Thomas Frank asked Daniel Levy for three to four signings before signing for Tottenham as the new head coach
Tottenham Hotspur have welcomed Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha as their two most notable senior acquisitions this summer and have also secured permanent deals for Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel. Japanese defensive prospect Kota Takai has also joined the club from Kawasaki Frontale.
it has been a summer of changes at White Hart Lane, starting from the managerial position. Ange Postecoglou was sacked weeks after winning the Europa League trophy and replaced by Thomas Frank. The Dane has built a solid reputation as one of the astute tacticians in the Premier League with his good work across seven years at Brentford.
As Danso’s loan deal from RC Lens automatically turned into a permanent transfer once the summer window opened on June 1, thanks to an obligation clause inserted, Thomas Frank has actually overseen the signings of Tel, Takai, Kudus and Palhinha. However, the job is not completed and the fans remain keen for more signings.
Thomas Frank requested three to four signings before taking up the Tottenham job
Before replacing Ange Postecoglou as the new head coach, Frank obviously had some demands from the Tottenham hierarchy. And those demands have now been revealed.
According to TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey, Frank requested three to four signings before joining Spurs. The Danish made it clear to the north London club’s hierarchy that he did not feel the squad required a dramatic overhaul, asking them for a new No.6, an attacking midfielder and another forward option.
“When Frank was speaking to Levy, he made it clear: ‘Give me two, three, maybe four players, and we can really challenge’,” Bailey exclusively told TBR Football.
“He wasn’t coming in demanding a complete overhaul; he wasn’t saying, ‘I need two centre-backs, a full-back, two wingers, a striker…’ Nothing like that.
“And Levy isn’t going to appoint someone who’s asking for a full rebuild; that’s not how he operates. Frank was very clear about needing a genuine holding midfielder.
“He’s been clear about that need. He wanted a proper number six. And before Maddison’s injury, he also wanted another central attacking midfielder. Even now, that’s something he’s still keen on. I think he’d also like another forward.”
Spurs are in desperate need for a No.10
The Lilywhites had been keen to sign Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White earlier in the summer and even agreed to pay his £60m release clause, with a medical scheduled. The move collapsed, though, as Nottingham Forest threatened legal action against Spurs and Gibbs-White ended up signing a three-year contract.
The need for a new creative midfielder has been accentuated by James Maddison’s recent heartbreaking ACL rupture. The 28-year-old suffered a serious knee injury during the club’s pre-season clash with Newcastle United in Seoul last week and is now likely to miss the majority of the 2025/26 season. And with Dejan Kulusevski also out injured and not returning anytime soon, Frank will expect Kudus to shoulder the creative responsibility of the team for the upcoming campaign until a new No.10 arrives.
Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss and Nico Paz of Como have emerged as targets to fill in the void created by Maddison’s long-term injury in the Tottenham squad, but it remains to be seen who the club’s key decision-makers decide to make their top target.