TBR Football

One of Thomas Frank’s key players won’t have been happy not to have seen his name on the starting line-up during Tottenham’s defeat to Wolves.

Tottenham Hotspur nearly suffered a humiliating defeat to Wolves over the weekend, with a late equaliser saving their blushes.

Joao Palhinha’s wicked strike from just outside the penalty area salvaged a point for Thomas Frank’s side on what was a hugely disappointing evening for Spurs.

It’s evident that the new Spurs boss got the set-up wrong against the Premier League 20th-placed side, and he must reassess his team ahead of the trip to Bodo/Glimt.

Archie Gray really impressed vs Doncaster, but Thomas Frank dropped him

Archie Gray will have been quite disappointed not to have got any minutes against Wolves, despite really impressing against Doncaster Rovers.

The 19-year-old was given 90 minutes against the League One side and showed why he is very highly rated by many at the North London club.

Gray impressed in the number eight role in the EFL Cup match and showed Spurs he could offer something which the team is currently missing.

Right now, Tottenham’s midfield is Frank’s biggest weakness, with the team struggling to progress the ball up the pitch and to create chances.

During the 1-1 draw, Spurs created an xG of just 0.86, with some of that being made up through chance created from set-pieces.

One thing is becoming quickly apparent under Frank: playing Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha together against the teams lower down the table is not viable.

Bentancur went missing against Wolves, according to Martin O’Neill, with the team crying out for a player in the middle of the park willing to drive the ball up the pitch.

Against Doncaster, Gray, who cost Tottenham £40m, was often looking to bring the ball forward, with Xavi Simons playing just ahead of him in the number ten role.

Frank needs to quickly realise that when he’s playing teams further down the table, the need for two number six players is just not required.

Earlier this month, TBR Football revealed Gray is keen to stay at Tottenham and fight for his place, but Frank needs to start giving him more game time.

Antonin Kinsky should also be given more chances at Tottenham

Antonin Kinsky is another player who should also be given more chances at Tottenham, with Guglielmo Vicario looking shaky against Vitor Pereira’s side.

Some of the Italian’s kicking against Wolves was quite questionable, as he completed just four of his eight long passes.

Vicario then parried a header from a Wolves corner right into the path of Santiago Bueno, who was free to stab home his first goal for the club.

Frank claims that Kinsky has a ‘great future’ at Tottenham, but he’s only made one appearance so far, and that was a clean sheet against Doncaster.

The 22-year-old’s ability with his feet sets him apart from Vicario, and perhaps he deserves his chance to play more minutes.

Tim Sherwood is a huge fan of Jack Grealish and made him quite the compliment by comparing him to a Tottenham Hotspur legend.

The 30-year-old is flying at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, having managed four assists in his first five Premier League matches.

David Moyes has given him the freedom to play in the number ten role and has allowed him to play how he did at Aston Villa.

The Everton winger is once again proving why he was signed by Man City for £100m and has just been compared to an unbelievable former Spurs star.

Tim Sherwood says Jack Grealish reminds him of Mousa Dembele

Tim Sherwood has told Jack Grealish that he reminds him of Mousa Dembele during his time managing him at Tottenham Hotspur.

The former Spurs and Aston Villa manager says that neither Dembele nor Grealish ever lost the ball, and you could rest easy when either had possession.

Following his impressive start to life on Merseyside, Wayne Rooney has called for Thomas Tuchel to recall Grealish for his England squad.

Now, the winger’s former boss at Villa has also been singing his praises and compared him to one of the most admired Premier League midfielders of his generation.

Sherwood told Grealish: “When I talk about you, it’s not only your numbers; you take the pressure off the defenders, because there is no one better at holding the ball up than you.

“You don’t give the ball away. The only other player I’ve had is Mousa Dembele at Tottenham. When you used to give him the ball, you could sit down as a manager and rest easy, because you know you’re either going to get a foul or you’re going to take us up the field.”

The former Belgian international is rated so highly by all his former teammates, with Lewis Holtby recently saying Dembele was better than Toni Kroos.

Grealish is similar in the way of being able to manipulate his body to hold off defenders and make it very difficult to dispossess him without committing a foul.

Jack Grealish says why he really loves David Moyes

Grealish has been full of praise for Moyes and the way that he has been giving him the freedom to go and play his football for Everton.

At City, it’s clear that Grealish was forced to play in a system and given many strict instructions, but now with the Toffees, he has the license to express himself.

