TBR Football

Mohammed Kudus played his first competitive game for Tottenham Hotspur against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup.

The Ghana international joined Spurs from West Ham United for £55 million earlier this summer, and fans have been really excited about him.

Kudus has looked good throughout pre-season, and Thomas Frank gave him the nod to start against the European champions on Wednesday night.

The French press have had their say on him.

France’s media deliver verdict on Tottenham star Mohammed Kudus’ performance vs PSG

Tottenham suffered heartbreak in Udine against PSG.

The North Londoners were comfortably the better side for the first 70 minutes of the game and were deservedly 2-0 up.

Frank was on his way to lift a major trophy in his first competitive game, but two goals from the French champions in the last nine minutes took the tie to penalties.

PSG came out on top in the shootout, winning 4-3 after Micky van de Ven and Mathys Tel missed their penalties.

The result is heartbreaking for Spurs fans, but there are a lot of positives to take from the game. One of them is Kudus’ performance.

The Ghanaian was very good when he was on the pitch, and he has received some praise from media outlets in France.

Foot Mercato gave him a 7/10 rating – no Spurs player was rated higher – and wrote: “The Ghanaian international used his physical power to challenge PSG’s midfield and defence. His duel with Portuguese full-back Nuno Mendes was a beautiful sight to behold.

“Mohammed Kudus made numerous runs with the ball at his feet to gain yards for his team, demonstrating a good understanding with Richarlison, to whom he gave England’s first chance of the match.”

Maxifoot gave Kudus a 6.5/10 rating and said: “What a burst of energy! Tottenham’s summer signing put in the work, pressing and defending deep enough, but also offering solutions in attacking phases.”

Ouest-France’s Made in Foot gave Kudus a 7/10 rating – again, no other Spurs player was rated higher.

Mohammed Kudus’ stats vs PSG

Kudus was very impressive for Tottenham against PSG.

The 25-year-old started up top with Richarlison and often drifted to the right. He showed immense strength and often came out on top against Nuno Mendes.

To add to the above, Kudus boasted a 100 per cent success rate with his crosses against PSG, finding a teammate with all four of his attempts.

The result was not what Tottenham wanted, but Kudus’ performance is a major positive going into the new season.

Tottenham Hotspur lost to PSG in the UEFA Super Cup – and Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle has it out for one player in particular.

Tottenham, all in all, will be disappointed with the result against the Parisians. Despite banking some money in Super Cup winnings, there is little to shout about result-wise.

Alas, the performance was still excellent for the majority. Thomas Frank was lauded by fans for his tactics, which just fell short as PSG fought back in the dying embers, then defeated Spurs on penalties.

Tottenham’s players did well, but the two goals were avoidable, and Glenn Hoddle in particular had it out for Cristian Romero for Lee Kang-In’s strike.

Glenn Hoddle slams Cristian Romero

New Tottenham captain Romero could have done a little better for PSG’s first goal, which got them back into the game. Speaking to TNT Sports post-match, Hoddle pointed out his “poor” header.

“Romero’s header there… poor,” Hoddle begins. “He’s knocked it right into the middle of the goal, straight back into the danger area.

“That ball needed to go back out towards where the cross came from. It’s a great finish in the end – the first touch from Lee was excellent – but as the ball’s whipped in, Romero has tried something difficult and it’s gone exactly where it shouldn’t. If he sends it back where the cross came from, the danger’s gone.”

Hoddle then went on to explain that a tactic Romero learned under Ange Postecoglou made a reappearance and caused Spurs to concede.

He continued: “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great goal, but I’m not happy with him. Last season, it was drilled into them – whenever they were defending crosses, they’d all step up to the edge of the 18-yard box once the ball was cleared. You can see all the Spurs players doing it here.

“But Romero’s stepped up too soon, and that’s not what the manager wants now. He needs to stay in and block off the near post.

