TBR Football

Thomas Frank will have just seen one of his new Tottenham Hotspur players impressing for his national team in a new position.

Frank and Tottenham have agreed terms for the Danish coach to become the next manager of the North London club, replacing Ange Postecoglou, who Daniel Levy sacked.

The 51-year-old faces the task of helping Spurs to climb the Premier League table following a dismal league campaign in which the team finished 17th.

Thomas Frank will certainly be buoyed by the fact that he is inheriting a very talented squad, and the performance of one player in particular will have caught his eye.

Thomas Frank needs to consider playing Micky van de Ven at left-back

Micky van de Ven produced an impressive display for the Netherlands, playing as a left-back in their 8-0 win over Malta in World Cup qualifying.

Playing on the left side of Ronald Koeman’s defence, Van de Ven scored and assisted, with the Dutch media hailing his position change as ‘very positive’.

There have been suggestions that Van de Ven could go backwards under Frank, as the Dane is expected to line Tottenham Hotspur up playing a deeper line.

Under Postecoglou, Van de Ven’s recovery speed made him such an important player as he was able to catch most attackers who found a route behind Spurs’ defence.

However, the 24-year-old has just shown that he could now be an option as a full-back, as he is such a good carrier of the ball, even as a centre-back.

Van de Ven playing as a left back would give Frank the option of switching to a back three in-game, with most likely Pedro Porro on the other side being given the licence to attack down the right.

The Dutch international remains such a good defender so it’s an experiment which seems unlikely at this stage, but food for thought for the new Tottenham boss.

The North London club have been rather open at times with both Porro and Destiny Udogie playing together, therefore, Van de Ven at left-back could make them a bit better protected.

What Micky van de Ven said about Tottenham and Thomas Frank rumours

After the match, Van de Ven spoke about Postecoglou’s sacking and questioned the club’s decision to get rid of a manager who had just won a trophy.

The defender has also heard that Frank will ‘probably’ be appointed as the man to replace him, but ultimately, he is disappointed about the Australian being sacked.

Van de Ven told the media: “It is a choice from the club about which we have little to say, so we will see what happens now.

“Of course, we see some rumours about the coach of Brentford, who it will probably be. So yes, a choice from the club about which we have little to say.”

Thomas Frank is all set to become the new Tottenham Hotspur manager.

Ange Postecoglou was shown the door by Daniel Levy even though he helped the club win their first trophy in over 17 years.

The decision was made based on the Australian’s record in the Premier League – 22 losses in 38 games last season was just unacceptable.

TBR revealed that Frank has agreed to become the Tottenham manager, and transfer talks have taken place ahead of his official appointment.

Christian Norgaard’s name came up during transfer conversations between Tottenham and Thomas Frank

Thomas Frank helped develop a number of exceptional players at Brentford.

Many Spurs fans, including Jamie O’Hara, want the incoming Tottenham manager to sign Bryan Mbeumo from the Bees.

Yoane Wissa was previously a target for Tottenham too, while TBR Football’s resident Spurs expert Jamie Brown suggested that Frank should sign Keane Lewis-Potter.

Now, GiveMeSport have claimed that the name of Christian Norgaard ‘has cropped up in transfer conversations’ at Tottenham.

The 31-year-old, who is Brentford’s captain, is viewed by Frank as a key part of his success, and there is a suggestion that the incoming Spurs boss could look for a reunion.

But, there is a problem.

Brentford’s stance on selling Christian Norgaard to Thomas Frank’s Tottenham

Norgaard signed a new contract at Brentford in March this year.

The Bees have absolutely no interest in letting him go, and the report claims that they have ‘made it clear that they will hold firm’ if Frank tries to sign him for Tottenham.

It has further been revealed that Brentford are ‘determined’ to block a move and are also prepared to ‘raise their valuation should Tottenham come calling for an agreement’.

Norgaard and Frank enjoyed a fantastic spell together at Brentford, but as things stand, a reunion at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium looks unlikely.

Spurs will have to look elsewhere for a new defensive midfielder.

Referees often make high-profile mistakes, and Tottenham Hotspur have been on the wrong end of some terrible decisions over the years.

The 2019 Champions League final was marred by a dodgy VAR call on an early penalty for Tottenham.

Meanwhile, just this season VAR made a mistake as Tottenham lost to Chelsea as Moises Caicedo arguably should’ve been sent off for a poor challenge.

On other occasions, Tottenham have benefitted from refereeing errors, for example, Luis Diaz’s offside goal back in 2023.

