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Alan Pardew is not impressed with Thomas Frank’s start at Tottenham.

Frank was hired by Tottenham as Ange Postecoglou’s replacement after Spurs finished in 17th place in the Premier League last season.

However, Frank has the Lilywhites sitting in 14th place, trending in the same direction as the Australian, despite a huge summer spend of nearly £180million.

The ex-Brentford man has suggested that he needs time and that the North London club are in transition, but Pardew believes that is not good enough.

Pardew hits out over Frank’s Tottenham claims

Frank is understood not to be under sack pressure yet at Tottenham, despite winning just six of his 17 top-flight matches so far.

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Pardew accused Frank of papering over the cracks with his claims about a transition, claiming that the team should be performing better, regardless of what state it was in when he came in.

Speaking on Sky Sports on 28 December (13:27 pm), he said: “I think it is all kind of papering over the cracks, he is good with the media, Thomas Frank.

“He is a good talker, but I do actually think they are underperfoming, even with a team that is poor, for a team of Spurs’ finance and standing.

“I think that is where Tottenham fans are, they are little bit kind of like ‘come on then, we want a bit more from the manager’.”

Tottenham fans will agree with Pardew

Ultimately, with the squad at his disposal, Frank should be doing better, Spurs fans would agree with the assessment from Pardew, he has hit the nail on the head.

He could point to injuries or to where Spurs came from last season, but it has not been good enough under his management, regardless of either of those things.

The tactical approach is not working, it is not getting the best out of the players, and he was backed with a lot of money in the summer.

Therefore, the idea that he needs signings does not wash, they made significant additions, and they have not had the required impact under Frank’s guidance.

The results have not been good enough, and if they do not pick up, then the Dane will likely be under serious sack pressure in a matter of weeks.

Spurs fans will not want it to come to that, as then the vicious cycle of finding a new man and then backing him will repeat itself, but it may have to happen, if he cannot turn it around.

The N17 outfit cannot afford another season of mediocrity in the league, it is simply not acceptable.

Frank needs a positive result against Crystal Palace to help ease the pressure and bring some cheer to a glum situation.

Dominic Solanke has been sidelined for most of Tottenham’s season, and there does not seem to be a return in sight.

Solanke was signed as Tottenham’s replacement for Harry Kane, after a stunning campaign at Bournemouth, where he notched 19 goals in 37 matches.

However, he has struggled with injuries since making the move to North London, and Thomas Frank has not been able to use him regularly at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Solanke will be raring to get back to action, but whether he will have the chance anytime soon remains to be seen.

Frustrating Solanke developments shared at Tottenham

John Wenham has revealed that he is unsure when Solanke will return to action, but implied that Spurs need him back as soon as possible.

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Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he said: “We’ve been unlucky with Solanke, he was actually really good for us last year, he scored against Liverpool, home and away, scored against Chelsea, United, lots of big games last year, Man City.

“He is our best striker.

“People blamed Ange [Postecoglou] before, but he featured in pre-season against Reading, came on against Man City in our 2-0 win, and then since then, he has not been since basically I don’t know, but it is very frustrating.

“When we paid £65million for him, it was off the back of playing in all but one of Bournemouth’s 38 league games, it is the last thing we need.”

Solanke will surely miss out vs Palace

Spurs face a crucial clash with Crystal Palace, with Frank looking to get back to winning ways after two consecutive losses

However, Solanke will surely not be in the mix, as Frank’s update ahead of the game was not exactly promising.

Speaking about the English forward and Dejan Kulusevski, he said:

Given that neither Frank, not Wenham, have any inkling when the 28-year-old will be back, it is a worrying time for Lilywhites supporters.

A strong start under Thomas Frank has unravelled into a nightmare, and when Tottenham visit Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon, they find themselves in 14th position.

Tottenham have posted a worrying run of five defeats in their last seven Premier League matches, with Frank facing the sack by the Lilywhites if results don’t improve.

Last time out, Spurs were beaten 2-1 by Liverpool after Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike struck in the second half before Richarlison grabbed a late consolation.