“Because of that bad habit from last year, he’s left space and can’t get across to block it. Fabulous finish, fabulous ball – but once it goes into that area, you have to protect the near post. This year, everyone else has adjusted… except Romero. It’s just an old habit that’s stuck with him, and it costs them.”

It’s still early days in this new Thomas Frank era for Spurs, and there’s a bit of reprogramming required.

Tottenham can be happy despite Super Cup loss

Tottenham can take so many positives from the loss. PSG are one of the most difficult sides to face in Europe, and Spurs dominated for the majority of the fixture.

Hoddle also noted this and urged Daniel Levy to bring in reinforcements before the Premier League campaign fully kicks off.

He continues: “So that’s why you’ve got to bolster your squad and make sure your squad’s good enough, not just your starting 11.

“I think Spurs have learned that lesson tonight. But my word, from their performance, they realise now, going over that plane, they’re saying, “We can go toe-to-toe with anyone this season,” because if we perform like that, that’s a template to play against the top, top teams.

“And if we do that right, we’ve just proved to ourselves – nobody else, just ourselves – that we can do that.”

Spurs face Burnley on Saturday, where they’ll look to get off to a good start in England’s top flight.

Tottenham Hotspur are in the market for attacking signings and would love to sign Manchester City ace Savinho.

Tottenham Hotspur suffered heartbreak on Wednesday night, squandering a 2-0 lead against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup.

Spurs looked to be on the verge of a huge victory, but two late goals and a penalty shoot-out defeat left Thomas Frank stunned.

Tottenham fans still saw more than enough to be encouraged by, with Spurs posing a major threat on the counter-attack while showing major improvement on set pieces.

Frank won’t set up with wing-backs in every game, and he may now chase further attacking additions.

Savinho stance on Manchester City future amid Tottenham Hotspur interest

Mohammed Kudus joined Tottenham from West Ham United earlier in the summer and looked impressive working just off Richarlison against PSG.

The Ghanaian is a major addition for Spurs, but another attacker is wanted after Son Heung-min signed for LAFC.

Tottenham want to sign Savinho from Manchester City, though Pep Guardiola’s side are reluctant to strike a deal.

The Daily Mail now report that Tottenham are ready to launch a new move for Savinho.

City rebuffed an initial enquiry, but Tottenham are ready to make a firm bid for the Brazilian.

Intriguingly, the report claims that Savinho is ‘uncertain’ over his role at City, which leaves the door open for Tottenham to pounce.

City are still demanding in excess of £50million, but knowing that Savinho is at least considering his future will be a boost for Tottenham.

Champions League rule could help Tottenham sign Savinho

The report also notes that City need to offload ‘non-homegrown’ players ahead of the new Champions League campaign.

City are in danger of having to leave players out of their Champions League squad, with Guardiola having too many non-homegrown players for European action.

The arrival of James Trafford helps, but Savinho could still be sacrificed to aid City’s situation in the Champions League.

It would be remiss of us not to point out that Tottenham are also facing problems in this area, especially with Morgan Gibbs-White staying at Nottingham Forest.

James Maddison’s injury also complicates matters, with his absence taking another homegrown player out of contention.

The homegrown rules may help in terms of agreeing a deal with City for Savinho, but it may leave Frank with another headache ahead of the transfer deadline.

Tottenham Hotspur have now joined Arsenal in the race to sign Crystal Palace winger Eberechi Eze this summer.

TBR Football understands that Tottenham have held talks with Eze as they look to rival the Gunners for the England international’s signature.

At this stage, Arsenal remain undecided whether to move for Eze or not, but Spurs’ talks with the 27-year-old could kick them into gear.

Speaking about the situation, Darren Bent has revealed which club Eze would be better off joining between Spurs and Arsenal.

Darren Bent urges Eberechi Eze to sign for Arsenal over Tottenham

Bent believes that Eberechi Eze should sign for Arsenal over Tottenham as Mikel Arteta’s side are further along in their development than their North London rivals.

The former Spurs striker is adamant that at the Emirates Stadium, Eze would quickly become a regular, and he can’t believe his release clause has yet been matched.

