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The Athletic returns after the winter recess to look again at some of the emerging academy talent that may have a chance at appearing in a senior first team match near you.

Sometimes our scouting missions bear little fruit, but just before Christmas, a look at an exciting young winger at Tottenham Hotspur proved bountiful, certainly in terms of goals.

Tynan Thompson is a winger being spoken about in highly positive terms, and he certainly demonstrated why in a UEFA Youth League victory against Slavia Prague last month.

The player

Name: Tynan Thompson

Club: Tottenham Hotspur

Date of birth: April 17, 2008 (17)

Position: Winger

The back story

Born in Croydon, south London, Thompson began his footballing education with Lambeth Tigers before joining Tottenham’s under-12s.

An exciting, right-footed winger who plays off the left, Thompson has made steady progress through the ranks over the last five years to become one of the more exciting prospects emerging from Spurs’ academy.

He signed his first professional contract last summer and has been on the first-team bench twice (the Carabao Cup victory against Doncaster Rovers in September and the Champions League defeat at Paris Saint-Germain in November) but has yet to be handed his senior debut.

For the youth teams, he has come to prominence this season, with 11 goals in 16 appearances across Premier League 2, the EFL Trophy, the FA Youth Cup and the UEFA Youth League.

His club displays have attracted international attention, leading to five caps for England’s combined under-17s/18s side.

He has been especially impressive in the Youth League, an under-19 competition that mirrors the senior Champions League, scoring seven goals in six appearances and just four starts, including three in the game The Athletic watched.

What we saw

It is not often a player scores a hat-trick and is overshadowed, but it was Luca Williams-Barnett, previously profiled in The Athletic’s Prospects series, who got the headlines against Slavia Prague last month.

Williams-Barnett, playing as the No 10, scored five times in the 9-1 victory at Tottenham’s Hotspur Way training ground in Enfield, but Thompson also produced an impressive display that promises much for the future.

Already taller than 6ft (over 183cm), he looks physically powerful, despite his tender years, but his stature is accompanied by incredibly quick feet.

He was afforded plenty of space as Tottenham played most of the game at pace on the transition, and picked off the Slavia defence repeatedly when attacking fluidly, and he was always eager to pick up the ball, turn and attack the defenders.

His physical presence also made him effective defensively at set pieces and even though the game was rather one-sided, he didn’t shirk his out-of-possession duties, supporting left-back Harry Byrne.

He also pressed effectively from the front. He didn’t overcommit or dive in, but decelerated to his man, blocked off angles and forced play into Tottenham’s traps.

But it was in attack that Thompson truly shone. Although right-footed, he looked to manipulate the ball with his left to make himself less predictable when taking on players and wasn’t afraid to go on his left on the outside of defenders, as his finish for Tottenham’s first goal demonstrated.

As Tottenham broke forward down the right, he held back on the left in open space and when Callum Olusesi picked him out, he performed a right-footed stepover before picking out the opposite bottom corner with his left.

It was also clear he liked to come off the touchline when he could and often popped up into central areas to support main striker Leo Black, who was operating like a false nine to make space for such movement, especially for Williams-Barnett.

It was from such movement inside that Thompson picked up his second, using his pace to outsprint a lax Prague defence and reach a long ball from goalkeeper Dylan Thompson before coolly finishing with his right foot.

His hat-trick goal in the second half again demonstrated his finishing prowess as he was played in by Black into the left channel and opened up his body to slide a right-foot finish past the ‘keeper.

Though Williams-Barnett was the standout performer, Thompson was a close second.

It would be interesting to see how he performs against a less open, more entrenched defence and whether his decision-making and sharp passing could help Tottenham open them up. Premier League defences rarely leave you such space to run into.

There was some variety in the finishes he produced and he seemed keen to get into goalscoring areas off the flank and be involved, which shows an appetite for the game.

As always, there will be areas for improvement that determine his future as he matures, but Thompson is one of the encouraging crop of youngsters coming through at Tottenham that may stand a chance, based on this display and others in recent months.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank says Mohammed Kudus and Rodrigo Bentancur are set for spells on the sidelines.

Kudus, 25, sustained a leg injury during the 1-1 draw with Sunderland on January 4. Frank said the attacking midfielder is not expected to return until the March international break, which starts in the week commencing March 23.