As a result, the north London side are seven points behind fifth-place Chelsea, with their visit to Selhurst Park becoming a must-win to spark optimism of a Champions League finish.

Thomas Frank has promised Tottenham will end losing habit

Tottenham have won just one Premier League game since beating Everton 3-0 on October 26, and that is a worrying slump in form.

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Fans haven’t been pleased by Frank’s style of football and have felt the Dane has gone too safe in matches, which explains why they are the division’s 10th-lowest scorers.

However, to keep his job heading into the New Year, the former Brentford boss must change their habit of losing, and that is something he’s promised ahead of their showdown with the Eagles.

“I definitely think there are habits that can go both ways,” Frank said via the Mail on Sunday. “There are good habits and bad habits and, of course, winning is a good habit and losing is a bad habit.

“But underneath that are the habits of every staff member, every player. How do you react when there are setbacks in games?

“That is something we are really working very, very hard on. There are bits that are going the right way [in this area], but we are not consistent enough to do that every third or fourth day.”

Tottenham’s attacking data is worrying

Everyone knows that Spurs have found it difficult to score goals in Dominic Solanke’s absence, and even he would struggle to transform their fortunes.

Tottenham are on the hunt for a striker in January in a bid to rectify this problem and hopefully improve their worrying attacking data.

So, whilst Frank has promised to turn losses into wins, there is no proof of talk being put into action, and their woes could continue when they face Palace, arguably one of the league’s best defences.

Richarlison could leave Tottenham when the transfer market reopens.

Richarlison is one of the most polarising players in the Tottenham squad, due to the inconsistency in his game.

Tottenham would not have gotten back into the game against Liverpool without Richarlison, but he often disappears and is not involved in matches.

There was constant exit speculation in the summer, and Thomas Frank may be willing to sanction an exit for the Brazilian forward just a few months later.

Richarlison exit on cards at Tottenham

John Wenham believes that a Richarlison exit could be on the cards in January, as there has been no chatter about a potential contract extension.

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Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he said: “The thing is against Forest last week, he offered nothing, we don’t see that Richarlison enough [the one against Liverpool], if we did he would be at Real Madrid or something.

“The way he can wind up players of the quality of Van Dijk, Alisson and others, who have seen it all in their career, he causes massive problems.

“If he could do it every week, he would be at Madrid, but he was basically unplayable for that sort of 15 minutes.

“The start of the season, he had a purple patch, outstanding against PSG in the Super Cup, we then play Burnley in the league and he scores two, including that fantastic acrobatic scissor kick, then he can go nine games without a goal, or have a mysterious injury.

“I still think there is a very decent chance he leaves Tottenham in January, I know he has 18 months left on his contract, there was serious interest in the summer, I expect MLS clubs to come back in for him.

“There is no sort of talk of an extension at Tottenham, so, I could still see Richarlison moving in the near future.”

Why is Richarlison potentially for sale at Tottenham?

The 28-year-old has scored eight goals this season in 26 matches, which is not a bad return by any means.

However, his temperament and injury issues have robbed Spurs of a potential superstar, and that is probably his best spell in years.

Richarlison has missed a total of 74 games for club and country since his move to North London in 2022, which is a huge part of the reason why they may be willing to move on.

He can produce moments of magic, but it is not often enough, due to inconsistency and the fitness problems.

Sky Sports News pundit Paul Merson has backed Tottenham to sign Antoine Semenyo this winter.

Tottenham are heading into a vitally important January transfer window.

Thomas Frank is under major pressure at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with his side in imminent danger of falling out of the race for European football next season.

Tottenham make the short trip to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace on Sunday, with defeat against their London rivals potentially fatal for Frank.

Paul Merson backs Tottenham to strike January Antoine Semenyo deal

Tottenham will surely be looking to sharpen their cutting edge in the winter window, with currently only Richarlison (seven) the only Spurs player to have scored more than three league goals this season.

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Bournemouth’s Semenyo has been linked with a move to Tottenham in January, with the versatile 25-year-old forward one of the standout performers in the Premier League so far this term.

Speaking on Sky Sports News on Saturday, Merson has tipped Tottenham to seal Semenyo’s signature, in what would be massive statement of intent from Spurs.

