to sign a quality player like Conor, I think it’s a great sign of that.

“Also to sign John Heitinga, who is a very skilful coach, that he believes in the project and the vision from me, from the club, in a moment where, from the outside doesn’t look as smooth but from the inside looks a little bit more positive.

“But of course I’m very aware we need even more consistent performances and better results. Tottenham have so much to offer. Some of the appointments we have made in the leadership, with Rafi [Moersen] coming in as well [as director of football operations], it’s very positive of what kind of direction we want to go in."

Gallagher arrives at Tottenham without a single injury recorded against his name on stats site Transfermarkt in his entire senior career and Frank admitted that was yet another factor in signing the England international.

"I don't think it's rocket science, I think a lot of clubs want to do that, but a couple of things you look at when you want to sign a player, you want of course key abilities that fit in the role you're looking for," he explained. "Let’s say in an eight position, you want a pressing player, a midfielder who arrives in box to box, technical ability, scoring goals, whatever it is… you always like to have a ten out of ten character, and then of course robustness is also a key area. He ticks all three boxes."

So Frank isn't concerned about the Spurs injury curse striking as it has for various players including strikers Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani, who had missed only a handful of matches before joining the club only to then succumb to longer term injuries?

"Touch wood! No, I’m not worried," said the Dane with a nervous laugh.

Spurs need to create more chances in games in order to score goals and win matches and Frank believes that Gallagher will add to that process.

"He's very good at getting on the end of chances and to have a midfielder who can add goals is a huge quality because of course you always say you need a striker that scores 20 plus goals, but in reality you just need enough goals in the team," he said. "These days it can be a winger that is the top scorer so to have a midfielder who I think can add a good amount of goals in a full season is a huge quality and especially his ability to arrive in and around the box, whether we are banking teams in or from high pressure situations. He’s very good at that and I think he's a clever finisher."

Some fans are worried that the opportunities for game time for talented teenagers Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall will drop with the new signing expected to come straight into Frank's starting XI, but the Spurs boss believes they will play and learn from a midfielder who has featured heavily at three different Premier League clubs and in La Liga, while going to a World Cup and European Championship with England.

"No doubt about that. I think any club you need enough competition and quality. Right now it is like we swapped Rodri [Bentancur] for Gallagher and before that both Lucas and Archie played a lot of minutes," he said. "They are still in a great development [stage] and I think they are doing a lot of things right.

"There are not many 19-year-olds playing central midfield in the Premier League, so that says a lot about their quality and also a little bit about how rare it is."

Frank also has Solanke back in the fold again, returning to action just as Richarlison was lost for seven weeks to a hamstring injury, and the Tottenham boss is delighted to have a crucial player back while praising what the Brazilian managed in his absence.

"Very unfortunate with Richy. I think he’s done well. Someone told me that two seasons ago it was three 90 minutes [he played] and last season it was five. This season he played 12 games of 90 minutes, so he has done very well," said the head coach. "I saw a stat of strikers in the Premier League and something like Ekitike, Isak and Brentford's Thiago [have scored a lot], but the rest haven’t scored that many goals, others around have scored five, six or seven and he has eight, so Richy’s done very well.

"Of course Solanke what he brings is his personality. It is another voice in the changing room, before the game and on the pitch. I think his link-up and hold-up play is very good. He is good to come short or go in behind. He can press very well and I just think he is a top finisher."

Solanke will be hoping to benefit from Tottenham playing more through balls at a time in which the side have attempted just 11 of them in their 21 Premier League games, the fewest of any side this season. Nine players have attempted more than Spurs' entire squad total and for context, Manchester City have attempted 77 through balls, Arsenal 76, Manchester United 62, Chelsea 52 and Liverpool 50.

Frank was focused on the deep run stats as needing to improve otherwise there is nobody for a through ball to reach.

"We of course analyse every single game, looking with my own eyes and with the whole team behind it in what we’d like to achieve, and then sometimes you need the stats as well because you get some stats … for example, the deep run stats," he said. "We were bottom of that in the league and that’s a key thing.

"You need to run in behind if you want to score goals. That was a little bit down to [player] types. That’s a little down to training to enforce the message. And since that, the last seven or eight games, something like that, we gradually improved it more and more. So we have much more deep runs, from being very low we are gradually moving up [that table].