“There’s been a few interviews where he’s said, ‘it’s not down to me,’ and obviously it’s not fully down to him, because I’m the one playing, but it is down to him as well for giving me that platform to go and play the way I’ve been playing,” said Grealish.

“Sometimes managers are so good, but sometimes, myself, I don’t arrogantly mean this, but I do like it when the manager tells you to go and do what you want to do.”

Mikey Moore’s tough start to life at Ibrox continued as the youngster came on as a late substitute in Rangers’ late win at Livingston.

Max Aarons’ 94th-minute goal secured the Gers their first win of the new Scottish Premiership season following what has been a dismal start.

Russell Martin, who convinced Moore to join Rangers, is under pressure in Glasgow with the team sitting 10th in the table.

Tottenham Hotspur will be increasingly concerned by the teenager’s loan spell north of the border as he struggled off the bench in the win.

Rangers fans disappointed by Mikey Moore’s performance vs Livingston

Rangers fans were left disappointed yet again by Mikey Moore’s latest performance for the club, despite only playing eight minutes against Livingston.

The teenager was subbed on for Brentford loanee Jayden Meghoma after 82 minutes, and he struggled to make much of an impact.

Former SPL striker Chris Sutton fears for Moore, given the ‘toxic situation’ which is currently unfolding at Rangers.

The Gers’ struggles this season mean the coaching staff and the players are facing a fair amount of criticism from supporters.

Unfortunately, Moore, who Thomas Frank rates highly, has taken a fair amount of stick from fans this season since making the switch.

During the match, Rangers supporters took to X to share their frustrations towards the Tottenham Hotspur loanee.

One fan said: “Timid Mikey Moore and Bajrami getting game time ahead of Findlay Curtis is criminal from Russell Martin.”

“Chasing a goal at 1-1 vs Livingston and we turn to Mikey Moore, who’s been poor,” added another Rangers supporter.

There was yet more criticism towards Moore: “Martin’s substitutions prove just how poor he is. He moves Gassama to the right to play Mikey Moore on the left.”

Finally, another fan added: “Tottenham must be absolutely fuming where we are playing Mikey Moore right now.”

Mikey Moore must learn from Harry Kane and Amad Diallo’s loan experiences

For an 18-year-old, it will be quite a tough experience being in such a hostile environment and facing so much criticism at a young age.

But the teenager only needs to look at how Harry Kane dealt with the setbacks of underwhelming loan spells to remain calm.

The former Spurs striker notoriously endured four tough loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City and Leicester City.

Tottenham Hotspur loanee Luka Vuskovic continues to go from strength to strength in the Bundesliga, and the defender has just set a remarkable record.

Last week, the teenager had a rather eventful match, as Vuskovic scored his first Bundesliga goal, but also managed to break two fingers.

But he is quickly settling into his new surroundings, with Vuskovic having made his debut against Bayern Munich in a 5-1 defeat.

His latest display for HSV Hamburg has now seen him register a truly stunning stat which hasn’t been matched in Europe’s top five leagues in over five seasons.

Luka Vuskovic sets ‘astonishing’ aerial duels record

Luka Vuskovic has just become the first player in over five seasons to win 18 aerial duels in Europe’s top five leagues, according to Sofascore.

The 18-year-old helped his side to keep a clean sheet away at Union Berlin by winning 18 of his 20 duels against the club from the German capital.

Last season, the defender netted seven goals for Westerlo, with the majority of them coming from his ability to dominate in the air.

Even last weekend, the Croatian international opened his Bundesliga account with a headed effort against 1. FC Heidenheim.

Over the summer, Vuskovic had several clubs after him, and it’s no wonder following his mighty impressive start to life in Germany.

Martin Jol backs Vuskovic to become better than Cristian Romero, showing just how highly rated he is by many in football.

Thomas Frank will be watching the defender with great excitement and thinking of the possibilities of having him attack and defend corners next season.

German media create a new nickname for Luka Vuskovic

Following his stunning display for HSV, Hamburger Abendblatt have now nicknamed the teenager ‘Air Vuskovic’ for his dominant ability in the air.

Commenting on his performance, the German outlet wrote: “The Alte Försterei urgently needs to be expanded if the Croatian is to compete there again.

“Vuskovic occasionally jumped all the way to the stadium roof. It’s astonishing how effortlessly he wins every header. He won 19 of his 23 duels.”

Joao Palhinha played a key role in helping Tottenham Hotspur avoid total embarrassment at the hands of Wolves by netting a late equaliser.