“The one that you just said he wouldn’t go to, Tottenham,” Merson said when asked on where he thinks Semenyo will land if he moves in January.

“I look at Man United, I think he’d have to play at wing-back because they’ve got the two behind already and the way they play, unless he’s (Amorim) sort of trying that now to change it up to see if that’s going to be the way they’re going to play if they get Semenyo, like they did yesterday. That might be one of the reasons.

“Man City? We don’t know if Pep is going to be there next season…So for me, I think Tottenham.

“It’s really open, need a left-sided midfielder, there’s plenty of space and he’ll play every week. He plays every week at Bournemouth. Will he get used to being able to play two games, coming out for one or two, playing another two.

“He might be one of them players that needs to play week-in, week-out. It’s hard. The foreign players can do it, they’ve been used to it. But for English players, and especially for someone like him who has been playing consistently all the time, he might not like that.

“So, it’s one for him to think about. He’s got the world at his feet, and all he’s got to do is make sure, thank God, he doesn’t get injured in the next 12 days or so.”

Semenyo would be major upgrade on what Tottenham currently have

In Mohammed Kudus, Tottenham have an excellent right-winger who looks capable of starring down that side in a Spurs shirt for many years to come.

However on the left, it’s a different story, with numerous players all getting chances to claim that spot as their own, but none have really taken it.

Lucas Bergvall, Richarlison, Wilson Odobert, Randal Kolo Muani, Mathys Tel: all of these players can and have operated on the left-wing for Tottenham at various points in their Spurs careers, but none have really done enough there to present themselves as long-term solutions.

Therefore, signing a proven star in the Premier League in that position, who is only just entering the prime years of his career, would surely be a no-brainer for Tottenham.

Paul Merson is under no illusion that Thomas Frank is in trouble at Tottenham, but he could be saved by one signing in January.

Pressure has been building on Frank at Tottenham for weeks due to poor results and performances that have drawn heavy criticism from fans.

Tottenham now play Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday, in a game which could leave the Lewis family with an important decision to make heading into January.

Spurs are ready to spend in the winter market, and the board will have to either stick with Frank or replace the Dane with a suggested £150million being prepped for signings.

But Merson feels like one man who has been linked with the Lilywhites could be the individual to turn the tide for Frank at N17.

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Paul Merson believes Antoine Semenyo would make Spurs fans dream again

Tottenham have been linked with Antoine Semenyo, with it now reported that the forward is expected to leave Bournemouth in January.

The 25-year-old is one of the most in-form players in England, as a £65m release clause can be triggered before expiry on 10 January.

Writing on Sportskeeda while predicting Tottenham‘s clash with Palace at the weekend, Merson explained how Semenyo could be the difference maker for Frank.

Merson wrote: “If Spurs can sign Semenyo, that will give them a huge boost. It will inspire the fans because Tottenham have always missed out on big signings to their rivals in the past.

“I believe that the signing of Semenyo could buy Frank some much-needed time.”

The Lilywhites have a hard battle to land arguably the most in-demand forward in the Premier League, but Semenyo could change the whole picture.

Semenyo could spearhead new-look Spurs attack in 2026

Many Spurs fans are forgetting that Frank is without Dominic Solanke, and so the Dane has had to use Randal Kolo Muani and Richarlison more than he expected to.

Tottenham have suffered going forward, but there have been signs of progression in isolated games, and Semenyo could be the man to make everything click.

The Bournemouth man would slot straight in at left-wing, while Solanke’s return would add another huge boost to Frank’s forward line.

Dejan Kulusevski is nearing a return from his long-term injury, as Frank may be able to show off his true coaching abilities with these three attackers available.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank will look to reshape his squad when the transfer window reopens.

Tottenham suffered another defeat against Liverpool last time out, leaving them 14th in the Premier League table.

Tottenham will surely be active in the market, as they have not been good enough in the first half of the season.

However, there may well be significant exits too, with Radu Dragusin a potential casualty of another spending spree.

Radu Dragusin’s chances of Tottenham exit revealed

Tottenham star Dragusin has nearly recovered from the anterior cruciate ligament injury that he suffered last season.