"So that’s a key theme for us, that we keep doing that. Because if you run in behind and you play behind, you will score goals and that’s not necessarily a 60-yard pass, that can be a 10 yard pass. So that’s the big, big thing. That’s a way to use the stats."

He added: "Then of course it's to keep working with our young players in Mathys Tel and Wilson [Odobert], to make them be more consistent, taking more of the right decisions. Kolo Muani, I thought he scored a great goal, unfortunately he was half a yard offside [against Villa].

"Hopefully that gives him a little bit of confidence. Worked very hard on that. Xavi, I think looks better and better. The way he took the game in the second-half [against Villa], I liked that. So those are the four you can say right now we are relying on. And I think Mathys, there are great signs. I think now Wilson scored, hopefully Kolo [next] so that hopefully helps in that sense and then Dom is coming back."

It is somewhat fitting that Frank will come up against Nuno Espirito Santo in the opposite dugout on Saturday. The Portuguese spent a brief spell in charge of Tottenham but never connected with the supporters and struggled to produce the kind of football to get them onside.

The current incumbent of the Spurs hotseat is very aware that he needs to connect with the fans in the stands as well as he does with the supporters he meets in person.

"Of course it’s important. It’s very important. Connecting is key. I think I’m quite good at connecting with people, actually. So that’s one thing, but I also know in football there is one way of connecting, and that is winning," he said.

"So when we start winning enough and we also start creating even more chances than we have done, which I’m not in doubt of, there is sign in the right direction of that, then I am quite convinced we will connect better and better. I’m not in doubt of that.

"I have no problem connecting with the fans. Every fan I meet, every fan that has approached me is lovely, open-minded, positive. I know it’s not as easy to connect after a game where you lose and don’t play that well.

"All the interaction I’ve had with Spurs fans has been top, I cannot praise them enough. I know they are super, super important for us. The thing we like to create together is an unbelievable fortress at home, and when the fans are believing, backing us, doing everything they can, plus we need to perform of course, then it’s a fantastic feeling."

The changes at the top at Tottenham continued this week with the appointment of Moersen, who will join from the City Football Group ahead of the summer transfer window, and the confirmation that sporting director Fabio Paratici will depart next month to join Fiorentina, just three months after returning to the Premier League club.

"Everything was negotiated between Fabio and Vinai. I spoke with Fabio yesterday and he's working very hard to make sure all his tasks are finished well and with top quality for Tottenham before he leaves," explained Frank.

With 12 new heads of department in the past nine months at the north London outfit, including the head coach, the Dane pointed to CEO Vinai Venkatesham as the man preventing instability and turmoil inside the building.

"I think Vinai has been exceptionally good at making everything tick, together with Johan [Lange] and Fabio, because with some of the new appointments, I still have a touchpoint with them, but I'm probably not the first 'go-to' all the time," he said. "They just make sure all their roles are aligned and all the great work they do is for the benefit of the club and improving it in the long-term."

When asked what the most important qualities are for a football hierarchy, he added: "With the leadership at the top: a couple of things: clear strategy, make sure we're all aligned, be calm, take sensible decisions."

There is a protest planned this weekend from disgruntled fans ahead of the West Ham match regarding Tottenham's transfer strategy, the lack of communication from the hierarchy with regards to the overall plan for the club and clarity over Paratici's future, which has since come.

"I think in terms of the transfer strategy, we can only prove that by good signings and doing things the right way, and if someone is negative and there's a bad history or whatever it is, the only way we can prove it is by changing it," said Frank.

"Of course, I can sit up here and talk a lot, but we need to show it by actions. So that's what we're doing, and I'll just say behind the scenes, the strategy, the structure, the process in place looks good and looks like the real thing, but we need to just show it consistently. I think the Conor Gallagher signing was a good step in the right direction."

So after a tough first few months at Tottenham, what would Thomas Frank go back and tell himself if he could travel back in time to those early weeks at the club in July last year. The Dane, whose two daughters and one son all live back in his homeland while he works in London, paused for a little while in deep thought.

"That's a good question. I think I have been very clear that it would not be straightforward. The first year, in many ways - not to talk too much about last season - it’s fair to say we’re in a bit of a transitional season, but where we still need to perform," he said.

