Sports Mole

Still searching for their first-ever Premier League win at home to Tottenham Hotspur, Brentford welcome former manager Thomas Frank and his team to the Gtech Community Stadium on New Year's Day.

The Bees were comfortably seen off 2-0 by the Lilywhites away from home just a few weeks ago, and here Sports Mole rounds up the team news for the two clubs.

BRENTFORD vs. TOTTENHAM

BRENTFORD

Out: Fabio Carvalho (knee), Josh Dasilva (knee), Antoni Milambo (knee), Dango Ouattara (AFCON), Frank Onyeka (AFCON)

Doubtful: Sepp van den Berg (knock)

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, Collins, Hickey; Yarmoliuk, Janelt; Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago

TOTTENHAM

Out: Pape Sarr (AFCON), Yves Bissouma (AFCON), Xavi Simons (suspended), Destiny Udogie (thigh), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), James Maddison (ACL), Dominic Solanke (ankle)

Doubtful: Lucas Bergvall (groin), Brennan Johnson (other)

Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank explained that Mohammed Kudus's signing impacted Brennan Johnson's place in the pecking order amid rumours of an imminent transfer to Crystal Palace.

Spurs will be hoping to build momentum by winning a second Premier League game in a row when they face Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Thursday.

While the Frank will be focused on matters on the pitch, he has been unable to escape questions regading the future of winger Johnson, who has reportedly been subject of a successful bid from Palace.

Speaking to reporters before his side's Brentford clash, Frank explained that Johnson's playing time may be limited without a transfer away, saying: "Brennan is a very important player for us. Sometimes things change if another player comes in.

"Unfortunately, [Mohammed] Kudus came in for him and played on the right side. So it's been a little bit more tricky to get enough starts. Brennan has been a top professional."

Johnson scored the winning goal in the Europa League final in May 2025, but the situation under Frank has evidently deteriorated quickly.

Why has Thomas Frank chosen Mohammed Kudus over Johnson?

Kudus was signed from West Ham United in the summer for a fee of £55m, and he has scored three goals and provided five assists in 1,802 minutes for the club in all competitions.

It is worrying that the 25-year-old only scored five times for the Hammers in the Premier League last season, and he in fact netted just eight times in the league in 2023-24.

Johnson is 24 and has played in the top flight since 2022-23, and his highest scoring season came in 2024-25 for Tottenham, when he netted 11 league goals.

Neither player is particularly prolific, so perhaps the fact Kudus is a superior athlete has made Frank opt for the former West Ham man.

January transfer window: What do Tottenham Hotspur need?

Spurs have struggled in the final third this season, and they would have needed offensive reinforcements regardless of Johnson's potential exit.

The club have been linked with RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande, and having the 19-year-old as Kudus's backup would significantly improve the depth of the squad.

Whether Tottenham would be able to convince the talented youngster to leave Leipzig for a backup role is not yet clear, and he would not solve all of the side's issues anyway.

Thomas Frank seems set to receive an early 2026 present to move on from a turbulent start to life at Tottenham Hotspur.

Although Spurs are preparing to enter the new year on a positive note following a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday, the lack of a recognised senior centre-forward has remained a persistent issue for the Danish head coach.

Spurs, currently 13th in the Premier League table, are facing a congested January schedule that includes crucial fixtures across the league, Champions League and FA Cup.

The hierarchy are understood to be hopeful that a more settled squad will allow them to push for a top-four finish during the second half of the season.

Spurs injury news: Solanke returns to training after ankle surgery

According to Standard Sport, Dominic Solanke appears to have taken a significant step toward his competitive return after participating in team training at Hotspur Way on Tuesday.

The England international has been sidelined since late August with a persistent ankle injury that eventually required a surgical procedure in September.

Solanke shared footage on his official Instagram account captioned "still alive", showing him taking part in various running, passing and shooting drills without any visible limitations.

While the 28-year-old was recently omitted from the Champions League squad in favour of Mathys Tel, his presence on the training pitch suggests his rehabilitation is ahead of schedule.

Frank had previously been cautious about providing a specific timeframe for the forward, but this latest development will provide a timely boost for the coaching staff.

Timely Solanke return to help Frank during busy January period

The return of Solanke to the training group comes at a critical juncture as Spurs prepare for a frantic run of eight matches in the new year.

Frank is already without the services of Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma, who are representing their respective nations at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Furthermore, the squad remains depleted by the continued absence of creative duo Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison due to their own fitness struggles.