Speaking on Stick To Football, Paul Scholes was asked to name the worst refereeing decision he’s seen in his life, and he gave an answer that involved Tottenham.

Paul Scholes names the worst refereeing decision he’s ever seen

According to Scholes the worst refereeing decision of all-time came back in 2005 as Tottenham faced Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Pedro Mendes had a speculative shot from more than 40 yards against United, and Roy Carroll, inexplicably, spilled the ball over the line.

Luckily, Mendes’ blushes were spared as both the referee and the linesman failed to spot that the ball had crossed the line.

According to Scholes, this was a terrible decision, and Gary Neville agrees.

“What is the worst refereeing decision you’ve ever seen?” Scholes was asked.

“Oh god, Roy Carroll over the line? It was miles over the line,’ Scholes said.

“You’re right, the ball was over the line, it was that far over the line,” Neville said.

How Alex Ferguson reacted to Pedro Mendes ghost goal

Pedro Mendes’ goal 20 years ago should’ve been given, but, as ever, Alex Ferguson wasn’t willing to concede much ground after the game.

Indeed, while Ferguson admitted that the goal should’ve been given and that technology should come into the game, he also said that from his angle he couldn’t see the incident properly, while also bemoaning the referee for another decision involving his team.

“Well, I make the point about technology and cameras. Most people in the game are making the point that progress has to be made in the game and that proved it tonight,” Ferguson said.

“I don’t think you can blame the linesman or the referee, even from my position I wasn’t dead sure. The linesman was scurrying back, but he couldn’t do it. That could’ve won the game for them.

“We should’ve had a penalty kick when Rio Ferdinand was brought down and all of your highlights are about that goal when you’re missing another obvious bad decision.”

Of course, Mendes’ goal wasn’t the only time goal line technology, or the lack thereof, has had a massive effect in the Premier League and English football as a whole.

Perhaps most famously, Frank Lampard’s goal vs Germany was disallowed at the 2010 World Cup.

Meanwhile, Luis Garcia scored for Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League semi-final but the ball seemingly hadn’t crossed the line.

Clint Hill also had a goal disallowed vs Bolton in 2012 which could’ve condemned QPR to relegation.

Going even further back, one of Geoff Hurst’s goals in the 1966 World Cup final arguably should’ve been disallowed for similar reasons.

Luckily, these days, goal line technology is there to save the day and these sorts of decisions are no longer huge issues.

Tottenham Hotspur might already be running their existing transfer targets past incoming boss Thomas Frank, who is set to replace Ange Postecoglou in N17.

In a meeting with Daniel Levy before becoming new Tottenham boss, Frank was made a promise about Spurs’ transfers — the Dane will have a significant say.

Spurs won’t solely rely on Frank’s judgement when signing players, but he will have considerable input.

Perhaps Frank might want to sign a player from Brentford, but at the same time, there will already be players who the likes of Johan Lange have done a lot of work on.

Spurs need additions to several areas of their squad for their return to the Champions League, and they might still be considering a surprise move for a player from Chelsea.

Tottenham target Renato Veiga left ‘frustrated’ by Chelsea snub

Earlier this year, TBR Football revealed that Tottenham were interested in Renato Veiga at Chelsea, a 21-year-old who spent the second half of the season on loan at Juventus.

Former managing director of football Fabio Paratici is set to return to Spurs this summer, and perhaps his knowledge of Italian football could be significant when it comes to any Renato Veiga pursuit.

But if Tottenham are still considering a move for the versatile defender then they might be in luck.

According to reliable journalist Nizaar Kinsella, Veiga is now ‘frustrated’ at a decision that has just been made at Chelsea.

Veiga has been left out of Chelsea’s Club World Cup squad, a tournament he expected to be a part of for the Blues.

Kinsella shared that a ‘source close to the player’ confirmed that Veiga expected to return to Chelsea to play at the competition after winning the Nations League with Portugal.

However, the defender hasn’t been registered.

Enzo Maresca’s Renato Veiga verdict explains why he’s perfect for Spurs

In terms of Spurs’ interest in Veiga, it must somewhat stem from the Portugal international’s versatility.

Portugal manager Roberto Martinez has praised Veiga for his country already, a superb young talent.

And when speaking last October shortly before Veiga went on loan to Juventus, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca perhaps explained why any side would be lucky to sign the 21-year-old.