"I still think we have performed a bit better to where we are - but the offensive play is something I look back at and I would say 'Please don’t get Dom, Maddison and Kulusevksi injured!'. But that’s not possible!"

Here are five things we noticed in Tottenham's training sessions ahead of the Premier League derby at West Ham United on Saturday afternoon

Tottenham have had a week to prepare for their Premier League clash with West Ham United on Saturday afternoon.

It's a big match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as both clubs and their head coaches desperately need the three points from this derby in N17. The Hammers are the only London side faring worse than 14th-placed Spurs this season, currently sitting in the drop zone with 14 points to their name and only three wins.

They have only claimed a single victory on the road in their 10 matches so far, which came at Nottingham Forest way back in August. However, Tottenham have won just twice in their past 13 matches, and with their woeful home record in the Premier League they need to put on a big performance in front of their fans.

Spurs have had a rare midweek without a match so have been able to work hard on the pitches of Hotspur Way. Here are five things we noticed from some of the footage put out by the club in the past couple of days.

Romero's scary Solanke moment

It's great to see Dominic Solanke continuing to be back in training after so long out, but that doesn't mean captain Cristian Romero will go easy on him.

The England striker showed a lovely bit of technique during one small-sided match to control a Djed Spence pass with his thigh, knocking it up into the air and as Romero tried to jump into the back of him and head the ball, the striker calmly held the Argentine off, span away from him and fired the ball into the bottom left corner of the net.

That earned applause from staff and his team-mates. Romero, who will be back from suspension to face West Ham, wasn't having it though and as Solanke ran off after scoring, the skipper grabbed his wrist and yanked him out of his way so he stumbled across him.

With the striker's ankle woes this season, Thomas Frank might just have winced had he seen the moment as he can't be suffering any more freak injuries during this campaign.

Bergvall's back

One player back off the long injury list is Lucas Bergvall. The 19-year-old midfielder missed the FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa at the weekend after appearing to suffering a recurrence of the muscle injury in the Bournemouth match that he had tweaked in the win at Crystal Palace.

Thankfully the young Swede is back amongst it all and could be seen training fully with his team-mates in footage from the sessions at Hotspur Way.

"Lucas could be available, hopefully available for Saturday," said Frank during his press conference on Thursday afternoon.

Returning Bissouma

Something of a forgotten man, Yves Bissouma is back at Tottenham following his exploits with Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The 29-year-old has not played a single minute for Spurs this season but has made five appearances for his country. He did play his part in their downfall though in the quarter-final against Pape Matar Sarr's Senegal.

Bissouma was sent off before half-time for a lunging challenge that brought him his second yellow card of the game and left his team-mates battling with a numerical disadvantage for the remainder of the contest.

The midfielder is now back at Hotspur Way and could be seen in the gym as well as training footage, but with four - or possibly three - fit central midfielders now it would seem unlikely that anything other than a winter move or waiting out his contract will come next for him.

Youngsters involved

Luca Williams-Barnett continues to be involved with Tottenham first team training and the 17-year-old will be hoping to be handed his Premier League debut in the weeks ahead.

The talented teenager has already made his club debut in the Carabao Cup and must keep working hard in training to impress because Frank is struggling for fit attacking players right now and that might just open the door for Williams-Barnett to get some minutes on the pitch.

That might even come potentially from a weakened bench on Saturday which may only contain fellow academy product Dane Scarlett and Solanke as attacking options.

Another 17-year-old in Tynan Thompson, who is having a strong season on the pitch, could also be seen sprinting down the left wing during one training match, with Romero blocking his low cross.

Gallagher involved but no Palhinha

Conor Gallagher was involved in training after his £34.7million move from Atletico Madrid and was showing his trademark energy, knocking Bergvall to the floor with one bit pressing.

The new signing looked to be heavily involved in everything Spurs were doing and Frank could well throw him straight into his first starting line-up.

Aside from the known injured players, one face who could not be spotted in the training footage was that of Joao Palhinha, with some social media speculation that the former Fulham man has picked up a little knock that has left him a doubt for Saturday's match.

