TBR Football

One of Tottenham Hotspur’s key players could be about to seriously benefit from the arrival of Thomas Frank as the club’s next manager.

Frank is close to joining Tottenham, with the final details of the deal being worked on with Brentford in what could be a rather expensive operation for Spurs.

The 51-year-old inherits an exciting squad to work with, but also a group of players who just ended up 17th in the Premier League, so plenty of work is required.

The Danish coach arrives from Brentford with an excellent track record of developing players, and plenty of Spurs stars could kick on big time under his tutelage.

Dominic Solanke tipped to explode under Thomas Frank at Tottenham

Dominic Solanke has been tipped to explode into life under Thomas Frank in North London by Alasdair Gold.

The Tottenham Hotspur journalist believes that the Danish manager could have an exciting plan for the 27-year-old, which sees his overall involvement increase.

Gold told the Last Word On Spurs: “I think Solanke is going to push on even more. Solanke is a terrific striker, but let’s be honest, the service he was getting was rubbish last season. He only became more of a workhorse than a striker.

“Whereas I think Thomas Frank will say to him, ‘Look, I’ll get you someone else to play alongside you in most games, you’ll have support up there, let’s just get the ball up to you and you’ll score goals’.”

Solanke enjoyed a solid debut campaign at Spurs, but his role under Postecoglou meant he didn’t see too much of the ball and became more of a ‘workhorse.

The former Bournemouth striker still ended the season with 16 goals across all competitions, and now, under Frank, he could take his game to the next level.

Rio Ferdinand hailed Solanke’s performances last season and believes there’s a case to be made for him being Spurs’ best player.

Last term, he netted crucial goals in wins over Bodo, Frankfurt, Manchester United, Manchester City and Aston Villa, but he will still be hoping for more decisive moments in a Spurs shirt.

Dominic Solanke will love Thomas Frank’s list of best-performing attackers

Solanke will be licking his lips at the prospect of working under Frank, given some of the impressive forwards he’s already helped to improve.

The Brentford boss has overseen strikers like Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbuemo and Yoane Wissa, all of whom have developed so much under his guidance.

Frank could target Mbeumo at Tottenham, although TBR Football understands that he is likely to move to Manchester United.

The Cameroon international netted 20 Premier League goals last season and his game has improved so much since playing under Frank.

Thomas Frank hasn’t even become the manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford could already be about to deal his new job a major blow.

Frank and Tottenham have agreed terms over a deal which will see the Danish manager become the 15th manager under the leadership of Daniel Levy.

The final details over the move for the 51-year-old are now being polished up, however, there appears to be a bit of a complication which could be quite significant for Frank.

Of course, Brentford need a replacement for the Dane and the Bees are now eyeing up one of Frank’s key members of his coaching staff.

Brentford want Justin Cochrane, but Thomas Frank keen to bring him to Tottenham

Brentford have long been thinking about the possibility of Justin Cochrane becoming their next manager, but Thomas Frank is keen to bring him to Tottenham Hotspur, according to Alasdair Gold.

Cochrane is one of Frank’s assistant coaches at Brentford and someone whom he is believed to value highly as part of his coaching set-up.

The 43-year-old is a former Tottenham coach, having worked with the North London club’s youth set-up and is also a close friend of current Spurs coach Matty Wells.

Gold told Last Word On Spurs: “Justin Cochrane, he’s going to be a really interesting part of this, whether he comes or not. Brentford actually have a succession plan and they often have someone.

“Thomas Frank was the succession plan after Dean Smith, and Justin Cochrane, I think, is someone they have been grooming to be the heir for Thomas Frank when he was to go.

“But I think the issue is there, Thomas Frank would probably like to bring him with him because he’s a really important part, he was actually a former Spurs coach, he used to work in the Spurs academy and from what I understand, he’s really good friends with Matty Wells.”

Tottenham will be hoping that Frank can make a quick start to life at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and having all his trusted members will really aid that.

Thomas Frank could make a controversial appointment at Tottenham

Frank could also appoint Andreas Georgson, which would be a rather controversial move considering he is an ex-Arsenal coach.

The Swede has worked alongside Frank previously at Brentford before leaving to join Mikel Arteta at Arsenal as a set-piece coach.

This would be a significant appointment for Spurs as set-pieces have been a weakness for the Lilywhites over the last two seasons.

The North Londoners conceded 13 times from set-pieces last term, meanwhile, Frank’s Brentford were much better assured as they let in just two goals from set-piece situations.

Tottenham Hotspur could be about to make an exciting transfer move to welcome the arrival of Thomas Frank.

Thomas Frank’s imminent arrival at Spurs is soon expected to be confirmed, with the Danish coach taking over from Ange Postecoglou.

The 51-year-old will be tasked with helping the Lilywhites to climb the table following a dismal Premier League campaign in which the team finished 17th.

Tottenham’s squad needs reinforcements as they prepare to return to playing Champions League football, and they could make some pretty big signings.

‘Keep an eye out’ for Tottenham’s interest in Morgan Gibbs-White

Tottenham Hotspur’s interest in Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White is worth keeping an eye on this summer, according to the Daily Mail.

Manchester City were keen on Gibbs-White, however, their interest in the player appears to have cooled following deals for Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Ait-Nouri.

Liverpool were also an option for Gibbs-White, but they are, of course, set to sign Florian Wirtz, leaving Tottenham with a free run for the 25-year-old should they opt to move for him.

However, TBR Football understands that Forest want £100m for Gibbs-White, which does make a move for the North London club seem rather unlikely.

James Maddison has previously hailed Gibbs-White, although the midfielder would be seen as competition for the Spurs vice-captain if he were to arrive.

In the past, Maddison and Gibbs-White have trained together and bringing in the Nottingham Forest player could be great for squad harmony.

How does James Maddison compare to Morgan Gibbs-White?

Maddison’s season at Tottenham went quite under the radar as he finished with 12 goals and 11 assists in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Gibbs-White managed 17 goal contributions in total, which just highlights how effective the Tottenham man actually was throughout 2024/25.

The North London club also have Dejan Kulusevski who can fill the number ten role and potentially Lucas Bergvall.

The Swedish duo were two of Tottenham’s best players last season, therefore, Spurs spending £100m on Gibbs-White perhaps doesn’t make too much sense at this moment in time.

Mikkel Damsgaard flourished in the ten role under Frank at Brentford, and one of Kulusevski, Maddison or Bergvall could all do the same, if not much better.

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.”