The potential return of Solanke will alleviate the goalscoring burden on Richarlison as the club competes on multiple domestic and European fronts.

Brentford head coach Keith Andrews has revealed that Igor Thiago is a slight doubt for Thursday's Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur.

The Bees are preparing to welcome Thomas Frank back to the Gtech Community Stadium for the first time since he left to take over the reins at Tottenham Hotspur in the summer.

Brentford will carry momentum into the fixture after taking maximum points from their last two outings against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bournemouth.

Thiago played the duration of both of those victories despite managing an injury issue, which makes him a slight doubt for the New Year's Day meeting with Spurs.

Andrews delivers Thiago injury update

“Thiago had a bit of an issue, but nothing to do with his injury last season at all,” Andrews told reporters at Tuesday's pre-match press conference.

"This time of year takes its toll, and we need to be careful with some players at times. He showed a lot of bravery and courage to play against Wolves and gave us that platform.

“He played really, really well against Wolves and gave us that base to win the game. Players fed off him: Keane Lewis-Potter with his goals, and Kev [Schade] was looking dangerous that day.

“There’s nothing too much to worry about. He’s shown a lot of courage and put the team before himself, going into the last couple of games.”

Thiago has failed to score in his last five Premier League appearances, but he remains one of Brentford's most dangerous attackers with 11 league goals to his name this term.

Which Brentford players will miss Spurs fixture?

Defender Sepp van den Berg will undergo a late fitness test after sitting out Saturday's win over Bournemouth with a knock.

Antoni Milambo and Fabio Carvalho are out for the rest of the season with anterior cruciate ligament injuries, while Josh Dasilva remains sidelined with a knee issue.

RB Leipzig have no interest in selling Yan Diomande in the January transfer window, in a blow to Tottenham Hotspur, the latest report has claimed.

While the Londoners were active in the summer, bringing in the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha, it looks as if the club may need to be active in the winter.

Spurs are currently 11th in the Premier League with 25 points after 18 top-flight matches, and boss Thomas Frank is under serious pressure.

The looming sale of winger Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace has exacerbated the need for offensive reinforcement, and they have been linked to RB Leipzig winger Diomande.

However, Football.london report that the Bundesliga side have no intention of selling him in January, and they would only listen to offers at the end of the season worth in the region of £85m.

Yan Diomande assessed: Is RB Leipzig winger right for Spurs?

In 888 minutes for Leipzig in the Bundesliga, Diomande has scored six goals and provided two assists, while he has scored seven goals and registered three assists in 1,037 minutes in all competitions.

The 19-year-old is averaging 2.43 shots per 90 in the top flight, a figure that is more than any Spurs player to have played at least 90 minutes of league football.

Diomande has also averaged 0.32 xG per 90 in the Bundesliga, better than every member of Frank's squad other than Richarlison, who has also produced 0.32 xG per 90.

Considering the teenager is still so young, it would be unfair to expect him to solve the club's attacking problems on his own, but he would represent a good long-term investment.

Can Tottenham win the race against Liverpool and Manchester United?

Tottenham are not the only interested party if reports are to be believed, with Liverpool and Manchester United said to be admirers.

Diomande is comfortable on either flank, and he could be seen by the Reds as a successor to Mohamed Salah, especially as they may miss out on Antoine Semenyo.

Manchester United already have an abundance of forwards, with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha seemingly the starters behind Benjamin Sesko.

There are question marks about a number of Tottenham's forwards, and perhaps Diomande's desire for consistent minutes would be best served playing for Frank.

Serie A giants Juventus are reportedly working on signing Tottenham Hotspur defender Radu Dragusin in the January transfer window.

The 23-year-old progressed through the youth ranks at Juve but did not make an impact for the senior team, and was sold to Genoa permanently after impressing for them on loan.

In the January window of 2024, Spurs moved ahead of other suitors to sign Dragusin for a reported fee of £21.5m, but his time at the north London club has been marred by injuries.

Dragusin picked up an ACL injury during Tottenham's 3-0 Europa League win over Elfsborg back in February, and has been out for 11 months.

The centre-back marked his return in Spurs' 1-0 win against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, making a five-minute cameo in the London derby.

Juventus eye move for Dragusin?

According to journalist Enzo Bucchioni via Juvefc, the Bianconeri are hoping to bring the Romanian international back to the club in January.

The Old Lady are looking to provide Luciano Spalletti funds to make necessary reinforcements, and they have earmarked several targets, including Dragusin.