Frank did not name him in his injury news on Thursday and hopefully if the Portuguese has picked up anything in training then it will be minor enough to ensure he still plays his part in what will be a fierce London derby.

football.london reporters pick their Tottenham starting XIs for Saturday's crunch London derby against West Ham when Conor Gallagher could well make his debut

Spurs are looking to cap a positive week off the pitch with a positive result on it when they host Premier League strugglers West Ham on Saturday.

Thomas Frank's ranks have already been bolstered by the arrival of new midfielder Conor Gallagher and the England international is in contention to start following his switch from Atletico Madrid.

While there is a chance Lucas Bergvall could return, key stars Richarlison, Rodrigo Bentancur and Mohammed Kudus will all miss the clash through injury.

football.london reporters Alasdair Gold, chief Tottenham correspondent, and Ryan Taylor have picked their Spurs XI to face the Hammers as Frank's men strive to pick up only their third top-flight home win of the season.

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Alasdair Gold - Tottenham Hotspur correspondent

Conor Gallagher has played just about enough football in recent weeks at Atletico Madrid that he should be able to come straight into Frank's starting XI.

The team and crowd need his energy and the positive nature of his move, and he also can't play against Borussia Dortmund in midweek so will need the minutes.

As long as he hasn't succumbed to the Spurs injury curse as well as Rodrigo Bentancur then Joao Palhinha would be the experienced head to play alongside the new man.

Archie Gray will certainly get game time and Lucas Bergvall has been training after returning from injury so should also feature during the encounter.

The team's attack pretty much picks itself because of injuries, with all four front men who played in the second half of the defeat to Villa needing to start with Dominic Solanke hopefully playing a bigger role off the bench this time as he gets his fitness back.

Djed Spence could start at left-back until Destiny Udogie is deemed ready to get back into the action, which might come against Dortmund if Ben Davies doesn't get the nod after some impressive displays.

The Welshman probably deserves to start against West Ham on current performances.

Gold's Tottenham XI vs West Ham: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Gallagher, Palhinha; Odobert, Xavi, Tel; Kolo Muani.

Ryan Taylor

Guglielmo Vicario starts in goal with Cristian Romero returning from his ban at centre-back.

I'm tipping Pedro Porro, Romero, Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence to make up the back four.

In midfield, I'm optimistic there will be a debut for Gallagher, who might even start alongside Joao Palhinha.

The front four virtually picks itself due to injuries but I'm going to go with Wilson Odobert on the right, Xavi Simons as the No.10 with Mathys Tel on the left.

Randal Kolo Muani will lead the line in the absence of Richarlison and there should also be some more minutes for Dominic Solanke as he continues to rebuild his fitness.

I'd feel for Archie Gray if he's dropped but he's played a fair bit of football recently.

Equally, I'd have no qualms with him starting in place of Palhinha as I think it's important that Gallagher is let loose as his arrival will definitely lift the place.

Tottenham and Thomas Frank are hoping to put the finishing touches on the £13million transfer for the teenage Santos left-back

Tottenham are hoping to put the final touches on the £13million deal to sign Santos left-back Souza as paperwork must be completed for his move.

In a busy week at the club, Spurs signed Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid in a £34.7million deal and on Wednesday 19-year-old Souza landed to undergo his medical with the club and go through the formalities of his side of the switch from Santos to link up with Thomas Frank's side.

The young Brazilian is understood have completed his medical but the move was always likely to take longer to go through than Gallagher's transfer due to various paperwork being required for his move from South America.

Media in his home country have said that Santos did not hold 100 per cent of his rights with a percentage owned by the player himself which he reportedly signed over to the Brazilian side in order to secure the move. The Premier League does not allow third party ownership of player's registration rights with 100% required to be owned by the club.

Tottenham must also ensure that the teenager gets his work permit in order through the UK government and their stringent points system. Santos president Marcelo Teixeira has already confirmed that the money from the sale of the defender will be used to settle some debts the Brazilian club have to avoid a transfer ban.

There is a chance that Souza's move may not be confirmed until after the weekend but the defender was always unlikely to be included in the squad for Saturday's game against West Ham as the Brazilian season finished a month ago and he will be looking to increase his fitness at Hotspur Way once his move goes through.

South American football expert Tim Vickery believes Souza has all the attributes to shine in the Premier League and is on the radar of Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti.