Speaking after Chelsea beat Belgian side Gent in the Europa Conference league, Maresca hailed Veiga for playing in three different positions in a short space of time.

He said: “Tonight he played like an attacking midfielder, in the pocket for the first time of the season for us.

“He did very well. You never imagine Renato arriving in the box and scoring from the other side. That means he is doing well.

“When we needed him as a holding midfielder against Bournemouth, he was there. The other day against Brighton, as a full-back. He is versatile. Tonight he was playing like an attacking midfielder but overall I think he did well.”

A seriously talented youngster, and one who Spurs would be clever to steal away from Chelsea.

Thomas Frank is soon set to become the next manager of Tottenham Hotspur and the club’s supporters fear he could already be about to make his first transfer mistake.

Frank and Tottenham have agreed terms over the 51-year-old becoming the next manager of the football club and replacing Ange Postecoglou, who Daniel Levy sacked.

The Danish manager faces a big job in North London following what was a shocking Premier League campaign as Spurs finished 17th.

Frank will need to make some big additions to his squad this summer and there is some concern that one of the players the club are in talks to sign isn’t good enough.

Tottenham fans left unimpressed by Mathys Tel’s performance for France Under-21

Mathys Tel had a rather tricky opening game at the Under-21 European Championships as France were held to a goalless draw with Portugal.

The young Portuguese side managed to contain Les Espoirs’ attack rather easily, with the Tottenham Hotspur duo of Wilson Odobert and Tel both disappointing.

Both players started on either flank, and whilst Odobert had nice moments throughout the match, it was not a great showing from either.

Odobert impressed against Uzbekistan in the buildup to the tournament, but against tougher opposition, the 20-year-old also looked rather underwhelming.

Tottenham are yet to sign Tel permanently and now there are big question marks from the club’s supporters as to whether they should be pursuing that deal.

The Bayern Munich loanee was subbed off after 77 minutes after suffering an injury, meaning he will now need to be assessed.

Following the game, Spurs fans took to X to share their thoughts on both players, but particularly Tel, questioning whether he should be signed permanently.

One fan said: “Tel has worried me in this game. Seeing much of the same from this season, all effort but no quality. Odobert has been okay at times.”

Another claimed: “I’m not sure about Tel and Odobert. I don’t think Thomas Frank will entertain either of them at Spurs.

There were further question marks over the young Frenchman’s performance: “Tel’s footwork isn’t great, he rarely ever commits defenders, and just ends up settling for a pass or cross.”

Finally, another supporter added: “My question on Tel was more about his end product and what Spurs desperately need. He’s a decent enough ball carrier for sure. But we are supposed to be aiming high.”

Will Tottenham actually sign Mathys Tel permanently?

TBR Football has already revealed that Tel has impressed Tottenham and the North London club are ready to make his move a permanent one.

The winger is also keen to make the switch from Bayern Munich as he is now well settled in London and will have the chance to play Champions League football next season.

The issue is at the moment about the fee with Bayern having originally demanded £50m, whereas Spurs are keen to only pay £33.5m plus add-ons.

Frank could be great for Tel given his impressive track record for developing young attackers like Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa.

But, big question marks remain over Tel and whether he’s actually worth investing a fair amount of money to sign permanently.

Thomas Frank is set for a very busy first summer transfer window at Tottenham Hotspur, and he may need to consider offloading players to raise funds.

Frank and Tottenham have agreed terms for the Danish coach to be the man to replace Ange Postecoglou, who Daniel Levy sacked following a dismal Premier League campaign.

The 51-year-old is now tasked with helping Spurs climb the league table, along with having a solid run in the Champions League.

To do so, the North London club will need to add to Frank’s squad, and that might involve selling a few current players to make sure the budget is as big as possible.

Thomas Frank needs to sell Son Heung-min to leave Tottenham

Thomas Frank needs to sit down with Son Heung-min and advise the Tottenham Hotspur captain to bow out after ten years at the football club.

TBR Football has learned that Son is open to working under Frank, but the soon-to-be former Brentford boss needs to suggest that he moves on.

The Tottenham captain has plenty of interest if he does decide to leave, with clubs from the Saudi Pro League, Germany, Spain and Italy all keen to sign him.

The South Korean could leave on the ultimate high of having lifted the Europa League trophy and helped end Spurs’ 17-year wait for a major trophy.

Son, who’s been called Tottenham’s ‘main man’, saw his performances questioned for the majority of last season as the 32-year-old showed signs of struggling to hit the heights that he has done throughout his career.

