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How will 28yo Premier League winger fit in at Tottenham under Thomas Frank? – Opinion
Tottenham Hotspur have been looking to upgrade their roster in the ongoing summer window as Daniel Levy looks to provide his new head coach with all armoury in his arsenal before going into the new season, and one of the positions that the Lilywhites have been looking to upgrade on is the wide forward role as the North Londoners look to bring more of a sense of attacking variability to the side, complemented by the fact that Son could call curtains to his time at the club (if the rumour mills are to be believed), and this is where the links to Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma come into the picture.
And with Thomas Frank looking to steer the ship at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, we have seen a number of names being linked with a potential move to North London, each having the capacity to become a key cog under the Dane head coach at N17, and I think that the Japanese international has the capacity to do the same given that the electric Brighton winger brings that blend of flair and directness to the side. And you complement that with his verticality; it makes him one of the most exciting wide players in the Premier League (as we have seen over the years with the Seagulls).
But then the question arises: does his direct electric quick-footed ability fit the blueprint of a Thomas Frank team?
Let’s start with what Frank expects from wide players…
So if I walk back to Brentford and understand what the Dane head coach did, he usually used a 4-3-3 or 3-5-2 hybrid where he puts a heavy focus on compact defensive shape and then likes to implement explosive transitional play. And his wingers (like Bryan Mbeumo) were expected to press relentlessly without the ball and then carry the ball at pace into space every time they get the ball. Then the wide forwards like to make those intelligent secondary movements off a primary striker, complemented by delivering an end product with minimal touches (in most of the sequences).
And if I think about Mitoma, he does end up having qualities to succeed in most of these aspects, but then the 28-year-old plays a very specific role at American Express Stadium, so then we also have to think about how that would translate into playing under Thomas Frank at N17.
Scouting the abilities that Mitoma brings to the table
Strengths
If we are speaking about him under Thomas Frank, Mitoma has the attributes to make him a tactically valuable asset at Hotspur Way.
To start with, the Japanese international has an exceptional ability with his 1v1 dribbling and has that ball-carrying ability which would be perfect to get better of low blocks as well as launching transitional attacks, and then the close control that he has helps Tottenham to retain possession in tight areas, especially during the build-up phase.
And then his acceleration can be used to give you an Mbeumo-like edge in transitions, and now you complement this with his high work rate; it supports a compact pressing system which is very much in line with what Thomas Frank is expected to implement at N17.
So if I am filling him on the left flank, in a capacity of playing as an inverted winger, the 28-year-old would naturally drift inside, which also gives you those overlapping situations from the full-back (Udogie) and creates space for attacking midfielders (Maddison in the current capacity, or maybe it also opens up space for a potential signing like Eze to exploit central channels).
Weaknesses
I think one of the first things that a lot of Brighton fans would say about him lately is that his decision-making in high-leverage moments has been a bit of a hit-and-miss. And another thing is that a lot of times he thrives in solo runs where he may need to improve tight-passing combinations in compact blocks (especially in the sequences where Thomas Frank is implementing more possession-heavy plays).
How can Mitoma fit in at Tottenham under Thomas Frank?
When he is playing in a 4-3-3, I think that the former Kawasaki Frontale ace would likely play in his preferred left wing role, playing off with Solanke in that number nine role and having Udogie in the overlapping role. So he ends up creating that left channel overload when the former Udinese fullback is down the left flank. With the ball, he ends up pulling the defenders wide and opening half-spaces for Maddison/Eze to take advantage of. And then you can play him as an outlet in the counters (which is also Frank’s favourite method of getting the better of the opposition).
When you string him into a 3-5-2, I think it would not suit Mitoma as much unless Frank is going to force this into a 3-4-2-1, and then he could be used as one of the two wide 10s behind a striker (very similar to how Mbeumo was deployed, but in a sense less physical).
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Author Opinion
Mitoma could be one of those smart signings who can blend those nasty counter-attacking sequences with moments of clever individuality, and while I think that he is not as technically sharp as many of Thomas Frank’s wingers across the years, he has that talent and work rate to be an absolute asset to the roster at Hotspur Way.