The former Bayern Munich and Fulham star netted a wonderful long-range effort to prevent Wolves from claiming their first three points of the season.

The visitors will have been gutted not to have left with the win, as Thomas Frank’s side were well off the pace against the Midlands club.

Speaking after the game, the experienced midfielder has been talking about what the manager told him before the match, and how it paid off against Wolves.

Joao Palhinha on Thomas Frank’s demands of him

Joao Palhinha has revealed that Thomas Frank has been telling him to get into more advanced positions, which helped him score against Wolves.

The 30-year-old now has three goals to his name this season, having also scored against Manchester City and Doncaster Rovers.

The midfielder netted a late equaliser against the Midlands club to salvage a point, with a wonderful strike from outside the area.

Palhinha told Spurs Official: “First of all, I feel glad to score these goals, but I think also the coach is demanding sometimes in the game for me to be more inside the box.

“These goals happen because I am there, if I am not too far from the box, and I tried to get the chances, and today I scored a good goal.

“But if you ask me if I would change the goal for the victory, for sure I would do it, but it is like this.”

Palhinha says he loves working with Frank at Tottenham, and his impressive performances continued into the game against Wolves.

TBR Football exclusively revealed that Tottenham are ready to sign Palhinha permanently, with the former Bayern Munich star proving to be one of the signings of the summer.

What Thomas Frank said about Joao Palhinha’s celebration vs Wolves

One of the key talking points from Saturday’s clash was Palhinha’s reaction to scoring by taking his top off after equalising.

Despite rescuing a point, Spurs fans will have wanted to try and score a winner, so it will have disappointed them seeing Palhinha’s reaction to his goal.

When asked about the Portuguese international’s celebration, Frank told the media: “I didn’t know. I celebrated myself, but then I noticed that he didn’t have his shirt on. I know we wanted to go for a second goal, but we were still a little bit disjointed.”

Meanwhile, Rodrigo Bentancur’s poor performance against Wolves saw Frank’s team selection draw a fair amount of criticism.

The North London club struggled to create many chances against the team sitting in 20th place, resulting in question marks as to why he picked both Bentancur and Palhinha.

Tottenham Hotspur were really poor against Wolves, but there was one Spurs player who Martin O’Neill has strongly criticised in the draw.

Joao Palhinha’s late strike helped rescue a 1-1 draw at home to Wolves as Tottenham Hotspur finally broke the visitors’ resistance.

The Midlands club claimed their first point of the season against Thomas Frank’s side, who were just not at the races on Saturday.

There were many dismal individual performances from Spurs’ stars against Wolves, but one player in particular has been heavily scrutinised.

Martin O’Neill criticises Rodrigo Bentancur’s display against Wolves

Martin O’Neill has slammed the display of Rodrigo Bentancur against Wolves, stating that the Uruguayan was ‘in and out of the game’ for too long.

The 28-year-old lost possession eight times and won just half of his duels during the match against the club from the Midlands.

Speaking about Spurs’ struggles, O’Neill told Premier League Live: “At half-time, we were talking about Bentancur, he’s in and out, he’s in and out of the game.

“You can’t afford a top-quality midfield player to be out of the game for 15 or 20 minutes. At a good spell, in any game, let alone at home.”

As revealed by TBR Football, Tottenham are in contract talks with Bentancur right now, but some of his recent displays should leave them questioning whether to actually offer him a new deal.

It’s clear that in games where Spurs are expected to have more of the ball, playing a midfield trio of Palhinha, Bentancur, and Lucas Bergvall is not the right move.

Frank opted not to use Xavi Simons at number ten, which appeared to be a mistake given his struggles to affect the game out on the left.

The Lilywhites travel away to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League on Tuesday, and the Spurs boss will need to reassess his midfield selection in Norway.

Tottenham created just one big chance vs Wolves

Frank should be somewhat concerned by the fact that Tottenham created just one big chance and had an xG of just 0.87 against the team sitting at the bottom of the table.

The North London club have become quite reliant on set-pieces when forming notable attacks, and this won’t be sustainable for Frank’s team long-term.

Spurs have made a strong start to life under the 51-year-old, but he will need to consider how he is setting up his team in the middle of the park.

Moving Simons into a more central role and dropping one of Pape Matar Sarr or Bergvall alongside Bentancur or Palhinha looks to be one solution Frank must try.