Regardless, the winger still managed an impressive 11 goals and 12 assists in all competitions as he proved he still has something to offer.

It has also been suggested that Son may not suit Frank’s system, with the Dane favouring speedy wingers, and last term, the club legend showed he’d just lost a yard of pace.

So, should Saudi return for Son and make a suitable offer for Spurs’ captain, both parties should strongly consider having an amicable split after 10 years together.

What Son Heung-min just said about leaving Tottenham

Son has revealed that he is delighted to have won a major trophy last season having dreamt of that moment since he was a child.

But from a personal perspective, he admitted he was disappointed with how he performed and he is looking to improve ahead of the next campaign.

Son told the media: “I think I accomplished everything I wanted to do whilst chasing my dreams of playing football this season.

“You play football to win things, you always remember the winners, the season wasn’t easy, but I was able to achieve the thing I wanted since I was a little kid, because I experienced this, I want to experience more and I think I could do better.

“In regards to this past season, I wasn’t in my normal condition most of the time. For this upcoming season, I’m starting from zero, so I hope to prepare well with a good physical condition.”

TBR Football can exclusively confirm that Brighton & Hove Albion have signed two top European talents ahead of Tottenham Hotspur.

Brighton have made a real name for themselves in recent years as a club with a world-class scouting department, unearthing hidden gems time and time again.

Meanwhile, a fresh start beckons for Tottenham as Thomas Frank prepares to swap Brentford for Spurs.

TBR Football can also confirm that the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest had their eyes on at least one of the two Brighton-bound players.

Brighton set to sign Charalampos Kostoulas and Diego Coppola ahead of Tottenham

TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey has confirmed that Olympiacos forward Charalampos Kostoulas is closing in on a move to Brighton.

TBR Football sources previously confirmed that Tottenham were keen on Kostoulas alongside the likes of Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and Aston Villa.

Brighton have struck a €35million (£30million) deal with Olympiacos for Kostoulas, who is in England for his medical with the south coast club.

Football Talent Scout‘s Jacek Kulig has deemed Kostoulas a “complete forward” and likened his style of play to that of Karim Benzema and Edinson Cavani.

In addition, Brighton have also agreed terms with Hellas Verona for Diego Coppola, with a deal of around €10million (£8.5million) agreed for the Italy international.

Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool were also keen on Coppola, who already has two senior Italy caps at just 21 years of age.

Brighton insiders’ emphatic Diego Coppola verdict

“Brighton have had a really busy start to the summer,” Bailey exclusively told TBR Football.

“They already signed Stefanos Tzimas and now they have followed that up with Kostoulas – that’s £50million on two Greek teenagers.

“But they have also struck a deal for Coppola, who they think could be one of the best young defenders in Europe. They were desperate to get that deal done before the U21 Euros.

“Brighton have Tommy Watson done from Sunderland and Oliver Boscagli from PSV Eindhoven too.

“The Seagulls are delighted with what they have done in the market, they are really backing Fabian Hurzeler.

“But they have spent a lot – expect some departures to come with the likes of Joao Pedro and Matt O’Riley options to leave.”

Daniel Levy has a big summer ahead of him at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Spurs chairman made the bold call to sack Ange Postecoglou earlier this month, even though he ended the club’s 17-year trophy drought.

TBR Football can confirm that Thomas Frank has agreed to become the next Tottenham manager, and the Dane will have to be backed in the transfer market.

Daniel Levy has now held talks with one potential target.

Daniel Levy met with Antoine Semenyo’s agents to discuss Tottenham transfer

Antoine Semenyo is a wanted man in this summer’s transfer window.

The Ghana international had a tremendous season for Bournemouth, for whom he scored 13 goals and provided seven assists in all competitions.

The 25-year-old’s brilliant performances have earned him a ton of praise, and multiple big clubs have shown interest in him.

TBR Football previously revealed that Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham and Newcastle are all interested in Semenyo and would love to sign him.

Now, talkSPORT have revealed that a meeting took place between Levy and Semenyo’s advisors over a summer move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Semenyo, who still has four full years left on his contract, would likely be open to a big move away from the Vitality Stadium this summer.

But, Tottenham will have to break the bank to sign him.

How much will Antoine Semenyo cost Tottenham this summer?

Tottenham already know what it’s like doing business with Bournemouth.

Spurs signed Dominic Solanke from the Cherries last summer for a club-record £65 million. It was a massive fee, and some were even surprised that Levy sanctioned such a big move.

Backing what TBR Football exclusively revealed in May, talkSPORT confirm that Bournemouth want £70 million for Semenyo this summer.

That means Tottenham will have to break their transfer record again for another Bournemouth player if they want to sign him.

It remains to be seen if Levy will agree to do that in the coming weeks.

Tottenham Hotspur are set for another busy season as they return to the Champions League and new additions are desperately required.

Johan Lange is the man tasked with finding new players for Tottenham Hotspur’s squad and it seems as though he will be signing players for the soon-to-be Spurs boss, Thomas Frank.

The Spurs sporting director now needs to act quickly and make an astute signing which could prove to be very sensible for several reasons.

Tottenham should move to sign Kyle Walker-Peters

Kyle Walker-Peters is set to be released by Southampton when his contract expires at the end of the month, according to the Southern Daily Echo.

Lange could now save Spurs a considerable amount in the transfer window by bringing the 28-year-old back to North London.

TBR Football revealed back in April that Tottenham had spoken to Walker-Peters about the possibility of returning as a free agent.

Walker-Peters was on the books at Spurs from 2013 to 2020, in which he made 12 first-team appearances for the North London club.

Tottenham sold the defender to Southampton for around £12m back in the summer of 2020 under Jose Mourinho, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg heading the other way.

The return of the Tottenham academy product could be perfect for the Lilywhites as it would provide them with full-back cover for both sides and aid their homegrown issue.

Spurs need more homegrown talents to help their European squad, and Walker-Peters would not only count as homegrown but also club-trained.

If Lange can sign Walker-Peters, it would allow them greater freedom in the transfer market as they will have sorted full-back cover without spending a transfer fee and also scope to move for foreign targets.

How many games did Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie miss last season?

At the start of last season, Tottenham ran Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro into the ground with no cover for either player.

Ange Postecoglou didn’t fancy Djed Spence and therefore, he had limited himself to Archie Gray as his only other full-back option.

Udogie ended up suffering two hamstring injuries and missed 13 matches last season. Porro managed to avoid any injuries, but it became clear that fatigue was an issue, given his dip in performance.

Ahead of next season, Frank needs to ensure he is well stocked at full-back and Walker-Peters could be the perfect addition.

Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on the appointment of Brentford manager Thomas Frank as Ange Postecoglou’s replacement.

TBR Football understands that Frank has already held talks with Daniel Levy, and the two clubs are currently in discussions over the Dane’s release clause.

There is optimism that an agreement between Tottenham and Brentford will be reached relatively swiftly, according to TBR Football sources.

Frank’s seemingly imminent appointment has led to widespread discussion over which players he could look to sign in the summer transfer window.

For instance, Jamie O’Hara has expressed his hopes of Tottenham signing Bryan Mbeumo from under Manchester United’s noses.

Interestingly, Spurs have a player who Brentford previously tried to sign, and now he could well get the chance to shine under Frank.

Tottenham have Djed Spence in their ranks, and he will be eager to stake a claim for a regular starting spot next season.

Back in January 2023, Brentford were reported to have made a loan bid for Spence, but Tottenham rejected the Bees’ approach.

Indeed, it was reported that Spurs rejected Brentford’s offer because they wanted to sign Spence permanently in the summer.

At the time, Spence was struggling for game time at Tottenham.

Now, the ‘incredible’ Spence is a first-team regular and Frank will surely be eager to take a good look at him in pre-season.

What Thomas Frank has said about Djed Spence in the past

Whereas Postecoglou enjoyed playing a high line, making Pedro Porro perfect for him, Frank is a versatile manager who can vary things up.

As per The Athletic, Spence offers ‘something different to Udogie and Porro, which was reflected in the number of take-ons he attempts.

‘Spence likes to drive with the ball into central areas and draw defenders towards him before sliding the ball into the space they have vacated,’ they wrote.

Meanwhile, Porro’s ‘biggest strength is the quality of his crossing and set-piece delivery while Udogie excels at underlapping Son Heung-min on the left wing.’

In addition, Frank praised Spence – along with numerous other Tottenham players – back in February, after Brentford’s home loss to Spurs.

“Their midfield – Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma – that is a very, very, very good Premier League midfield,” he told reporters.

“And then I know they have not had a centre-back, maybe Archie Gray and Ben Davies played the best defensive game of the season.

“So, Pedro Porro is fantastic at right back, he has got Trent-ish offensive qualities and Djed Spence has done well.”