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A report from Italian journalist Alessio Lento claimed that the 23-year-old could depart Spurs on loan, with two unnamed Italian clubs interested in his services.

He states that Dragusin will have talks with Spurs first, which suggests that Frank will make the final decision on whether the Romanian defender departs North London.

Tottenham exit makes no sense for Dragusin

Unless Frank has a replacement lined up, it makes no sense to allow Dragusin to depart when the window reopens.

With Cristian Romero’s injury record and poor discipline, which was on show in the defeat to Liverpool, it would leave Spurs too short in the department, heading into a pivotal period of the season.

Micky van de Ven is the first-choice partner for the Argentine, but back-ups Kevin Danso and Ben Davies do not exactly inspire confidence if they have to come into the team.

Dragusin has shown glimpses of his potential in the chances that he has had under Ange Postecoglou, and he has not had an opportunity to show Frank what he can do.

Spurs learnt their lesson when it comes to poor squad planning last season as they finished 17th in the league, so surely they would not risk the same thing happening again, and allowing the defender to leave.

It would be an extremely risky move, and Frank must make the right decision, otherwise he will leave himself even more vulnerable.

Alfie Dorrington’s short-term future at Aberdeen is uncertain as Tottenham could consider recalling the youngster.

Dorrington’s loan spell with Aberdeen has not gone to plan so far as the 20-year-old has started just three Scottish Premiership matches.

He has made 14 appearances in total but is not considered a starter for the first team when everyone’s available, with Spurs seemingly questioning if the right choice was made in the summer.

Dorrington was initially omitted from Aberdeen’s European squad, but he earned a reprieve and featured in some dead-rubbers.

But it may well be that the defender is back at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before too long.

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Tottenham could recall Alfie Dorrington from Aberdeen loan

Dorrington did not feature for Spurs this term prior to heading out on loan, meaning he can still represent a second club in the second half of the season.

As per the Daily Record’s print edition on Saturday, “there is concern Tottenham could recall 20-year-old Alfie Dorrington”.

Kris­ters Tobers has been ruled out for the season and Gavin Mol­loy is also currently missing, with manager Jimmy Thelin prioritising the signing of a new centre-back in Janaury.

“Maybe they still have a jour­ney to do but also in the academy, to cre­ate space and path­ways for our play­ers we have inves­ted in,” Thelin said.

“In Janu­ary, for sure there are going to be move­ments in and out. We will see when Janu­ary is over what has happened. Let’s see how we bal­ance the squad.”

Thelin did not directly mention Dorrington, but reading between the lines, it sounds as though he is prioritising using Aberdeen’s own youngsters over someone just at the club temporarily.

These injuries may free up Dorrington to play more, but Spurs will monitor the situation and do what is best for the club in January.

How is Mikey Moore getting on in Scotland?

Fellow Spurs youngster Mikey Moore is another currently out on loan in Scotland with Rangers.

Moore’s Rangers career has finally started to take off of late after a slow start to the campaign for the SPFL heavyweights.

He recently scored in back-to-back games for the Gers, although the young attacking midfielder is now three games without a goal.

Moore is rated extremely highly at Spurs and, while he has not exactly taken Scotland by storm, he is playing regularly and is being exposed to some intense situations.

Ultimately that will benefit him far more in the long term than playing just the odd game for Spurs here and there.

Hopefully Dorrington also plays more regularly as the season goes on, whether that be at Aberdeen or elsewhere.

Tottenham are reportedly eyeing a move to sign Juventus star Kenan Yildiz amid a stand-off in Turin.

Despite investing heavily in attacking talents in the summer the season has not gone according to plan so far under Thomas Frank, and the club are likely to have to back the Dane again heavily in January.

Mohammed Kudus’ arrival from West Ham has proven to be a qualified success but the headline deal that saw Tottenham hijack Chelsea’s move to bring in Xavi Simons has been a major disappointment so far.

And now Spurs are in position to go up against the Blues again, as well as North London rivals Arsenal, for Turkish star Yildiz.