Bent told TalkSPORT: “I’m shocked he’s still there! I look at all the talent that he’s got, Eze, and he is such a talented footballer, can go both ways, can score goals and is great to watch.

“If that is the release clause of that amount of money, surely you’d think there would be more clubs in than just Arsenal and Spurs, I’m talking across Europe.

When he was asked about whether he’d start at Arsenal, Bent added: “I think if Eze comes, he will start. I still like Martinelli, but Eze’s a better player.

“But I think if you’re looking at Arsenal and looking at Tottenham, yes, Spurs are in the Champions League, yes, they won a trophy last season, but they finished fourth from bottom.

“In my opinion, Arsenal are in a better place. I just think Arsenal to move forward are in a better place.”

But Arsenal fans aren’t sold on Eze, as there is a sense that the left side of their attack requires a proper winger, and the 27-year-old would struggle in such a role.

Arsenal view Eze as a number ten, and with Ethan Nwaneri and Martin Odegaard there, the need for another option is not quite as pressing anymore.

Crystal Palace’s stance on selling Eberechi Eze could harden

The longer the window drags on and Eze remains at the club, the likelier it will become that Palace’s stance on selling Eze could harden, claims David Ornstein.

The Gunners’ move for Eze was linked to Ethan Nwaneri’s future, so with the teenager having now signed a new contract, their need for a number ten has reduced.

Tottenham remain in the picture, but there could be doubts over his age, the £68 million price and the fact they have other targets for the number ten role.

Ornstein told The Athletic FC Podcast: “We know with Arsenal, the situation seemed to be linked with Ethan Nwaneri’s future, if he was going to leave, clearly Arsenal were lining up a move for Eze.

“With Ethan Nwaneri signing the new deal, the need for Eze or another player in that position was less pressing, and maybe they’re focusing on other areas. It’s not that he’s gone from the agenda; there’s a great affection for Eze at Arsenal and vice versa.

“We need to keep an eye on that situation, but there will be considerations at Arsenal on the price, age profile and the position.

“In the meantime, Tottenham, with the departure of Son and the injury to Maddison, they are looking at that number ten role, but they’re looking at multiple candidates.

“Again, that price might not be right for them, with the age profile as well, so the longer it goes towards the deadline, Crystal Palace may harden because their time to find a replacement is reducing.”

Tottenham Hotspur have lost to PSG in the Super Cup, but lots of Spurs players performed excellently under Thomas Frank.

It was a bitter loss for Spurs, but Tottenham fans are happy with Thomas Frank and his side against the European giants, PSG.

Aside from the last 10 minutes, they dominated proceedings and should have had their name engraved on the Super Cup 2025 trophy.

That said, Tottenham players can lift their heads high – in particular, these two.

Pape Matar Sarr and Djed Spence were unbelievable against PSG

Two unsung heroes, Pape Matar Sarr and Djed Spence, gave everything against the Champions League winners.

Often criticised, they are usually seen as two of Tottenham’s weaker players – but Wednesday night proved otherwise.

They didn’t stop running, each tasked with tough roles. Spence took on Kvarta Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembele, largely keeping them in check.

Sarr had to suppress one of Europe’s most balanced midfields and play a somewhat creative role going forward. The pair made it clear to their manager, they are here to start for Spurs under Frank.

Sarr and Spence stats against PSG in the Super Cup

The pair were fabulous, and that was reflected in their statistics on the night.

Despite the loss, numerous positives can be taken, and these two can be a part of that. The Super Cup winnings aren’t bad either.

Frank and his Tottenham side now kick off their Premier League campaign against Burnley on Saturday, where Spurs will be looking to get off to winning ways in England’s top flight.

Tottenham Hotspur have won the UEFA Super Cup against PSG, with the Lilywhites in dreamland under Thomas Frank.

After beating Manchester United in the Europa League, Spurs found themselves facing Champions League winners PSG in the UEFA Super Cup.

