Kota Takai is down but definitely not out at Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur and Thomas Frank are preparing for the upcoming preseason, and it will be a time that the North Londoners supporters and staffs can take a look at the fitness of the players and also get a first look at the new faces coming in, and among them is Japanese international Kota Takai, who moved to the North Londoners earlier in the ongoing summer transfer window.
And Thomas Frank is not messing about as he takes charge of his first pre-season as the new boss of Spurs, and work has already begun, and we are expecting intense running drills and plenty of them. And it is fair to claim that the players in the roster at Hotspur Way are feeling it.
Given that last week we saw Djed Spence absolutely shattered following a brutal drill with Micky van de Ven not being far behind. And now the Lilywhites new boy Kota Takai has had his welcome-to-England moment, and this one hit him like a brick wall.
Takai collapses after his first real drill at Hotspur Way
We saw the Lilywhites social media team release a behind-the-scenes video where we saw Takai taking part in training in his first week at Tottenham, and it was the usual stuff too; when you look at it, he was stretching and doing the gym work as the North Londoners were easing him in.
And then the running started, and after he was done with one of the trademark drills of the Dane head coach, the Japanese new signing hit the deck flat on his back whilst gasping for air, and when a coach checked in and asked, “How was that then? Good?”
Takai didn’t sugarcoat it and said “not good”, without hesitation.
While these are still early days, seeing these raw moments makes the supporters fall in love with the player given how the kid is pushing himself and his limits to meet the required standard to be at Tottenham.
There is a chance that Tottenham supporters get to see him for the first time when the Lilywhites take on Reading in their opening pre-season game, as he is expected to be one of a few debuts as Thomas Frank prepares to take charge of his first unofficial game donning the Spurs crest.