"Terrific business. I like him very much. He's a good left-back. Physically strong, skilful, a good footballer. He can defend, he can attack," Vickery said on talkSPORT.

"He's come through his first season which has been really difficult because Santos were fighting against relegation and it's a tough ask at Santos, because you've got all of that history and tradition of Pele but it's a club that represents a relatively small city in Brazil. They're really up against it but you've got all the demands, so it's a tough support base to play in front of and he's done really, really well.

"He obviously wants the move and Tottenham came in with eight million (initially), not nearly enough. Santos were relishing a little bit of an auction for him to push the price up. It seems he wants Tottenham and I would be very happy to see him come in. Maybe not immediately straight away but he's on Ancelotti's radar as a left-back for Brazil so I think he's very, very promising indeed."

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The Tottenham Hotspur boss spoke to the media on Thursday and there were some differences to be noted compared to his previous press conferences

There was something different about Thomas Frank's latest Tottenham press conference at Hotspur Way on Thursday.

On the face of it, Saturday's derby against West Ham is huge. The Hammers are the only London side worse than 14th-placed Spurs this season, lying in the drop zone with 14 points to their name and only three wins. They have only claimed a single victory on the road in their 10 matches so far, which came at Nottingham Forest way back in August.

Tottenham have won just twice in their past 13 matches, and with their dreadful home record in the Premier League they need to put on a derby display in front of their fans. Some sections of the media have already dubbed this derby as this season's 'El Sackico', with both Frank and Nuno Espirito Santo under pressure from two disgruntled fanbases.

Yet something about Frank's press conference at the Tottenham training ground at an unusually later time of 4pm on Thursday felt at odds with noise on the outside. The sun was setting at Hotspur Way but the Dane did not appear in the slightest to be a man who felt it was close to setting on his time at the north London club.

This was the press conference of a man who appeared to have felt the backing of those above him this week. The 52-year-old had previously worn the look of a number of his Tottenham predecessors in recent weeks - tired, frustrated and wondering what he had got himself into.

Yet as Thursday evening drew in, Frank looked reenergised. This was no doubt helped by having a chance to regather himself in the absence of a midweek match, but there felt something more to this press conference.

It was the longest press conference since his excited but slightly nervous introductory one back in July, which must feel like a lifetime ago for him. That day he spoke for almost 41 minutes in a busy room full of journalists. On Thursday, he talked to those present for around 39 minutes with fewer reporters in the room but with longer, confident answers.

It has been a week in which Spurs reacted quickly to the latest injury setback within the squad and got him a player to improve his starting XI in Conor Gallagher, a player the Dane helped to get through the doors with his phone call to the midfielder, explaining his role within his team and the project going forward under him.

Frank also led the drive to bring in John Heitinga as his assistant manager and got his man, the Dutchman bringing plenty of experience and the knowledge of what it takes to help coach a team to the Premier League title.

The 42-year-old former centre-back will take on Matt Wells' duties in primarily dealing with Tottenham's defence and the World Cup runner-up will bring a certain gravitas to the party and should enjoy working with his compatriot Micky van de Ven and captain Cristian Romero among others.

Heitinga's ability as a coach and communicator has been respected during his time at both West Ham and Liverpool and with Ajax's academy. He was unable to match his reasonably successful caretaker spell of his childhood club in 2023 with a positive experience as the permanent manager last year, but the lessons learned will serve him well at Tottenham after reflecting on what went wrong in his first managerial post.

So on Thursday Frank sounded like a man who has seen plans put in place that involve him at their centre this week, albeit with the clear understanding that results must improve in the short term and he must win over the Tottenham fans and connect with those who believe this has been too big a step up for him, otherwise he will be fighting a losing battle.

"Yeah, that's fine (the pressure). I'm happy to take that. It's all about how we can get the players out there full of confidence and brave and play forward. I know it's a big London derby, of course, against West Ham, with the rivalry and everything, but it's all about us. For me, it's all about us," he said.

"It's how we come out with energy, positive, forward, adding, hopefully, first half against Sunderland, second half against Villa. If we can do that, then we'll put a top performance out there, and then we'll win the game."