Bentancur, 28, was substituted towards the latter stages of the 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth on Wednesday, while fellow midfielder Lucas Bergvall had also been withdrawn earlier in the second half.

“Lucas is being assessed today,” Frank said at his press conference on Thursday ahead of their FA Cup third-round tie at Aston Villa. “We’ll know more later today with him.

“Same with Rodri (Bentancur). Rodri is a hamstring injury, looks like a bigger one, unfortunately. We don’t know the timeframe, that we also will know later.

“Kudus is, unfortunately, a bigger one to the quad. So that’s one where we expect him back after the March international break.”

The Danish coach also provided an update on attacking midfielder Dejan Kulusevski. The Sweden international is yet to feature this season after undergoing knee surgery in May 2025.

Frank had said in September that the 25-year-old had a “good chance” of returning from his injury before the end of 2025.

On Thursday, he said: “The latest on Dejan Kulusevski is that we know it’s a complicated injury. If there’s one person that can accelerate that, it’s Dejan. He’s a top pro. Got a top mentality.

“The most important thing is to remove the pain in the knee. He got an injection to help that 10 days ago. We’ll know in three to four weeks if it’s settled, and when it’s settled, hopefully, he’ll be on the grass. And from there, we’ll see what’s happening.”

Frank added Cristian Romero would not be fined by the club after he appeared to criticise the club’s hierarchy, accusing “other people” at the club of not speaking out during their poor run of form and telling a “few lies” when things were going better on the pitch.

“He’s our captain, he’s not been fined,” Frank said.

“I think there’s a lot of ways to deal with different situations. Chosen to have a good conversation with him, understand where he stands. Had that internally, and that’s everything I have to say.”

Kudus, who joined Spurs from West Ham United last summer in a deal worth around £55million ($74.7m), has scored three goals and provided six assists in 26 games for his new side this campaign.

Bentancur has been a consistent presence in Spurs’ midfield this term. He has made 28 appearances and appeared in all but one of the north London side’s Premier League games. Bergvall, 19, has made 24 appearances in all competitions for Spurs. A concussion sustained against Chelsea on November 1 ruled the Sweden international out of two games, while a groin injury ruled him out of the New Year’s Day goalless stalemate at the G-Tech Community Stadium against Brentford.

Spurs are 14th in the Premier League with just two wins in their last 12 league games.

After the Bournemouth defeat, defenders Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro were seen in an apparent discussion with members of the travelling Spurs support at the Vitality Stadium.

“I said last night, I think our away fans were very good throughout the game, they were backing us, singing, supporting, exactly as they should do, and we hope they would do,” Frank added. “Everyone will be happy when we win more games. It’s as simple as that.”

Reinforcements needed for Frank and Spurs

Analysis from Tottenham correspondent Elias Burke

This is terrible news for Frank, who is now without a natural right winger in the first-team squad. Frank experimented with natural striker Randal Kolo Muani on the right wing for the 1-1 draw against Sunderland on Sunday, and started Lucas Bergvall there in the Bournemouth defeat. Bergvall impressed in a more narrow role, essentially lining up as a right-sided central midfielder with the ball, but an injury, which appeared to be to his thigh, may keep him on the sidelines for the weekend’s game against Villa at a minimum.

In September, Frank said there was a “good chance” Kulusevski would return before the end of 2025, so news that there has been further complications in his rehabilitation from a knee injury sustained in May is a blow. There is an urgent need for the club to explore right-wing options in the transfer window, with Frank asserting that the recruitment team, headed by co-sporting directors Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange, is working “very very hard” to add to Frank’s squad.

And with a “bigger” injury to Bentancur’s hamstring, they may need to recruit in midfield, too. Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr are meeting in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals tomorrow, representing Mali and Senegal respectively. Sarr was a shining light in the opening games of the season, and Frank is doubtless desperate to have the 23-year-old back as a midfield option. Still, owing to the long-term struggles in building possession through midfield, many believe strengthening Frank’s midfield options is a priority, even before Bentancur’s injury.

Cristian Romero has appeared to criticise the Tottenham Hotspur hierarchy, accusing “other people” at the club of not speaking out during their poor run of form and telling a “few lies” when things were going better on the pitch.

The club captain posted on social media after the north London side’s 3-2 defeat against Bournemouth on Wednesday, apologising to the fans but saying that others, who “only show up when things are going well” should be publicly facing up to the situation. The statement has since been altered and no longer mentions “lies”.