Expectations were low, given Spurs’ mediocre 24/25 campaign – but Thomas Frank’s side ran the French off the park for a good part of the fixture. That said, it wasn’t enough, and Spurs lost on pens.

A lot of that has to come down to the manager, and Spurs fans have acknowledged that at full-time.

Tottenham fans impressed with Thomas Frank

Tottenham Hotspur fans were extremely impressed with the way Frank set up and his ability to change tactics against what should have been the best team in the world.

“Thomas Frank has got his team organised and structured, and he’ll be delighted with what he’s seen so far in this game”, one writes.

Another echoes the sentiment: “Thomas Frank playing a back 3, so Ik the kind of discourse we’re gonna see if he somehow wins, so here’s a little reminder that Frank has been one of the most versatile Managers in the country. He’s proof that your ideas/tactics can work with any formation.”

After the first half, this fan was delighted: “I’m telling you now that the first 45 minutes were a Thomas Frank tactical masterclass. I really loved how we looked out there in that formation.”

Another adds: “Trust me, Thomas Frank is a genius who is getting unleashed this season. His abilities were limited by Brentford’s budget. He’s schooling a lot of the so-called top managers this season”.

“Thomas Frank dropping a 3-5-2 masterclass vs the best team in the world…” one fan takes it all in.

Some even called for Daniel Levy and the Tottenham board to now back Frank in the window – having spent nowhere near enough to compete in the Champions League thus far.

Thomas Frank can’t be underestimated after Super Cup win

Frank has proven, already, on the world stage that Spurs can compete in the Premier League this season. However, as the last X post suggests, they now need to invest.

Spurs are competing on multiple fronts under Frank – including the Champions League. They need depth, which they do not have.

Tottenham Hotspur tackle Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday night as Thomas Frank faces an enormous test.

Just shy of three months on from Tottenham Hotspur’s emotional Europa League final win over Manchester United, Spurs are back in European action.

The UEFA Super Cup sees Tottenham challenge Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in Udine, the hometown of Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

Ange Postecoglou lost his job as Tottenham boss despite winning the Europa League, and Thomas Frank is looking to make an impact as his replacement.

Tottenham were hammered 4-0 by Bayern Munich last time out and face a huge challenge against PSG, arguably the finest team in Europe right now.

Stephen Kelly on Thomas Frank

Frank is gearing up for the upcoming Champions League campaign, and this game against PSG provides a brilliant test.

The Dane also has the Premier League on his mind, with the big kick-off against Burnley coming this weekend.

Frank would love a positive start to his Tottenham reign, and he has already earned praise from a former Spurs man.

Ex-Tottenham defender Stephen Kelly has told BBC Sport that he is hearing positive things about Frank from Hotspur Way.

Kelly is hearing that Frank is taking every single training session himself, getting involved on the grass with his Spurs stars.

Postecoglou would oversee training, but sessions were usually taken by the likes of Chris Davies, Nick Montgomery, Ryan Mason, Matt Wells and Mile Jedinak during the Australian’s time in charge.

Frank is going down a different route, preferring to take sessions himself, and Kelly believes that his more organised style will be visible early into his reign.

“Tonight we will see how Thomas Frank goes about it and how different it is going to be to Ange,” said Kelly.

“It’s going to be very different to how Ange played because the gung-ho, all-out-attack didn’t seem to work for Spurs for a long time in the Premier League.

“I think Thomas Frank is going to be more pragmatic. He’s slightly more organised, from what I hear he takes every training session himself, he’s on the grass with the players,” he added.

Thomas Frank’s approach to Tottenham Hotspur training

Frank has trusted coaches around him at Spurs, with Chris Haslam and Justin Cochrane following from Brentford.

Andreas Georgson has also joined the Tottenham staff, having previously worked at Arsenal and Manchester United.

Frank is taking the lead on Tottenham’s sessions early into his reign, and opened up on his approach to training while speaking to Football London in pre-season.