Xavi Simons had another tough evening for Tottenham Hotspur as the Dutch international struggled in Spurs’ draw with Wolves.

Joao Palhinha salvaged a 1-1 draw at home to Vitor Pereira’s side with a late strike at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, to finally break the visitors’ resilience.

The North London club looked set to hand Wolves their first win of the season on what was a poor performance from Thomas Frank’s team.

It was a tough evening with Tottenham Hotspur’s top creative players being well off the pace, particularly Xavi Simons.

Thomas Frank explains why Xavi Simons is struggling at Tottenham

Frank believes that Simons is still adapting to his new surroundings, having only just made the switch to the Premier League.

It’s been a mixed start to his time at Tottenham, with Simons impressing on his debut against West Ham, but in some matches, he has struggled.

Gary Lineker was encouraged by Simons’ cameo against Brighton, but at home to Wolves, it was certainly another off day for the 22-year-old.

Frank told the media: “I think that’s fair to say, I think he had some good actions, also carrying the ball forward and had to be fouled three or four times.

“But I think there were a lot of situations where he was not quite as sharp, I think that’s fair to say, and he would say that himself.

“But I think it’s natural, he’s coming into a new team, a new league and trying to find that rhythm is difficult.”

Simons’ stats highlight what a challenging evening it was for him, as he lost possession 23 times, completed just three of his 11 crosses, and won only five of his 13 duels.

Thomas Frank explains Xavi Simons’ positioning

Frank admitted he’s still getting to know Simons as a player and working out the balance of his Tottenham team.

The new Spurs boss wanted to fit Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall into his team, having been impressed by all three so far this season.

“I think it’s trying to get the right balance into the team. Also, for me to learn the players and get the best players on the pitch at the same time,” added Frank.

“He came on against Brighton as a 10 and did well. I think when he got into it today as a 10, it didn’t really work, but that wasn’t just him.

“The whole team was out of sync. I think Joao and Rodri have been great for us so far, and Lucas has been fantastic.”

Thomas Frank accepted that Tottenham did not deserve to beat bottom club Wolves on Saturday night, accepting that their late draw was a fair result.

Joao Palhinha stroked in a wonderful equaliser in injury time to deny Wolves a first win of the season after Santiago Bueno had poked in earlier in the second half.

Frank said the point was a good one and deserved, but criticised Spurs for lacking control in the contest. He also pointed to a change in system from Wolves boss Vitor Pereira, which confused his side a little.

Speaking in the Sky Sports studio, former Wolves boss Gary O’Neil tore into Spurs and said they must be better against sides who come to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and defend.

Gary O’Neil doesn’t hold back in analysis of Tottenham draw, ‘I struggle’

O’Neil said: “The part I struggle with is that they didn’t deserve to [win] in any way. I’ve seen them twice at home this season and in both games the onus is meant to be on them against Bournemouth and Wolves.

“But they struggled in both. Their good performances have come against PSG and Manchester City when they have to defend and be without the ball.

“So I think there’s a lot of improvement needed at Spurs if they’re going to be challenging at the top end of the table this year.

“Teams are going to come and frustrate and they need to produce more quality than they did this evening.”

Thomas Frank wants more from Tottenham as Gary O’Neil backs him to be a success

Thomas Frank argued that Palhinha’s ‘special’ goal was deserved but also said it was needed after a frustrating day. “We needed something special, and we got that,” he told BBC Sport.

And he then called for more from his players in the attacking departments after back-to-back Premier League draws.

“I think the foundation is in a good place. Defending well. Working hard, running hard,” he said. “The offensive part of it is the thing we have to add layers to. I’d have loved us to do more today. That’s part of the development.”

O’Neil agreed with Frank despite his earlier criticism, saying: “I have no doubt that Thomas will get this Spurs team where he wants it. It’s still very early in his tenure. They shipped a lot of goals and chances last season.

“He’s rectified that, they don’t concede as many chances. Now, having played Bournemouth and Wolves at home, now we need to add another layer to it and be more attacking.”

Savinho has been persuaded to sign a new deal after Pep Guardiola and Hugo Viana assured him that he is a big part of the club’s future, TBR Football understands.

The Brazilian winger was the subject of two bids from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, and he informed City of his ambition to move.

Sources informed TBR Football at the beginning of August that Savinho was offered to Tottenham, but Man City pulled the plug on a potential deal after failing to find a suitable replacement.

Thomas Frank was in love with the idea of adding the Brazilian to his attacking ranks, and Spurs were willing to pay £69 million to make the deal happen, breaking their current transfer record.