“Apologies to all fans of you who follow us everywhere, who are always there and will continue to be,” Romero said via Instagram. “We are responsible, there’s no doubt about that.

“I am the first. But we will keep facing up to it and trying to turn the situation around, for ourselves and for the club. At times like this, it should be other people coming out to speak, but they don’t as has been happening for several years now.

“They only show up when things are going well, to tell a few lies. We’ll stay here, working, sticking together and giving our all to turn things around. Especially at times like this, keeping quiet, working harder and moving forward all together, is part of football. All together, it will be easier.”

Head coach Thomas Frank is expected to address Romero’s comments in a news conference later on Thursday.

Tottenham scored after five minutes against Bournemouth on Wednesday to go ahead, but conceded three times — including an extra-time winner — as the visitors ended their 11-game winless run.

The loss means the north London club are winless in their last three games, having previously drawn to Brentford and Sunderland, and sit 14th in the Premier League, seven points away from Liverpool in fourth.

Romero signed a new four-year deal in August to keep him at Tottenham until 2029 after being awarded captaincy by Frank in the summer. The 27-year-old has been at the club since joining from Atalanta for €55million (£47.4m; $64.3m at current rates) in 2021, initially on a loan deal.

‘It speaks to the current instability at the club’

Analysis by Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Elias Burke

As club captain and Tottenham’s most accomplished and decorated player, Romero appearing to speak out against the club’s board after yesterday’s stoppage-time 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth speaks to the current instability at the club.

Romero’s mention of “other people”, outside the playing group and head coach, may refer to Vinai Venkatesham, the club’s CEO, Johan Lange and Fabio Paratici, the co-sporting directors, non-executive chairman Peter Charrington, and/or the Lewis Family.

Since Ruben Amorim’s departure as head coach at Manchester United, there has been a heightened interest in English football regarding the non-public nature of club boardrooms, and this is an example of frustration building within a Premier League dressing room.

Romero was appointed as club captain by Frank in the summer, following Son Heung-min’s departure for Major League Soccer side LAFC. In the aftermath of the defeat at the Vitality Stadium, several of his team-mates, including defenders Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro, were confronted by frustrated fans in the away end.

As Antoine Semenyo received a pass on the edge of the Tottenham Hotspur box in second-half stoppage time, opening an angle to go for goal, the rest felt inevitable. The Ghana international, who looks set to move from Bournemouth to Manchester City after rebuffing Spurs’ interest, set the ball out of his feet and fired a wicked right-footed shot into Guglielmo Vicario’s bottom left-hand corner.

Many of the travelling Tottenham supporters, who were urging their players to find a winner of their own moments earlier, headed towards the exit. The rest stayed long after the final whistle. Some applauded the team and head coach Thomas Frank after the 3-2 defeat, while a few seemed to exchange stern words with players, including Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro. It was an ugly end to a game that might have finished differently.

“I haven’t seen that situation (with the fans and players), that’s one thing,” Frank said in his post-match press conference. “I think it’s fair to say everyone in Tottenham, players, staff, fans, everyone, it’s a tough one to take today.

“I think hopefully everyone can see how hard we worked to get everything in the right direction. And I think overall the performance was good, especially in the second half, in a game where we deserved to get more. That is extremely painful to be part of, so of course people are frustrated, I’m frustrated, so that’s natural.”

The breakdown between the supporters and the coach is nothing new. An image of Frank holding a disposable cup with Arsenal branding ahead of Wednesday’s match only added fuel to the fire. When questioned about that incident after the game, Frank argued it would be “extremely stupid” to intentionally and publicly drink out of an Arsenal cup as a Spurs coach who is “not winning every single football match”, but it was a mishap which has widened the divide for some fans.

On reflection, the festive period offered an opportunity to re-energise the Frank era halfway through its first season.

It started perfectly with a win at Crystal Palace, where the players demonstrated some of the steel and nous shown on the way to the Europa League final win last May under the Dane’s predecessor Ange Postecoglou. Brentford three days later was a forgettable draw, but one, against a team in form, that could have been chalked up as a hard-fought point were it followed by better performances and results in the coming matches. But with a point against a Sunderland team affected by players being on Africa Cup of Nations duty and now defeat by Bournemouth, who were winless in 11 matches before a timely visit from Doctor Tottenham, Frank’s tenure has never felt so lifeless.

And yet, in Frank’s view, it could have been so different.

“It’s very tough to sit here right now and we haven’t got anything out of overall a good performance,” he said. “We started well, got up 1-0, conceding two goals on second-phase set pieces. Especially the second one, we needed to do much better. But I really liked the character in the team and from the players. They gave everything.”

Mathys Tel, starting in his preferred position of left-winger for the second game in a row after impressing against Sunderland, responded to Frank’s faith with a brilliant goal inside five minutes. Naturally, he tired in the second half and his influence waned, but it was the 20-year-old’s most complete and best performance in a Tottenham shirt since signing 11 months ago. His opener ended a 592-minute wait for a goal from open play, setting Spurs ahead again. But, in similar circumstances to Sunday, Frank’s side failed to control the game from a winning position.

After a spell of pressure, Bournemouth equalised through Evanilson, who headed home a Marcus Tavernier cross from the right in the 22nd minute. Fourteen minutes later, Spurs conceded in almost identical circumstances, this time with Eli Junior Kroupi getting the crucial touch.

Joao Palhinha’s 78th-minute equaliser briefly gave them hope of a positive result, only for Semenyo to score that 95th-minute winner.

The result leaves Spurs 14th in the Premier League table, six points off Brentford, Frank’s previous club, in fifth. Incidentally, that New Year’s Day draw with Tottenham is the only blot on an otherwise perfect five-game run for the west Londoners, who have picked up 12 points from the 15 available. In different circumstances, overturning a six-point deficit with 17 games to play might feel achievable, but in Spurs’ current state, where defeats come far too easily, a further slip down the table could be as likely.

Back-to-back league matches against West Ham United and Burnley, two of the bottom three, this month appear to be the final chance to push towards achieving their dwindling European ambitions, before a daunting fixture list in February and March.

So, with their Premier League season collapsing into insignificance, Tottenham’s route to revival may be through the cups.

Champions League success is a dream, but the FA Cup third-round tie at home against Aston Villa on Saturday offers a welcome change of scenery and a chance to restore pride.

Frank’s record in that competition is underwhelming, but after a hopeless festive period, cup success at the weekend appears to be the only immediate hope of bridging some of the gap between him and a furious fanbase.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank described the suggestion that he had deliberately used an Arsenal-branded cup as “extremely stupid”.

Before Tottenham’s 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth on Wednesday, Frank was photographed holding a small cup with the logo of Spurs’ rivals Arsenal on it. Arsenal were the last team to play away at the Vitality Stadium.

After the image circulated online, Frank addressed the incident in his post-match press conference.

“(I) definitely (did) not notice it,” he said. “I think it’s fair to say that (I’m) not winning every single football match so it’d be absolutely, completely stupid of me to take a cup with Arsenal.

“You know, they’ve (Arsenal) been in there, the changing room, the game before us. Was normal. Take a cup, give me an espresso. I do that before every game. So I think actually, it’s a little bit sad in football that I need to be asked a question about that.

“I think we’re definitely going the wrong direction if we need to worry about me having a cup with another logo of another club where, of course, I’ll never do that. That’s extremely stupid.”

Tottenham took the lead against Bournemouth through Mathys Tel but entered half-time trailing after goals from Evanilson and Eli Junior Kroupi. Joao Palhinha equalised with an overhead kick in the 78th minute before Antoine Semenyo — playing his final game for Bournemouth before his move to Manchester City — won the game for the home side in the fifth minute of added time.

Wednesday’s defeat means that Spurs have begun 2026 without a win, having drawn their two previous games this year against Brentford and Sunderland. Frank’s side are 14th in the Premier League on 27 points and have won only twice in their last 12 league games.

Tottenham are next in action at home against Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Saturday. Their next league game sees them welcome West Ham United to north London a week later.

Bournemouth ended an 11-game winless run as they came from behind to beat Tottenham Hotspur, heaping further pressure on Thomas Frank whose side have now won just one of their last six league games.

Joao Palhinha’s brilliant overhead kick seemed to have earned a draw for Frank’s side but then, in the 95th minute, Antoine Semenyo produced an equally stunning strike from distance to win the game for his team with his 10th league goal of the season.

The hosts conceded the opening goal far too easily, with Mathys Tel cutting in from the left and arrowing his shot into the bottom-right corner in the fifth minute after being put through by a neat Xavi Simmons back heel.

But Bournemouth were ahead before the break. Marcus Tavernier was given time and space to produce a dangerous cross from the right which Evanilson magnificently headed home, leaving Guglielmo Vicario with no hope.

Another Tavernier cross from almost the same position again caused Tottenham problems, with Marcos Senesi’s cutback giving Eli Junior Kroupi a simple tap-in for his seventh goal of the season.

Referee Darren England had awarded Tottenham a penalty after the break when Micky van de Ven was brought down in the box after a marauding run from defence, but he overturned his decision after a VAR check, much to Van de Ven’s chagrin, which earned the defender a yellow card.

But minutes later Palhinha put Spurs level with a superb effort. A fingertip save from Djordje Petrovic late on prevented Van de Ven from putting the visitors ahead with a header, the save proving crucial as Semenyo, on his 26th birthday and possibly final match for Bournemouth, scored the winner.

Why do Tottenham keep conceding the same sort of goal?

What made this defeat so painful was that Tottenham fought back into the game, Palhinha’s overhead kick with 12 minutes left making it 2-2.

Spurs even had a platform to go on and win the game. But the frustrating thing about Tottenham this season is that they keep making the same mistakes week after week. And any Spurs fan will tell you that they have a terrible habit of conceding to shots taken from just outside the box. Even with so many men back, Spurs leave plenty of room for opponents to get shots off. And those opponents keep finding the bottom corner of Guglielmo Vicario’s net.

So it was again tonight at Bournemouth, when Semenyo picked up the loose ball and — before Richarlison could get over to block him — put the ball into the far-bottom corner. It was a brilliant hit from a fantastic player. But it was also punishing a mistake that Tottenham have made far too often. Which meant that their hard work in this game ended up counting for nothing.

Jack Pitt-Brooke

How did Tottenham lose control?

The most frustrating thing for Tottenham was the fact that they actually started this game far better than normal.

Spurs begun positively, moving the ball forward with purpose, taking advantage of the return to the team of Simons after three games out suspended. That industry led to their early goal, when Simons drove them forward before setting up Tel. It felt for a moment as if we might be watching a different Tottenham, more positive and purposeful. They even made chances to score a second, especially with Lucas Bergvall from distance.

But they never took advantage of those, and that made it even more frustrating how Spurs lost control of the game. They let Bournemouth — without a league win since October — back into the contest. And they switched off twice when Bournemouth scored two goals starting with crosses from the right wing before the interval.

It felt like the clearest sign of Spurs’ fragility. That even in a game like this, against a team in such poor form, and with an early lead, Spurs could still not hold onto their advantage.

Jack Pitt-Brooke

Did Tel impress again on the left?

Mathys Tel has found himself on the outside looking in for much of this season, starting just four times in the league. Before the 1-1 draw with Sunderland on Sunday, none of those had come in his preferred left-wing position. But he looked lively and threatening from the opening whistle against Sunderland and, for that, he earned a second start in a row.

Tel offers something different to the rest of Tottenham’s wide players. Unlike Wilson Odobert and Mohammed Kudus, Tel’s first instinct is to shoot whenever he’s around the opposition box. That tendency was evident inside 20 seconds against Sunderland, firing a driven shot on target. Shortly after, he bent a curling effort just wide of the post. Then, against Bournemouth, he found the net from a seemingly impossible wide angle to open the scoring.

After receiving a pass from Xavi Simons on the left touchline, Tel isolated the full-back, pushing him into the Bournemouth box, before shifting right and firing a powerful and accurate shot into the bottom-right corner. It was a brilliant goal, and Tottenham’s first from open play in 592 minutes.

While Spurs faltered under pressure as a unit, Tel continued shining in the first half. His first touch was crisp and he found solutions to dribble out of tight situations on several occasions. With Kudus out injured and Brennan Johnson now plying his trade for Crystal Palace, it appears the left-wing spot is now firmly Tel’s to lose.

Elias Burke

What did Frank say?

We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.

What next for Spurs?

Former Tottenham Hotspur and England forward Martin Chivers has died at the age of 80.

Chivers is Tottenham’s fourth-highest goalscorer of all time with 174 goals, behind Harry Kane, Jimmy Greaves and Bobby Smith and one goal ahead of Son Heung-min.

In a statement on Wednesday, Spurs said: “It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of our legendary former striker, Martin Chivers.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to Martin’s family, friends and former team-mates at this incredibly sad time.

The club also confirmed that they would wear black armbands during their Premier League visit to Bournemouth on Wednesday.

Chivers began his professional career with Southampton in 1962 and spent just over five years with the south coast club, scoring 108 goals in 189 games. He then joined Tottenham in January 1968, where he featured alongside Greaves and Alan Gilzean in attack under legendary Spurs manager Bill Nicholson.

He scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Aston Villa in the 1971 League Cup final and also scored twice in the 1972 UEFA Cup (now known as the Europa League) final in the 3-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers as Tottenham won the inaugural edition of the tournament. He also helped Spurs win the League Cup again the following season.

After making 367 appearances for the club over more than eight years, Chivers joined Swiss club Servette, where he spent two seasons before returning to England with Norwich City in 1978. He also played for Brighton & Hove Albion, Dorchester Town, Norwegian club FC Vard and Barnet.

He was capped 24 times by England, scoring 13 goals.

Jermain Defoe, an icon for Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland, was the guest attraction at Sunday’s match between the two sides, their first meeting since Defoe led the line for Sunderland in a 0-0 draw at the Stadium of Light in 2017. He was given a hero’s applause from fans of both clubs when he was invited onto the pitch at half-time.

Seconds into the game, Mathys Tel executed a move that could have come from a Defoe highlight reel. Having received the ball in an inside-left position near the edge of the box, Tel shifted it right and, in an instant, hit a powerful, driven, no-backlift shot that stung the palms of Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs. Like Defoe, who seemingly never skewed a shot off target, whatever the angle, Tel has the quick-fire shoot-on-sight quality of a natural goalscorer.

“Definitely. It’s an old saying that if you don’t shoot, you don’t score,” manager Thomas Frank said when asked whether Tel’s shoot-first instinct brings something different to the attack, speaking in his pre-match press conference for Wednesday’s game against Bournemouth. “So it’s probably pretty good to have players that can get a shot off. But Matty is a versatile player. So he can play to the left, he can play ‘No 10’ (attacking midfield). He plays striker. Probably his best is something between the three roles. And he’s young, so he’s not the first time (you have wondered with) a player, ‘Where will he actually end?’.

“In the past, I worked with Ollie Watkins. He came to Brentford as a winger, and I converted him to be a striker, and he’s quite a successful striker. Yoane Wissa came as a winger, and he ended as a striker. Is Mathys the same type, to start as a winger and end as a striker? I don’t know. No matter what, I’m pretty sure he can perform in both positions.“

For a while, it seemed as if Tel had been lost in the shuffle. As Frank experimented with different front lines, either due to injuries or lack of attacking chemistry, the 20-year-old remained on the fringes behind Wilson Odobert, Randal Kolo Muani and even Brennan Johnson, who was sold to Crystal Palace for £35million ($47m) on January 2.

It was effectively a continuation of the awkward circumstances that led to him signing for the club on an initial loan deal from Bayern Munich a year ago, with Tel failing to show much more than glimmers of his obvious talent under Ange Postecoglou. Tottenham making his move permanent in the summer in a deal worth €35million (£30m; $41m), plus €10m in potential bonuses, seemed to signal an investment in Tel, particularly after the departure of club legend Son Heung-min, but his status on the fringes of the starting XI has remained largely unchanged this term.

Frank’s comments allude to why that may be the case. Tel, who believes his future lies on the left wing, is one of the few people who seems to have a handle on which position he will make his own. It’s not uncommon to see young players trialled in several positions before nailing down their long-term role — Gareth Bale started as a left-back before becoming one of the world’s best right-wingers, for example — but it’s difficult to assess whether testing multiple roles in fits and starts will aid Tel’s long-term development. It will make him more versatile, but elite forwards tend to specialise in one position.

Like Odobert, Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, the core of high-potential young talents Frank is investing in, there are no questions about Tel’s desire to reach the top. Bayern were always impressed by his dedication. An example of his attitude was on public display last season, when he spoke to frustrated fans in the away end after a miserable 2-0 defeat against Fulham at Craven Cottage. For a then-teenager who did not know whether he would be at the club the following season, assuming that responsibility speaks to his mentality, and frequent visits from his family in France to his new home in London help keep him focused and grounded.

So when Frank named him in the starting XI on the weekend, he was itching to go. He had not started a Premier League game since the 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa in October — he scored the opening goal in their previous fixture, a 2-1 win over Leeds United — and had not started a league match from the left all season. Within seconds, he had registered a shot on target, something Spurs only managed to do twice as a unit in the dour 0-0 draw away at Brentford on New Year’s Day. On reflection, had he been more up to speed, Frank believed he could have registered his third league goal of the season.

“It was a positive performance from Mathys,” Frank said on Monday afternoon. “He did some positive things and got into good situations.

“He had one where he bent it to the far corner, where he’s probably the best finisher from that position. He is a little bit disappointed in himself. It’s fair, he’s young. It’s not like he played five games in a row. I hoped he could do it and we’ve seen it. So that was good.”

Since joining Spurs, Tel has often felt slightly out of place. He was brought in mid-season with a plan to develop him as a wide attacker and asked to lead an attack in an unfamiliar striker position. Then he signed permanently under a different coach, who later omitted him from the Champions League squad. Compared to Odobert, who was a long-term target before signing from Burnley in 2024, the vision for his France Under-21 team-mate has been blurry.

Johnson’s departure and a leg injury to Mohammed Kudus have left the Tottenham squad even shorter on attacking players, and Tel can stake his claim. Frank said there’s “no one who’s really grabbed that shirt” on the left wing. When asked if Tel will remain at the club in the face of loan interest from around Europe, the head coach responded “hopefully”, after saying, “We are maybe a little short on offensive options.”

Desperate for a run of games in his favoured position for the first time in his short career, a depleted forward line presents Tel with the opportunity he has sought since leaving Bayern in search of more first-team minutes. Starting against Bournemouth, the onus is on him to take what’s “up for grabs”.

Tottenham Hotspur winger Mohammed Kudus looks set to be unavailable for their Premier League fixture away to Bournemouth with a leg injury, said head coach Thomas Frank.

Kudus was substituted in the 19th minute of Tottenham’s 1-1 draw against Sunderland on Sunday after going down injured. In his pre-match press conference ahead of Bournemouth on Wednesday evening, Frank said the Ghana international winger had a scan on Monday afternoon, and the club is awaiting the results.

“He’s going for a scan here, one o’clock, to clarify the issue,” Frank said. “So unfortunately I don’t have a big update on it.

“Most likely he will be out for Bournemouth, yeah.”

Kudus was replaced by Randal Kolo Muani on the right wing, a natural striker who has played across the front line in recent weeks. Brennan Johnson had previously been the most likely candidate to step in for Kudus in the event of injury or rotation, prompting questions on why the Wales international was allowed to depart for Crystal Palace in the thick of the dense fixture list during the festive period.

“Brennan has made himself a club legend in some ways,” said Frank. “Scoring the winning goals in Bilbao, winning the fantastic Europa League trophy. Done well with the top scorer last year I think in all competitions, doing well.

“Then Mo Kudus came in, playing in the right wing, which is also Brennan’s best position, not that he can’t play to the left. And then for the long term plans, there was an opportunity to sell Brennan now and give him an opportunity to try something else, so that was the right decision.”

Mathys Tel came in to the starting line-up against Sunderland and impressed, offering a goal threat from the wings and could be set to see more game time in Kudus’ absence.

“I think it’s pretty fair to say that we are maybe a little bit short on offensive options,” Frank said when asked if Tel is likely to remain at the club through January. “Hopefully. I think also it’s fair, there’s no one who’s really grabbed that shirt on the left-hand side. So I think that’s definitely up for grab. I think it was a positive performance from Mathys. I think he did some positive things and got into good situations.”

However, while Dominic Solanke has returned to first-team training, he is still not yet ready to be involved in matchday squads. Frank described the England international striker as looking “a little bit rusty”, and it will “take some time” before he can contribute on the pitch.

“Today you could see in training that he’s nice and composed on the ball,” said Frank. “Good decisions, good touches. A little bit more competitive(ness) in the small-sided (games), he looked a little rusty, which is completely normal. Now he’s unfortunately been out for what, at least six months. So of course, it will take a little bit of time.

There has been precious little to be positive about at Tottenham Hotspur this season.

In the same pre-season game Son Heung-min, a bona fide club legend, pulled on the club’s shirt for the final time, James Maddison, arguably his successor as the face of the club, sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury that will keep him out for most, if not all, of the campaign. After that, there were bright sparks against Paris Saint-Germain and in the August wins over Burnley and Manchester City, but since then, the results, performances, and atmosphere around Spurs have largely been dire.

After the 0-0 draw away at Brentford, a performance so poor it would typically rank among the worst of the season had there not already been at least three worse already, boos were directed towards Thomas Frank. The expression of frustration was not so much about the result as about the protracted lack of ambition and invention by a side seemingly content to play boring, marginal football decided by box scrambles and set pieces.

Against Sunderland on Sunday, for Frank to have any chance of easing the pressure on a fanbase that seems to be losing patience, they needed to be significantly better. And from the opening whistle until play resumed in the second half, they were.

Tottenham came out flying, with Mathys Tel, starting his first league game since the 2-1 defeat by Aston Villa in October, registering a shot on target within 20 seconds. Tel seemed symbolic of a rejuvenated side, joining in with a rampant forward press from the left wing that frequently disrupted Sunderland’s attempts to play short from the goalkeeper, creating chances from high turnovers.

In defence, Pedro Porro and Cristian Romero were dominant, stepping ahead of their markers and intercepting ground passes, before playing forward quickly and slicing through the Sunderland midfield. Tottenham’s midfield was improved, too, with Rodrigo Bentancur snappier in the tackle and more accomplished in possession than in recent games. Beside him, Archie Gray demonstrated his athletic and technical potential.

Most surprisingly, Ben Davies, given his first start of the season, opened the scoring from a set piece, and Tottenham fans went into the half-time break having seen their most dominant first 45 minutes in the league since the opening day win against Burnley. While Sunderland improved in the second half as Tottenham retreated, there were opportunities for the home side to extend the lead on the counter-attack.

In Frank’s view, their failure to make the most of their chances was their downfall.

“I think the big headline is we didn’t score the 2-0 goal,” Frank said in his post-match press conference. “We didn’t kill the game off: 2-0, then we are out of sight. We gave nothing away throughout the game.”

But against a Sunderland side significantly weakened by absences due to the Africa Cup of Nations, the game was there for Spurs to win, and they let it slip. Minutes before Brian Brobbey burst through the Spurs defence to find the equaliser, Sunderland fired a warning sign through midfielder Enzo Le Fee, who fired a header off the post. Spurs continued to invite pressure and were eventually, and predictably, punished.

“We have one bit where they do a top bit of play, and then it’s 1-1,” Frank said. “So for me, it was the 2-0 goal we lacked at. I think the first half was very good. I think we were totally dominant. Second half, not as dominant, but we still get into some very good situations, have some good counter-attack situations where we need to get more out of it. You can’t rely on, in the Premier League, just to win 1-0.”

After a first half that promised so much, the Sunderland game ended in a similar fashion to Brentford: with an underwhelming point and boos directed towards a coach who has lost the faith of many match-going fans. And unless Spurs invest in top talent in the January window, there’s little to suggest a convincing half of football every few matches can translate into something more consistent.

It’s symptomatic of the stark contradiction at the heart of the club. Tottenham play in the best football stadium in the country (maybe the best in the world) but the product on offer is mediocre. The expectation when fans pay for one of the league’s most expensive season tickets in one of the world’s most expensive cities is a premium offering, with brilliant attacking players thrilling the senses.

Dejan Kulusevski, Maddison and Dominic Solanke are three fine players but none have been available. Frank currently has three players who might expect to play regularly for the rest of the big six: two centre-backs and one right-back. Carrying the expectations of a ‘Big Six’ club with a mid-table squad is why many believe Frank’s job is among the most challenging in English football. This does not make the standard of performance any more acceptable, but it’s the sobering reality.

It begs the question of how under par this Spurs season truly is. Should a team missing three of their most established players be in the mix for the top six? Is the team available to Frank any better than most of the clubs around them, particularly when adjusted for the additional demands of the Champions League?

These are surely the considerations of the Lewis family and the club boardroom as they continue to back a coach who hasn’t yet demonstrated he’s the man for the job.

As he looked to the bench for somebody to score the crucial second or put their foot on the ball in midfield and ease the pressure, there was little to choose from. Ironically, Brennan Johnson, who started his first game for Crystal Palace at the same time, may have been that choice — though he likely will have come on earlier for the injured Mohammed Kudus. For the lack of options, or Frank’s failure to make do with what he had, Spurs crumbled.

The question is: how much of that, and a season which is falling into irrelevancy, is his fault?