“I don’t know if I’m a modern coach or not sometimes, but we started running today! I think old school is still good school, I think that’s still important to have a bit of that,” said Frank. “Now we had a running test today, and we’ll have that again when the internationals are back and probably also a little bit later down the season.

“But, in general, that was just a short test, basically a 1km test. So if they did it well enough, they’re below three minutes 15 seconds, so that sounds easier, with turns by the way. So that’s one thing that is done, and then it’s football. Everything with the ball, everything is on that, and then we will top up with some runs because I believe there’s a big bit in that mental part of pushing,” he added.

Frank clearly believes in mixing old-school principles with modern advances, and will hope to solve some of Tottenham’s defensive problems from last season.

Thomas Frank made the difficult decision to leave Yves Bissouma out of the Super Cup for Tottenham Hotspur.

In the early stages of Thomas Frank’s time at Tottenham, he’d probably rather avoid any public reaction to internal issues, but the new Spurs manager saw fit on this occasion.

According to Frank, Yves Bissouma had repeatedly been late at Spurs, hence the Dane’s decision to leave his midfielder out of Wednesday’s final against Paris Saint-Germain.

Bissouma had discipline issues under Ange Postecoglou last year, which saw the former Spurs manager leave the 28-year-old out of his squad.

And now Bissouma’s persistent lateness has somewhat forced Frank’s hand, who would have obviously rather had the midfielder available.

Thomas Frank’s Yves Bissouma call gets approval from Harry Redknapp

That being said, former Spurs manager Harry Redknapp has now commented on Frank’s decision to leave Bissouma out on talkSPORT.

Redknapp was a fan of Frank’s decision – and he did reference Bissouma’s issues under Postecoglou last year.

Redknapp said: “Yeah obviously he’s got to treat them all the same if they’re late, hasn’t he?

“Obviously it’s a lack of discipline, yeah you give them a warning, you tell them again, they do it again, it happened obviously last year as well with Ange when I think he had a problem with him, didn’t he, with his timekeeping.

“Yeah if you have a meeting, why should everyone sit there waiting for him to come strolling in? If the meeting is at two, be there at two.

“So I agree with what Thomas Frank’s done, it shows that he’s going to be disciplined with the players and good, I think he’ll do well there, he’s got good players which is the most important ingredient to be a good manager.”

Harry Redknapp predicts where Spurs will finish under Thomas Frank in the Premier League

In addition to those comments, Redknapp then discussed where he thought Spurs would finish under Frank this season.

And after a very difficult domestic season under Postecoglou, the former Tottenham manager thought better times would soon be on the horizon.

Redknapp said: “I think Tottenham are going to have a decent season this year, in the league – well they can’t do any worse than they did last year, can they? Well they can if they get relegated, but that’s not going to happen.

“I’ve got the feeling they’ll be sort of top seven this year.”

Of course, Tottenham are pushing to sign Eberechi Eze right now, who would certainly boost their hopes of league success.

And most fans in N17 are still willing Daniel Levy to make more additions to Frank’s squad, even if it is brimming with talent.

Yang Min-hyeok made his first start for Portsmouth as they crashed out of the EFL Cup at the hands of Reading.

Yang recently made the switch to the South Coast after being sent out on loan again by Tottenham Hotspur.

Thomas Frank had the chance to assess the youngster during pre-season, but made the decision that he was not ready for first-team action in North London.

Tottenham signed Yang last summer, but the youngster is yet to make his competitive debut for the North London club.

But on Tuesday evening, the teenager made his first start for his new loan club, as he featured in Pompey’s defeat to Reading in the EFL Cup.

Portsmouth fans slam Yang Min-hyeok’s lack of physicality

Portsmouth fans were not happy with Yang Min-hyeok’s first EFL Cup display for the club and slammed his lack of physicality.

The winger completed 90 minutes for Pompey as they were eliminated from the first round of the competition by Reading at home.

Yang, who impressed on loan at QPR last season, failed to complete a single dribble attempt against the Royals and won just four of his 17 duels against the League One opposition.