Tottenham to battle Arsenal and Chelsea for Yildiz deal

According to a report from Tutto Juve in Italy the Premier League trio are positioned to step in as delicate contract talks in Turin stall.

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The “tug of war” between the 20-year-old and the Old Lady is based around wage demands from Yildiz reportedly amounting to around £5million per season.

But no agreement has yet been reached due to financial constraints for the Serie A giants, despite Juventus having no desire to see their star man leave.

Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal don’t have the same issues are said to be ready to offer Yildiz the big deal he wants.

At Tottenham they are believed to see the versatile attacker, who can play on either flank or through the middle, as the heir to the club’s tradition for fielding dynamic creative players, whereas the youngster fits Chelsea’s transfer policy as well, and Arsenal see him as an ideal partner for Martin Odegaard.

What is Kenan Yildiz’s current contract situation?

If Yildiz is to move it is still going to be a hugely-expensive proposition since Gazzetta dello Sport report that his current deal doesn’t expire until 2029.

Despite being the main man at the Allianz Stadium he doesn’t feel he is paid accordingly, having agreed what is considered a “bridging contract” 18 months ago that secured his dream of following Alessandro Del Piero in wearing the number 10 shirt.

However, it only makes him the 19th-highest paid in the Juve squad at €1.7m [£1.48m] a year, when he wants something more in line with what Jonathan David is on at €6m [£5.23m].

Juventus have apparently already offered him a deal worth somewhere between €4m-5m [£3.49m-£4.36m] which is thought to be close to acceptable, but Yildiz reportedly wants to be sure Juventus are heading in the right direction so he can be the Del Piero figure in a new era of success.

However, Juve haven’t won the title in any of the past five campaigns, having won nine-straight prior, and are on their third permanent manager of 2025, after Luciano Spalletti replaced Igor Tudor, and are currently fifth in Serie A.

So doubts over the direction of travel look like giving Spurs a greater chance of sneaking in, although there have to be major doubts that Yildiz would see anything more successful at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium currently so it seems a huge long shot that he ends up at the club.

Tottenham will be watching Luka Vuskovic very closely during his loan at Hamburg.

After defeats to Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, Tottenham travel to Crystal Palace on Sunday in a vital London derby clash to end 2025.

Thomas Frank is under major pressure at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Jurgen Klopp being touted as a potential candidate for the Spurs job if Frank is to be axed.

Regardless of who is in charge come January, Tottenham are in desperate need of a strong winter transfer window if they are to finish in the European spots.

That may not be Vuskovic, though.

Tottenham make Luka Vuskovic January recall decision

One department that Tottenham have struggled in this season is defence.

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Spurs have kept just five clean sheets all season, and as per FotMob, are conceding an average of 1.4 goals per game.

Therefore, it won’t be a surprise to see Tottenham target defensive reinforcements in January, but they do also have another alternative that wouldn’t see them need to splash out.

Spurs do have the option to recall highly-rated 18-year-old central defender Vuskovic from his season-long loan deal with German Bundesliga side Hamburg.

However, as per The Athletic, Tottenham currently have no intention of enacting that recall clause and will instead allow the Croatian to remain in Germany for the duration of the season.

Tottenham may be wiser for allowing Vuskovic Hamburg stay in the long run

That may well be music to Vuskovic’s ears, too, as the teenager is currently enjoying a highly fruitful time in Hamburg.

With the Bundesliga in the midst of its winter break until the second week of January, Vuskovic has started 13 of Hamburg’s 15 league games so far this season.

He’s also been able to score two goals for Merlin Polzin’s side, who currently sit 13th of 18 in their first season back in the German top flight since 2018.

Vuskovic is among the top percentile of Bundesliga centre-backs in some key categories, both offensively and defensively.

As per FotMob, he’s currently registering an 85.1 per cent passing accuracy, completed 100 per cent of his dribble successfully, won 70 per cent of his ground duels and 83.1 per cent in the air and made 53 recoveries.

In short, he’s absolutely loving life with Hamburg, and so keeping him there for the full season could do him the world of good, and possibly see him return in the summer as a player who is ready to compete for a starting role with Tottenham for next season.