This latest press conference felt geared towards getting a positive, hopeful message out there. Previously Frank has edged closer to the Antonio Conte style of being blunt about the reality of the north London club's current situation, although nowhere near as brutally as the Italian.

Some Spurs fans want to hear that honesty, but many take it as running down their club and blaming them for having unrealistic expectations, and in the wake of finally winning a trophy for the first time in 17 years.

Frank was more positive on Thursday. He veered away from his habit of pointing to last season and passing the blame, and instead spoke about the things that must improve under him, especially the attacking nature of the team. That he has been able to be more open about injury timelines has cut off another avenue of frustration.

The fans and media have mostly been left guessing on player returns this season, but recent days have brought much-needed clarity on Dejan Kulusevski's complicated knee injury, as well as the precise timelines for Rodrigo Bentancur and Mohammed Kudus - both out until April - and the hamstring injury that will keep Richarlison out for seven weeks.

Whether it's Frank or someone around him, there's perhaps been a realisation that the Dane does deserve some sympathy - as did his predecessor Ange Postecoglou - for the long-term injuries to key players that have slowed the building work he's trying to do. Being mysterious or vague about those injuries creates frustration rather than that sympathy and understanding.

"I'm very aware of how this football world works," he said. "I know we haven't got enough of the results we want. I know, I can just see the small steps we're constantly making. I still refer to the last six games with more positive, consistent performances. Not perfect, but there's some good signs of a team where we are talking about sometimes not being able to deal with enough setbacks and resilience.

"The two second halves against Bournemouth and Villa where it is so easy to fall apart. They actually step in together, they add more. I think that's talking about a culture that's getting a little bit stronger, a little bit more 'come on, let's do everything we can to turn this little momentum'.

"In football, sometimes momentum changes like that. I can see the small signs of the culture, the training, how the boys have been training here, especially Tuesday, Thursday, very intense, focused, working very hard on the offensive part of the game, because we know the defensive in many ways looks quite good, not through the roof, but quite good. Big improvements, set pieces are there.

"It's the offensive we need to do better. That's what we're working hard on. I think all the small steps we're doing, with everything from signing Conor, signing John Heitinga as assistant coach, excellent signing, Rafi [Moersen] as football operation officer, a key member in the direction, how we want to do things. Everything is going forward. We just need to add a top performance and a win on Saturday."

There have been huge changes in the past nine months with Frank one of 12 new department heads who have been appointed at Tottenham during that period. It's a time of turmoil as everyone finds their feet and works out their place in the structure and Frank himself is trying to do that.

He began his Spurs tenure by declaring that 'we will lose matches'. He was being honest and Tottenham did, but no football fan wants to hear that as one of the introductory rallying cries. That narrative has changed in the past week with the Dane admitting at his last pre-match press conference that he did not leave Brentford to be anything other than top of the Premier League eventually.

On Thursday, Frank told football.london that all of the changes within the club will require adjustment but he firmly believes they will lead to something special.

"I know the one thing you don't have in football is time, but the one thing that has also been proven to bring success is time," said he said. "So it's a little bit of a conundrum. You need time, not only me, but everyone to gel and make this big engine tick and get up to momentum and pace. Then it's like an unstoppable force. That's the big aim.

"There's a few new people and all of us need to get to know each other, how we work and to get the right process and structure in place is important. But alongside that, we need to perform to our best ability in the most positive way and that needs to start on Saturday against West Ham."

Frank has started looking forward rather than sideways or backwards, and that's something Tottenham fans are desperate for his team to do on the pitch. Supporters need hope and they want something and someone to believe in. That's what Thomas Frank must provide at a club that is desperate to give him time to prevent that sun from setting.

Richarlison has revealed his true feelings after Tottenham removed a photo of him and Brennan Johnson at the club's training centre in Enfield

Richarlison has delivered his verdict on a behind-the-scenes change at Tottenham's Hotspur Way training ground following Brennan Johnson's move to Crystal Palace.

Johnson, who scored the winner in last May's Europa League final win against Manchester United, departed Spurs to make the £35m switch down to Selhurst Park earlier this month.

After Johnson netted that infamous goal, a tribute was put inside Tottenham's training centre. Indeed, it featured an image of the Wales international celebrating alongside Richarlison in Bilbao.

Text alongside the photo read: "Greatness, happiness when we are at our best."

However, following Johnson's move to Palace, Spurs have decided to take down the image from the Europa League final against Manchester United and replace it with a brand new one.

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Instead, Spurs have stuck up a photo of the team in a huddle before a Premier League game. The text has also been removed, with "win together" chosen as the new words on the wall.

It's safe to say that Richarlison, one of Tottenham's Europa League heroes, is displeased with the decision to remove Johnson's image and replace it with a new one.

In an Instagram story on Thursday morning, the former Everton and Watford forward uploaded a video of him walking towards the wall and showing the fresh design.

Alongside that, Richarlison sent a message to Tottenham and Johnson in Portuguese as well sharing an English caption: "No more legend [crying face emoji]."

Richarlison then re-shared an Instagram story from November that saw the iconic photo on the wall at the club's training centre in Enfield.

The 28-year-old made six appearances for Spurs during their 2024/25 Europa League campaign, scoring once in the process. He was handed a rare start for the 1-0 win against United in the final, coming in off the left with Johnson on the right and Dominic Solanke through the middle.

Despite this, Richarlison has been a more prominent figure for Thomas Frank. He has started 20 matches for Spurs this season, though that figure is expected to remain the same until at least March.

This is because Frank confirmed in his pre-West Ham press conference on Thursday that Richarlison is set for at least seven weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. "Richy unfortunately got a hamstring injury that will keep him out for up to seven weeks," the Spurs boss confirmed.

Frank then added that Tottenham are in the market for attacking reinforcements, just hours after a £34m deal for ex-Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher was announced. "We are in the market, as I said many times, to see if we can improve the squad but it needs to be something that we improve for the short and long term.

"It can’t only be for the next four months. We need to think bigger picture as well. But, of course, we know that we are a few offensive players down."

The Tottenham Hotspur boss has been speaking about the huge changes taking place within the north London club and how it will affect things

Thomas Frank claims Tottenham can become an unstoppable force if they can get through their current period of turmoil on and off the pitch.

Frank is one of 12 new department heads who have been appointed at the north London club in the past nine months, with the biggest change being CEO Vinai Venkatesham taking over the steering of Spurs' ship in the wake of Daniel Levy's ousting after 24 years at the helm.

Tottenham confirmed this week that sporting director Fabio Paratici will be leaving next month to take on a similar position at Fiorentina and Rafi Moersen would be joining from the City Football Group in a newly-created Director of Football Operations role. Frank has also appointed a new assistant coach in former Liverpool coach and Ajax boss John Heitinga.

The result has been a lot of new faces trying to find their feet simultaneously. Frank, who is struggling in 14th place in the Premier League with an injury-hit squad, believes that if time is given then Tottenham can become something special.

"I know the one thing you don't have in football is time, but the one thing that has also been proven to bring success is time," said the Dane. "So it's a little bit of a conundrum. You need time, not only me, but everyone to gel and make this big engine tick and get up to momentum and pace. Then it's like an unstoppable force. That's the big aim.

"There's a few new people and all of us need to get to know each other, how we work and to get the right process and structure in place is important. But alongside that, we need to perform to our best ability in the most positive way and that needs to start on Saturday against West Ham."

Frank will have a new face available for that game in Conor Gallagher after his £34.7million signing from Atletico Madrid and the Tottenham boss wants another attacker added to the ranks. Richarlison is set to miss seven weeks with a hamstring problem, Mohammed Kudus out until April with a quad injury and Dejan Kulusevski is still not back from his knee surgery.

"We are in the market to see if we can improve the squad, but it needs to be something where we improve the squad, short and long term," he said. "It can't only be for the next four months. We need to think bigger picture, but of course, we know that we are a few offensive players down in that aspect."

The former Brentford boss is delighted with the arrival of Gallagher though to bolster his midfield options after losing Rodrigo Bentancur for three months to a hamstring injury.

"It's a top signing, a very good player, great experience in the Premier League, also in La Liga, captain of two teams," said Frank. "That character, leadership, experience, and still young, 25, with plenty of development to reach, but coming in on a good level, bringing his pressing abilities, directness, scoring goals, but also able to find good positions on the pitch, is exactly what we need."