Inter Milan's Davide Frattesi and Genoa's Brooke Norton-Cuffy are other options for Juventus, but they also want Dragusin, who is reportedly open to moving to Italy.

“The new Juventus director (Marco Ottolini) is trying to reunite with one of his former players, namely Dragusin, who was sold to Tottenham. The player has given the green light, and the deal is underway,” claims the journalist.

Spurs are unlikely to sell Dragusin

Thomas Frank needs more players as they compete in multiple competitions, and Dragusin could play an important role in the second half of the campaign.

Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are first-choice options for Frank in defence, while Kevin Danso remains another option. Dragusin will add quality and depth to the side, and letting him go, especially after his return from a long-term injury, does not make sense.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank is optimistic over Lucas Bergvall's availability for Thursday's Premier League London derby against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The Sweden international came off with a suspected groin issue in the weekend's 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace, but Frank revealed to reporters on Tuesday that he has a strong chance of being available for the contest.

As a result, Bergvall is primed to start in the Xavi Simons role once again, as the Dutchman serves the second of his three-game ban following his sending-off in the defeat to Liverpool two gameweeks ago.

Joao Palhinha is on hand if Bergvall does not pass a late fitness test, but alongside Archie Gray and Rodrigo Bentancur, that midfield trident would not inspire much confidence within the Tottenham faithful in an attacking sense.

Brennan Johnson may soon be the subject of a £35m move to Crystal Palace, so Mohammed Kudus, Randal Kolo Muani and Richarlison should be retained in the final third.

In brighter news, Cristian Romero has served his own ban for his dismissal against Liverpool and could replace Kevin Danso in the backline, in spite of the Austrian's imperious display at Selhurst Park.

Destiny Udogie (thigh), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), James Maddison (ACL) and Dominic Solanke (ankle) remain sidelined, while Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma are on Africa Cup of Nations duty.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Gray, Bentancur; Kudus, Bergvall, Kolo Muani; Richarlison

Brentford boss Keith Andrews may ponder a couple of changes to his starting lineup for Thursday's Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotsput at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The Bees will boast a largely identical squad to the one that battered Bournemouth 4-1 last weekend, with the possible inclusion of Sepp van den Berg, who missed that win due to a knock.

Andrews remained tight-lipped on the former Liverpool man in his pre-game press conference, though, so there is every chance that Kristoffer Ajer and Nathan Collins will continue as the central pairing.

However, Rico Henry struggled in the showdown with the Cherries - failing to win any of his six ground duels and committing the error that led to Antoine Semenyo's consolation - so Aaron Hickey may be restored.

Andrews should see no need to demote either Yehor Yarmoliuk or Vitaly Janelt, though, meaning that the veteran Jordan Henderson will have to settle for a spot among the replacements again.

Mikkel Damsgaard lost out to Mathias Jensen last weekend, but the Dane came off the bench to set up Kevin Schade's hat-trick goal and will surely operate alongside the German and Keane Lewis-Potter.

Igor Thiago - an apparent transfer target of Tottenham's - also claimed an assist in gameweek 18, but he has now gone five games without finding the back of the net.

Brentford possible starting lineup:

Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, Collins, Hickey; Yarmoliuk, Janelt; Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago

Thomas Frank will take his seat in the Gtech Community Stadium away dugout for the first time on New Year's Day, as he takes his Tottenham Hotspur side to visit old club Brentford in the Premier League.

The Lilywhites made light work of the Bees in North London a few weeks ago, but a more daunting assignment awaits the Europa League winners in Thursday's London derby reunion.

Match preview

Two weeks is a long time in football, as Tottenham's Archie Gray discovered in the best way during Spurs' final game of 2025, which took place two weeks on from the teenager's horror show against Nottingham Forest.

On his next away appearance in the top flight, the former Leeds United prospect nodded home the only goal for his side in a hard-fought 1-0 victory over London rivals Crystal Palace, becoming the youngest Englishman to score a top-flight goal for Spurs since Dele Alli almost a decade ago.

Gray's close-range winner snapped a sorry five-game winless run on the road for Frank's side - as well as a two-match losing run in the top flight - but it was not enough to lift them back into the top half of the Premier League rankings approaching the halfway point.

Nevertheless, victory at Selhurst Park reaffirmed Spurs' status as the joint-best Premier League team on the road this season - at the time of writing, only Arsenal and Aston Villa can match their total of 17 away points - but the New Year was as unhappy as it could have been for Spurs in 2025.

