Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank is already making his mark when it comes to his new club’s summer recruitment drive, starting with their £30 million permanent deal for Mathys Tel.
In the build up to Sunday morning’s announcement that the Frenchman is now an indefinite Spurs player, reports claimed that Frank personally advocated for Tel to remain in north London.
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Spurs are in the running for his services.
The 51-year-old’s wish was ultimately granted by chairman Daniel Levy, with Frank set to utilise the now-former Bayern Munich sensation throughout his debut season in the Lilywhites dugout and beyond.
|
Tottenham’s best-performing regulars in the Premier League – 2024/2025 |
Average match rating |
|---|---|
|
Son Heung-min |
7.00 |
|
James Maddison |
6.98 |
|
Pedro Porro |
6.95 |
|
Dominic Solanke |
6.84 |
|
Dejan Kulusevski |
6.83 |
|
via WhoScored |
|
However, their pursuit of new wingers won’t end with Tel’s signature, as Spurs are believed to be in the market for a Timo Werner replacement on the opposing flank as well (Ben Jacobs).
Links to Southampton starlet Tyler Dibling have re-emerged this week, following reports that Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo and Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo are both top targets for Spurs as well.
While Mbeumo currently prefers a move to Man United as things stand, the Cameroonian is still intrigued by a move to Tottenham (Sky Sports), while other media sources claim Spurs have reached out to Semenyo’s representatives.
Another intriguing wide option for Frank comes in the form of £300,000-per-week Man City star Jack Grealish.
The England international was a key member of City’s treble-winning side of 2023, but he’s since struggled to establish himself as a firm fixture in Pep Guardiola’s starting eleven since that famed campaign.
Guardiola addressed his future in a Club World Cup press conference this week, stating that the 29-year-old needs to showcase his true quality on a weekly basis.
“Jack is an exceptional player. The only reason why he didn’t play last season is, of course, my decisions,” said the City boss.
“And we decided he has to play, and the club was honest, he’s honest. He’s incredibly respected and loved by the team, and we decided the best is for him to stay [behind] and have a place he feels he can play and come back to being the player that was in the year of the Treble or all his career at Aston Villa.
“Without him it wouldn’t have been possible, it would’ve been more difficult to get what we achieved in the Treble season. But the fact is, the last two seasons, he didn’t play much, and he has to come back to play and have the butterflies in his stomach that he can play every three days and show again the quality he has.”
Thomas Frank holds talks with Tottenham about signing Jack Grealish
With Werner leaving and a summer exit for Son Heung-min on the cards, amid interest from Saudi Arabia, there is every possibility that the ex-Aston Villa star could be a mainstay under Frank next season.
According to Football Transfers, the Dane is already taking a keen interest in Grealish, who’s come up regularly in “extensive” conversations about recruitment between Frank and the Tottenham hierarchy.
During these internal talks, Frank was keen to discover the state of play regarding Spurs’ talks with Grealish’s representatives, and it has emerged that the winger is actually open to joining them before deadline day on September 1.
However, Grealish’s hefty salary is posing a real issue, so Tottenham will need to find middle ground there.
Other reports claim Grealish could leave Eastlands on loan, but if Levy wishes to strike a permanent deal, the price is around £50 million.