The young South Korean also lost possession on 17 occasions in what was a rather tricky match for him.

John Mousinho made many changes to his team, so it was a mix-and-match Portsmouth team on display, which certainly didn’t help Yang’s case.

But after their defeat to Reading, Portsmouth fans took to X to share their thoughts on the young winger’s performance.

One fan said: “That was an embarrassing watch, horrendous display from the lads, Yang got absolutely bullied on the left…”

“What’s more concerning is Yang. A total copy and paste of Reeco, but with no physicality to him. Got absolutely bullied tonight,” claimed another.

There was further criticism for the youngster: “Not exaggerating when I say this might be the worst debut I’ve ever seen from a Pompey player in over 30 years from Yang.”

Finally, another fan added: “What did they see in Yang? He’s nowhere near good or strong enough.”

Former Tottenham captain Son Heung-min also had advice for Yang, and it was similar to what Pompey fans criticised him about.

The 19-year-old kept doing too much to impress, and the former Spurs star has urged him to “just focus on what’s in front of him.”

Yang Min-hyeok dreams of replicating Son Heung-min at Tottenham

Following the departure of his fellow countryman, Yang admitted that he dreams of replicating what Son managed to achieve at Tottenham.

The teenager was asked about taking the number seven shirt at some stage, but the winger believes that he must earn the chance first.

Yang told the media: “When I’ve built a great career like brother Heung-min and earned that level of respect, I’ll dream of taking on the honor of wearing the number seven.

“Even though it was a relatively short time, I got close to Heung-min and learned a lot from him. It’s disappointing that it was his last game, he was such a big figure at the club.

“I wish we had more time together, but that was his choice. Even as he left, I felt like I gained so much from him. I started imagining that maybe one day, I’ll have a farewell like that too.”

Cristian Romero has been appointed as the new captain of Tottenham Hotspur by Thomas Frank.

Romero’s first game as captain comes against PSG in the UEFA Super Cup final, in which Spurs are looking to claim their first Super Cup title.

The 27-year-old takes over the responsibility from Son Heung-min, who left Tottenham Hotspur for LAFC in a deal worth around £20 million.

Tottenham fans have been convinced Romero would become captain under Frank and the North London club have now officially made that the case.

Cristian Romero hails Thomas Frank as a ‘good coach’

Cristian Romero believes that Thomas Frank is a good coach and he has thanked Spurs’ new manager for making him the club captain.

TBR Football tipped Frank to make Romero captain earlier this summer after it became apparent that Son would be leaving.

Now, following discussions with the World Cup winner, Frank has opted to hand the captain’s armband to him.

Romero told SpursOfficial: “I’m very happy to be the first team captain of the club. It’s amazing for me and a big responsibility.

“Nothing changes, I always speak with the players before training, before the start of the season, also, I speak a lot with him (Thomas Frank). He’s a good coach, and I said thank you for this also.

“It’s five seasons here in the club. I’m very, very, very happy to be the first team captain of this beautiful club.

“I don’t like to speak too much, it’s more: going to training, going to the pitch and putting in 100 percent in every game.”

Romero had been linked to Atletico Madrid this summer, but Tottenham have now managed to keep hold of him and make him their new captain.

But as TBR Football revealed, Atletico backed away from the Romero deal, having pushed as hard as possible to get the transfer done.

Thomas Frank on making Cristian Romero captain

Frank is confident that Romero has all the right qualities to be the captain of the football club and explained how he leads by example on and off the pitch.

Frank said: “We had a good conversation with Cristian Romero, Cuti, he is going to be our new captain, he is very honoured and very happy about it.

“It’s a big thing and should be a big thing too, to lead this wonderful club out on the pitch, not only in the Super Cup final, but also throughout the season.

“I think he has all the right qualities, he’s really leading through his behaviour on the pitch and driving the team forward in every way.”

Romero faces his first task as captain, leading the team out for the Super Cup and attempting to become the first Europa League winners to win the trophy since Atletico Madrid in 2018.