Indeed, the Lilywhites lost all four of their Premier League matches in January last season, but there will be no prizes for guessing who Tottenham's last top-flight win in the first month of the year came against.

Frank was at the Brentford helm when Tottenham triumphed 3-2 against the Bees on January 31, 2024, but his successor Keith Andrews can now take Thursday's hosts four points clear of their London rivals with victory in midweek.

Defying the doubters who tipped them for relegation at the start of the campaign, the West London outfit instead have Europe in their sights, moving to within three points of the top five by battering Bournemouth 4-1 in gameweek 18.

Writing a new chapter of Premier League history, the scintillating Kevin Schade became the first German player to score multiple Premier League hat-tricks in that encounter, as Andrews's men prolonged a particularly pleasing home sequence.

Indeed, Brentford have now won four and drawn one of their last five matches at the Gtech Community Stadium - scoring at least three goals in each of those victories - although they are without a clean sheet in nine home games since shutting out Aston Villa in August.

Andrews's men also put up little resistance in their 2-0 defeat to Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December, and they lost by the same scoreline on home soil in February, meaning that they are yet to beat Tottenham Hotspur at home in the Premier League.

Brentford Premier League form:

Brentford form (all competitions):

Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Team News

Tottenham's gritty triumph at Palace did not come without sacrifice, as Gray's fellow teenager Lucas Bergvall was withdrawn with an apparent groin injury, but Frank is optimistic that he will be fit for the derby.

However, seven men who are definitely missing for the visitors are Xavi Simons (suspended), Destiny Udogie (thigh), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), James Maddison (ACL), Dominic Solanke (ankle), Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma (both AFCON), while Brennan Johnson may not be involved amid reports that Crystal Palace have agreed a £35m deal for the Welshman.

Joao Palhinha may therefore be first in line to replace the stricken Bergvall if the Swede is ruled out, but in brighter news, Cristian Romero is back from a ban and ready to displace Kevin Danso, in spite of the latter's standout display at Selhurst Park.

Brentford boss Andrews also faced the media on Tuesday, but he gave little away on defensive regular Sepp van den Berg, who missed the thrashing of Bournemouth due to a knock.

Long-term knee victims Fabio Carvalho, Josh Dasilva and Antoni Milambo are still on the road to recovery, though, while Dango Ouattara and Frank Onyeka are on duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.

An alleged Tottenham transfer target for the January window, Igor Thiago has now gone five games without finding the back of the net in the Premier League, although he did set up one of Schade's strikes last time out.

Brentford possible starting lineup:

Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, Collins, Hickey; Yarmoliuk, Janelt; Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Gray, Bentancur; Kudus, Bergvall, Kolo Muani; Richarlison

We say: Brentford 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham's dogged display against Palace may prove a false dawn for a side as consistently inconsistent as Frank's, who are now visiting a ground where goals at both ends are often a guarantee.

The Lilywhites have tended to fare well at the Gtech Community Stadium in recent years, but they may have to settle for a point on this occasion against Andrews's goal-happy Bees.

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly reached an agreement to sell Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace in January.

The 24-year-old is wanted by a number of Premier League sides, with Bournemouth also supposedly keen on the attacker.

Johnson was a key force for Spurs last season, scoring 18 goals across all competitions as Ange Postecoglou's side lifted the Europa League.

However, the Wales international has fallen down the pecking order under Thomas Frank, who is taking the club's forward line in a new direction.

As a result, Johnson has started just six Premier League matches this season, scoring twice and failing to record any assists.

Tottenham, Palace 'agree' Johnson deal

According to The Athletic, Tottenham and Crystal Palace have shaken hands on a deal for winger Johnson ahead of the January window

The report states that the Eagles are set to fork out close to £35m for the services of the 24-year-old right-sided attacker.

However, the player himself is yet to make a decision on his future, amid interest from other parts of the Premier League.

The Welshman would become the fourth-highest sale in Spurs history behind Gareth Bale, Harry Kane and Kyle Walker.

Johnson is said to be Palace's number-one target for the New Year window, with Oliver Glanser's side desperate to bolster their attacking ranks.

Change in fortunes for Johnson

At the end of the 2024-25 campaign, Johnson was holding aloft a European trophy as a key part of the Tottenham plans.

Fastforward to the end of the calendar year and the attacker is nearly out of the North London door, with a switch to Crystal Palace pending on his approval.

As a result, Johnson could be swapping Champions League nights for Conference League jaunts to faraway countries in 2026.