We are told Savinho liked the idea of regular football, but now, following talks, he has been assured that will come at the Etihad. A new six-year deal has now been agreed in principle.

Exclusive: Savinho agrees new long-term contract at Man City

TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey has exclusively revealed that Guardiola played a major role in persuading Savinho to commit his long-term future at the Etihad.

Bailey confirmed: “I am told that after the window closed, both Guardiola and Viana had lengthy talks with Savinho, where they underlined their belief to him that he has a major part to play.

“They have a huge belief in his talent and admiration for him as a person. Hearing the backing he has, Savinho has been persuaded that his future lies in Manchester.”

As revealed by TBR Football, Tottenham had planned to reignite their interest in Savinho in the winter transfer window, but now Spurs will be forced to move on to alternative targets, as the player has committed to City.

Savinho has made his intentions clear about his desire to fight for a starting berth at the Etihad after an underwhelming maiden campaign in English football, yielding only one Premier League goal in 29 outings.

The 21-year-old has yet to start in the league this season but opened his account for the Citizens during the 2-0 win against Huddersfield Town in the Carabao Cup.

With summer signing Rayan Cherki enduring a lengthy spell on the sidelines, there should be plenty of opportunities for Savinho to impress, and the willingness to offer the forward a six-year deal is a clear indication of how highly Guardiola rates the Brazilian.

Savinho’s biggest threat at Manchester City is Jeremy Doku

With Phil Foden slowly but surely returning to his best form at the Etihad, Jeremy Doku remains Savinho’s biggest obstacle if he is to force himself into the first team frame.

The Belgian has been “unstoppable” for club and country at the beginning of the season and was one of City’s standout performers in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal last time out.

Savinho arrived in a £30m deal from sister club Troyes last summer, and while he recorded 10 assists for City across all competitions, his output will need to improve before he can be considered a regular starter.

As things stand, it is unlikely Savinho will start against Burnley, having played 83 minutes mid-week, but Guardiola may very well follow up on the forward’s new long-term contract with a decent cameo on Sunday.

Harry Kane has been the subject of transfer speculation recently, and now his main priority moving forward has been made clear.

Kane is currently part of the Bayern Munich squad, where he is thriving as the lead striker in Vincent Kompany’s team in Europe and the Bundesliga.

However, a clause in Kane’s contract means that he could leave Bayern Munich next summer for less than £60million, and several clubs are reportedly interested in this option.

TBR Football revealed that Real Madrid would like to sign Kane, but he has also been linked with a potential return to Tottenham to wrap up his career.

Harry Kane wants to break Alan Shearer’s goal-scoring record

Tottenham have first rights to sign Kane next summer due to a clause that was put in during his transfer, which provides the club with a great opportunity to buy one of the best strikers in world football.

TBR Football revealed that Tottenham can afford to sign Kane, although his current wages could be a stumbling block for a potential transfer. But that raises the question of whether he’s interested in returning.

During an appearance on The United Stand, transfer expert Ben Jacobs revealed what he knows about Kane’s future ambitions.

“Kane would then have a choice. Does he just want to go back to Spurs and within England anyway be a one-man club within the Premier League, or is he prepared to go elsewhere?

“And I’m told for Kane, it’s less about would he only go to Spurs or would he consider Manchester United or anyone else and it’s more about can he go somewhere and break Alan Shearer’s goal-scoring record.”

Shearer is currently the leading goalscorer in Premier League history with 260 goals, while Kane is in second place with 213.

That means Kane would need to score another 47 goals to tie the Newcastle United legend’s record and 48 to officially take over his.

It will likely take Kane multiple seasons to achieve that; therefore, if he wants to break that, a move back to England sooner rather than later will be necessary.

Harry Kane might be the answer to Chelsea’s striking problem

If Kane breaking Shearer’s record is Kane’s main priority, then he could end up returning to the Premier League for a different team other than Tottenham, should the opportunity arise.

One club that has needed a natural goalscorer for several years now is Chelsea, who continue to buy players to try and find the number of goals required to challenge for the Premier League title.

Chelsea’s latest signing was Liam Delap, whose start to life at Stamford Bridge has been on the injured list, causing the club to scramble by bringing back Marc Guiu from a loan move at Sunderland.

While Kane joining Chelsea might not go down well with Tottenham supporters, he would be guaranteed a lot of service from the likes of Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian.